Labour gets 10,000 bags of rice as Kwara govt again reaches out to masses

Gbenga Olarinoye, ilorin

Kwara State Government has delivered 10,000 bags of 10kg rice palliatives to the labour unions for onward distribution to their members, another layer of support to the workers in the state as Nigeria battles to beats down the cost of consumer goods.

The palliative followed an engagement Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had with the leadership of the organised labour unions and other stakeholders during the week.

In their separate remarks, State Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Joseph Tunde Meshach and State Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Saheed Olayinka, commended the Governor for his continuous efforts to provide relief to the people in the state.

Acknowledging that the government has granted 11 of 21 requests, the labour leaders said talks are proceeding positively with the government on their other demands to improve their condition of service.

“We are here distributing the bags of rice given to us by His Excellency the Governor of Kwara State Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. On Tuesday, we had a meeting with him, where he said he would be giving the labour movement in the state 10,000 bags of rice (10kg) as a form of support at this time,” Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman Comrade Tunde Joseph told reporters on Friday in Ilorin, the capital city.

“It is part of the things to ameliorate the suffering of the people which we truly appreciate. We appreciate the gesture.

“On the ongoing negotiations with the government, we presented about 21 demands. The Governor has graciously approved 11. We are still progressing. We were happy when he said the committee is to be sustained to continuously engage us on other outstanding issues. We really appreciate this.

“What we are doing presently is the distribution of the 10,000 bags of rice (10kg). All our members from various ministries, departments, and agencies and all the affiliates are coming around. We started the distribution since yesterday. The affiliates came around yesterday to get their allocation. As it is now, the units are also coming to get their own allocation too.”

State Chairman, NLC, Kwara State Council, Comrade Saheed Olayinka, noted that Governor AbdulRazaq is a responsive leader, urging him to continue to prioritise the welfare of the workers for the growth and development of the state.

“We are very glad to receive 10,000 bags of rice (10kg) in this exercise. We believe this will go a long way. It is a show of support and empathy and we appreciate it,” Comrade Olayinka said.

“This is not our first time of witnessing different administrations of government. However, this government shows it has sympathy for the public. This is not only about the public service, it also includes the private sector.

“We have started sharing the rice palliative since yesterday, and people were so glad to receive it. It has reduced the tension and burden on us as leaders. They complained to us, and we forwarded the complaints to the government. Without wasting time, the government has come to our aid. We are so glad with what is going on.

“On the ongoing negotiation, the happiest part of it is that His Excellency has maintained the committee set up by him to look into the requests of Kwara State workers. We forwarded about 21 demands. Immediately, 11 have been addressed. The remaining 10 is still under consideration, while the committee continues to talk to the labour leaders. We hope that the remaining 10 will equally see the light of the day soon.”