Bayelsa: In Five Years, My Administration Paid N20bn Gratuity Arrears, Says Diri

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has revealed that his administration has paid over N20 billion as arrears of gratuity to retired workers in the state since 2020.

Senator Diri spoke on Tuesday during the inauguration of the secretariat building of both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) at Amarata, Yenagoa.

The complex, built by the state government, was inaugurated by the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

Governor Diri stated that the edifice symbolised the harmonious relationship between labour and his administration, stressing that more would be achieved when there is industrial harmony.

He said workers welfare had always been a top priority of his administration.

His words: “When we came on board, the issue of outstanding gratuities and pensions were on the front burner. We immediately made it as a matter of policy to ensure that our senior citizens were respected by paying their arrears over the years.

“At this fifth anniversary of our administration, we have paid over N20 billion as gratuity and pension to retired citizens and we will continue to ensure that they receive them. Before we leave office, we would have cleared the backlog.”

Diri appreciated labour in the state for always resorting to dialogue instead of industrial action whenever there was disagreement and promised to always work with them to improve their welfare.

The Bayelsa helmsman explained that his Rivers counterpart was chosen to inaugurate the project due to his commitment to the welfare of workers in his state and as a career civil servant who attained the peak of his career.

Speaking on the issue of more homogenous states for the Ijaw ethnic nationality, the Bayelsa governor urged the Ijaw National Congress (INC) to work towards the creation of Toru-Ebe and Oil River states.

He noted that the balkanisation of the Ijaws into different states has given them a minority status in those states, stressing that only Bayelsa was created out of the three states demanded by the Ijaws.

He equally stated that it was an anomaly for Bayelsa to have only eight local government areas, saying it was an injustice that should be corrected by the federal government.

According to him, the creation of local government areas should have been the responsibility of states based on their ability and capacity to fund the number they create and not the current situation where local governments were created by the Federal Government and funded with the resources from the states.

In his remarks, Governor Siminalayi Fubara commended the Diri administration’s worker-friendly posture.

Fubara advised labour to work harmoniously with the government, adding that they would be the most affected if there was industrial crisis.

He said his administration would continue to work with his Bayelsa counterpart in the interest and development of both states.

“For 16 years, there was friction between Rivers and Bayelsa states but under my administration, we will work with you bearing in mind that you are a sister state and whatever the issues were, we have settled out of court.”

In their joint address, presidents of the NLC and TUC, represented by former Bayelsa State NLC Chairman, Comrade Ebipre Ndiomu and Austin Jonah, respectively, said the edifice was a testament of the collaborative effort between labour and government and would be used to strategise and advance the cause of labour.

The labour leaders also appreciated Diri for his worker-friendly policies and urged workers to reciprocate the gesture through increased productivity.

In his address, the Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Chief Odoko Omiloli, explained that the NLC and TUC complex was a double-winged and double-annexed one-storey building that would serve as a one-stop structure for the activities of trade unions in the state.

Chief Omiloli, who said the project was inherited from the previous administration of Senator Seriake Dickson, added that it was revalidated and awarded in December 2022 to January Aboroebi Nigeria Limited, an indigenous construction firm.