Makinde Approves Conversion of LG Ad Hoc Workers to Permanent Staff

Reported by Ayooluwa Afolabi

Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, has approved the conversion of ad hoc staff in the service of the 33 local government councils to permanent staff.

The governor said that the decision was taken to bridge the gap in the workforce at the local government level, noting that the due process for employment must be followed effectively and perfected within four weeks.

According to ThisDay, Governor Makinde disclosed this at the official inauguration of the newly-built Local Government House and Staff Training School, held at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

He assured the people that his administration would continue to seek innovative ways to support and collaborate with local government authorities to benefit the citizens to actualize his vision for the state.

He said: “We will continue to work with the local government so that our vision at the state level can also be sold to the local government administrators.

When there is synergy, we can achieve more.”

The governor added that when he came on board in 2019, he met a local government system that owed salaries, pensions, and gratuities.

He said: “For primary school teachers, their leave bonuses were last paid in 2017. The primary schools, PHCs, and other things were in bad shape. But we have paid the primary school teachers their leave bonus for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

“So, we had to figure out a way of reducing this deficit and we won’t play games with anybody because they are our people. We insisted that first-line items must be drawn against the LG account. It was a home-grown way of ensuring that outstanding pensions and gratuities were paid. We have paid backlogs of over N18 billion in pension and we have also paid over N15 billion gratuities to retirees.”

Makinde said his administration has collaborated with the Local Government Councils to upgrade 209 PHCs, equip 264 PHCs, and complete about 60 model schools.

He added that his administration had, in conjunction with local government authorities, constructed and renovated hundreds of primary school classrooms through the Oyo State SUBEB intervention project.

Makinde said: “We inaugurated the first set of about 40km of roads in Ibadan in July and we have an outstanding of about 60km to go in this first set. When we leave Ibadan, we will go to other zones. So, rest assured we will continue to seek innovative ways to collaborate with the local government administration to the benefit of our people.”

According to the governor, the newly built complex will provide a conducive environment for the local government staff and also enhance their productivity.

The governor added that facilities within the State Secretariat would be renovated and transformed before the expiration of his administration in 2027.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Land, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Williams Akin-Funmilayo, described the new complex as a monumental achievement, appreciating Governor Makinde for his insightful leadership in guiding the Local Government Service Commission and the Local Government Pension Board.

He commended the governor for adding value and bringing new things to local government service and Oyo State in general.

In their separate goodwill messages, the National President, the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ambali Olatunji, represented by the Vice-President of NULGE, South-west Caucus, Comrade Babalola Abimbola, Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Staff Pension Board, Honourable Akeem Ige and Chairman of the Oyo State Local Governments chairmen, Honourable Sikiru Sanda, commended Governor Makinde for prioritizing the welfare of local government staff.

The project consultant, Mr Olalekan Akingbade, who spoke on behalf of the University of Ibadan Ventures, described the newly-inaugurated LG House as a masterpiece with state-of-the-art equipment.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Honourable Ademola Ojo, said the edifices are the first in the history of Oyo State and Nigeria, adding that Governor Makinde’s administration has implemented unprecedented worker-friendly policies in the state.

Ojo urged the staff to imbibe a good maintenance culture of the facilities.

Giving the vote of thanks, the chairman, of the Local Government Service Commission, Dr Remi Ayodele, enjoined residents of Oyo State to support the governor with more prayers so that he can deliver more dividends of democracy to the people of the state.