The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Saturday, March 11, 2023, governorship election in Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has assured serving and retired civil servants in the state of better welfare packages if elected Governor.
Rt Hon Oborevwori who is the Speaker of the State House of Assembly gave the assurance on Monday during an Interactive session with Civil Servants in the state at the Professor Chike Edozie Secretariat Complex, Asaba, the state capital.
Addressing the workers drawn from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs of the state government, the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori acknowledged progress recorded thus far in the State Civil Service and promised to do more to uplift standards in the system.
Oborevwori said prompt payment of workers’ salaries, promotions and accompanying benefits, outstanding pension arrears of retirees, training and retraining of the workforce, upward review of car and housing loans for the workers, among others, would be of top priority if elected as governor of the state in coming Saturday’s election.
The PDP governorship candidate also promised to sustain and enhance the various policies and programmes geared towards meaningful life for workers in the state, including an affordable housing scheme for workers through Public-Private Partnership arrangement, and the Health Insurance Scheme which would be made more accessible.
He assured that collective bargaining mechanism would be the mantra of his administration, stressing that capacity building of workers will take a prime position in his government.
Oborevwori explained that as a Pan-Deltan, who has held several positions right from his youth to his current position as the longest-serving Speaker in the State and Deputy National Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, he would bring his wealth of experience to bear in governing the State.
The Speaker emphasized that his capability and capacity to effectively and efficiently pilot the affairs of the state if elected can never be in doubt and appealed to the state workforce to help ensure he came out victorious at the poll on Saturday.
While assuring that members of the transition team would include representatives of the workforce so as to have input on the needs and aspirations of the workers, Oborevwori held that Deltans needed a broadminded leader and a listener as Governor rather than an autocratic leader.
He promised to give quality service to every ethnic nationality in the State irrespective of social status or religion and thanked the civil servants for their patients and opportunity afforded him to speak to them.
The State Head of Service, Mr Reginald Bayoko, thanked the workers for their responsive attitude during the interactive session and appealed to them to vote for the PDP gubernatorial candidate.
Mr Bayoko stated that Oborevwori is a leader conversant with the needs and desires of the workers and will implement every promise he has made to civil servants in the state.
The HoS disclosed that in his interaction with the Speaker, he drew attention to the issue of a 13-month salary that has been paramount among the needs of workers in the State.
Mr Bayoko said Oborevwori has assured that it was realistic and will be among his paramount consideration as soon as he assumes office as Governor.
The well-attended interactive session was part of the consultative engagement by the governorship candidate of the PDP with critical stakeholders in the state.