By Oladunni Ilesanmi
Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti Progressive Workers’ Forum (EPWF) has condemned in totality the statement credited to the State NLC Chairman, Pharm. Joshua Olatunde Kolapo on Wednesday, 7th April, 2022, at the anchor support program of the APC, that workers in the state have resolved to support the APC and its candidates Biodun Oyebanji in the June 18 Governorship election.
Pharm. Olusola was quoted to have said during the program that
“We, as workers have somebody we can run to. We have somebody that understands the system. We have someone who understands the nuances of governance and we have somebody that has the link with the federal government. I therefore have no option within me than to mobilise workers of Ekiti State to a direction that can pay everyone”
The EPWF in a statement made available to the press through its Cordinator Justus Adeola Akinniyi noted that even though as a citizen of Ekiti State, Pharm. Kolapo has the right to express support or affection for anyone or group that he fancies, the open campaign for a political party in a multi-party state, as NLC Chairman, is unethical, unconstitutional and unbecoming of a senior career officer of his calibre.
The Group emphasized that the NLC chairman lacks the moral justification to make such utterance while they advised him to toe the path of honour, dignity and professionalism rather than pursuing gluttonous and inordinate ambition that could eventually turn perilous.
The EPWF noted that for him to have tied the entire workforce of the state to his apron strings in a self imposed political jamboree was more of a search for undue relevance, obviously unguided and misguided as well as calls for pertinent questions;
According to the statement,
“When has it become the responsibility of labour leaders to mobilise civil servants to support a political party or a political candidate, in defiance of the principle of political neutrality which is among the regulatory principles of the establishment?
What manner of labour leader is this that is shamelessly campaigning for the government that opposed local government autonomy vehemently, a policy which, if implemented could have facilitated rapid development of the state and also make substantial part of the workforce more professionally relevant and psychologically fulfilled?
3. What satanic force could have influenced this labour leader to openly celebrate and campaign for an administration that disengaged about one thousand university workers under his watchful eye and consequently thrown the affected staff to hardship; the university to avoidable legal firework which has turned to become a potential financial burden and credibility issue for the institutions and by extension, an embarrassment of serious magnitude to the entire State?
4. What moral justification does a labour leader has to preach the “gospel of continuity” for an administration that has continually treat the retirees with disdain and ignominy by refusing to pay their entitlements over the years, thereby making them perpetually poor, sickly and prone to avoidable death?
5. Of what consequential benefit has the ‘link with federal government’ which so much impress the Chairman been to the Ekiti workforce?