By Femi Adepoju
It was a spectacle of sort when the entire city of Akure came alive. Business owners went on a brief break. Banking halls became empty. Vehicular activities went on temporary halt, all for the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko who finally succumbed to pressure, and declared his intention to re-contest the governorship seat to rule the state for another four years.
Before Mimiko decided to throw his hat in the ring for another shot at the exalted seat, different groups and personalities have called on the Governor to continue what they generally described as the good work he has been doing in the state.
Pensioners, market women, timber merchants, road worker unions and a host of others signalled to the Governor to take another shot at the state governorship seat.
(http://vml1.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/MIMIKO-declares.jpg?9d7bd4) (http://www.vanguardngr.com/?attachment_id=297926)Governor Mimiko...declares second term amidst tumultuous crowd. If these groups could be said to have only whispered their interest to the Governor, the civil servants in the state did more than whispering. Their call was so loud and deafening to the extent that the Governor himself promised to feed them back on his decision.
The civil servants, using their umbrella body, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) organised an unprecedented rally where workers in the state including artisans gathered and insisted the Governor should re-contest.
At the rally,civil servants in the state, the Nigerian Labour Congress's national body and those from the non organised labour sector endorsed the Ondo State Governor Dr Olusegun Mimko for a second term in office.
The support rally by workers in the state in Akure the state capital, was attended by the national officers of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Governor Mimiko expressed delight over the massive support received from the entire workforce since his assumption of office, and affirmed that no amount of propaganda would deter him from making the state an envy for other states and also benchmarking his programmes for the continent of Africa .
He added that the support of the workers would further encourage him to work harder for the people in accordance with his inauguration speech, stressing that all the God-given potentials of the state would be harnessed to take the state to a greater height.
The Governor, who was excited with various words of encouragement from the labour leaders on his achievements in office also named the new park behind the central mosque in Akure where the rally took place Democracy park in honour of the workers for organising the first event to ever hold at the park.
His words,"I'm convinced that this event today is not by coincidence. I must appreciate our workers in this state for their unequivocal support and solidarity at all times. This day is a vindication of our effort to turn around the fortune of this state. God has used us to translate our vision into reality. At my inauguration, I promised to work for you, and I said:I will not mind stepping on toes.
Today, we thank God for what he has used us to do in the last three and a half years. This period is a challenging one for our nation and I'm very optimistic that tomorrow will be better for our country. I want to appeal to you to remain calm and peaceful. I know that they will come to provoke you but please do not allow their provocation to cause chaos in the state". Mimiko had said at the call up rally.
The state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Bosede Dararmola who lauded the Governor for the various unprecedented achievements in office said workers in the state have benefitted immensely from the Mimiko government in the areas of implementation of salary relativity and payment of N22, 000 minimum wage, which is the highest in the country, regular payment of salaries and promotion, appointment of both retired and serving labour leaders into political offices, elongation of secretariat assistant cadre from GL09 to GL14 and payment of 50% basic salary as Christmas bonus for workers.
Others, she volunteered, are building of a world-class training institute, payment of weigh-in allowance for media workers, giving full recognition and re-organization to artisans and informal sector and release of N1.4 billion in 2009 to pay the retirement benefit of retired primary school teachers and local government workers among others.
The national leadership of the NLC and TUC represented by Comrade Kiri Mohammed, deputy president of the NLC and Comrade John Kolawole, secretary general of the TUC publicly endorsed Governor Mimiko to continue in office beyond 2013 based on his numerous achievements.
In apparent response to these calls, Governor Mimiko mounted the rostrum on Wednesday, July 25, at the same Democracy park where he agreed to recontest the governorship of the state, thus promising to continue to work for the people.
"I made a bond commitment to work for you three and a half years ago, I stand before you today to declare that by your support, we have lived by that commitment.
"Within these period, Ondo has been made a benchmark for Nigeria, and we have been able to erase the suspicion between the government and the governed and new standards have been set with policies formulated in the interest of our people"
Still on the podium, Mimiko said his administration has not shied away from the obligations of government. "We have kept faith with the electorate within the limit of the resources at our disposal " Then came the renewed vow: We desire to replicate the Urban Renewal projects that have made Akure a befitting city that it is now, in all parts of the state.
"We shall revive industries, build more Mother and Child hospitals, empower more people through a conscious social emancipation and I again declare today that that I will continue to work for you"
Mimiko thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for what he called his "patriotic option of ensuring a free and fair election" even as he gave kudos to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for job done well so far.
Perhaps the high point of the declaration event was what Mimiko called the home coming of a former member of the party and gubernatorial aspirant of the Action Congress of Nigeria, in the state, Dr Olu Agunloye.
Agunloye had abandoned the Labour party after he lost the Senatorial ticket of Akoko North to Professor Ajayi Borofice. At the declaration, Agunloye said he returned to the party after discovering that the Labour party was the only true party with which dividend of democracy could be delivered to the people of the state.
Before Agunloye declared his return to the Labour Party, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae, Dr Kunle Olajide, Dr Frederick Fasheun who are all prominent Yoruba leaders as well as the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress Abdulwaheed Omar among other personalities took turn to endorse the candidature of Dr Olusegun Mimiko for a second term in office with all of them hinging their decision on one fact, that Governor Mimiko has demonstrated beyond every reasonable doubt that he can take the sunshine state beyond the place of pride he has taken it in just a little over three years.
Vanguard Nigeria