By Iyabo Adebisi

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has approved the payment of 13-month salary to the state workers for the seventh year running.

The governor has also approved the payment of outstanding salaries and minimum wage arrears to staff of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.

The governor stated this while inaugurating the Governing Board of the Teaching Hospital at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

He gave an assurance to resolve the issue of LAUTECH lecturers embarking on strike soon.

Governor Makinde equally tasked the newly inaugurated Governing Board to revamp the Oyo Annex of the Teaching Hospital within 12 months, promising that the state government would give necessary support to the board to make the facility operational.

“You have been selected or nominated based on merit. The Chairman of the Governing Board, Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, is an accomplished individual. He has been everywhere, and a lot of people, associations and organisations are looking for him. So thank you, Prof, for agreeing to serve your state. 

“Prof has developed a roadmap, and he has asked me when can we sit down and agree on this so that he can start implementation. 

“Also, I have been trying to see Prof. Ayodeji Omole, Chairman of LAUTECH Governing Council, for a while now because I have been reading about the lecturers either going on strike or not going on strike. I haven’t really taken a deeper dive into what is going on in there. So, I hope in the next one or two days we will be able to see what is going on. 

“When I came to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, I made a promise about the issues around the minimum wage arrears, and all of that. And a lot of your people have been asking ‘what’s the situation because we haven’t received the alert?’ Let me explain. I made that pronouncement and I expected it to be implemented, but they came back and said, ‘Well, we have to follow due process.’ I am happy to report that just this morning, I signed the salary file for the December salary and the 13th month salary. All those arrears were included.

“So they should rest assured. I can also announce here that just like we did last year, and just like we have been doing since 2019, there will be 13th month salaries as well.”

Speaking on behalf of the Governing Board, the Chairman, Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and assured of the board’s readiness to complement government efforts with policies that would transform the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital to a world-class facility. 

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By Jeffrey Ahonmisi

The Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Professor Tunji Olaopa, has admonished public servants not to see training opportunities as a jamboree, but as avenues to build capacity and improve their organisations’ productivity.

Professor Olaopa stated this while delivering a lecture at the 2025 Public Service Week, titled “Institutional Reforms for Inclusive and Responsive Public Service,” organised by the National Forum of Heads of Federal Government Establishments (NAFOHEADS), Oyo State Chapter, at the Federal Secretariat, Ikolaba, Ibadan.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Establishment and Training, Mr. Hameed Bello, Professor Olaopa noted that the public service would only become efficient when recipients of training programmes were held accountable by their organisations to demonstrate areas where their capacities have been enhanced.

Professor Olaopa also charged public servants not to depend solely on training sponsored by their organisations, but to pursue self-sponsored capacity development to remain relevant and justify the salaries they receive.

He further urged government at all levels to adequately fund the training of public servants, describing them as the catalysts that drive the wheel of every administration.

In his welcome address, the Chairman, NAFOHEADS, Oyo State Chapter, Dr. Stephen Adewuni, appreciated members for their support and appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to assist in the provision of a bus to convey workers to and from their various homes at subsidised rates.

Dr. Adewuni also appealed to heads of federal establishments in the state to participate actively in NAFOHEADS activities to maintain a vibrant and robust forum.

Among the participants was the Deputy Director, Programmes, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria ,FRCN, Ibadan, Reverend Niyi Dahunsi, who commended the forum for sustaining the annual engagement for public servants.

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By Rotimi Famakin

Ahead of the forthcoming election of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Oyo State Council, the Zonal Director, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Ibadan Zonal station, Mr Dominic Mokikan, has called on the chairmanship candidate on the platform of “Great Minds”,  Mr Akeem Abas, to uphold the truth and be magnanimous if elected.

Mr Mokikan stated this while receiving Mr Abas and his campaign team at the conference room of the Broadcasting House, Radio Nigeria, Dugbe, Ibadan.

The Zonal Director said the failure of past leaders of the union to see election in a simple way had led to conflict and selfishness.

“Be magnanimous in victory and be gracious in defeat. This is the way the union should be. If there is no gracious in defeat, it will lead to acrimony and if there is no magnanimity in victory it will lead to winners takes it all.”

In his reaction, Mr Abas said he is contesting for the position of Oyo NUJ chairman to rid the union of junks and restore professionalism.

He noted that members of his team were carefully selected, having examined their level of professionalism, character and the media organisations they work for.

Mr Abas had earlier at the Studio One of the Broadcasting House, pledged to prioritize the welfare of members through subsidized food items and training of members on Artificial intelligence, AI which he said was capable of rendering media professionals jobless in the future if not considered.

He maintained that the union would hold a joint press week annually with two days set aside for National Association of Women Journalist, NAWOJ, and Sports Writers Association, SWAN.

Commenting on the agenda of the team, the Campaign Director General of the Great Minds team, Mr Lekan Shobowale said his team would preserve the legacy of NUJ, end junk journalism, and also ensure the welfare of members.

The Deputy Director, News and Current Affairs Department, FRCN, Ibadan Zonal Station, Mr Adewumi Faniran urged the chairmanship candidate to restore the lost standard that the journalism profession is known for.

“Let sanity prevail. If your team is fortunate to come on board, make sure you sanitise the union. The era of impersonation should be made a thing of the past.”

The Head of Department, Corporate Development and Communication, FRCN, Ibadan Zonal Station, Mr Steven Agbaje said the Great Minds team possesses great manifestos, which he said would help the union to attain the desired standard position in the comity of unions in the state.

One of the candidates contesting for the secretary of the union, who is also a staff of FRCN, Ibadan Zonal station, Mr Dayo Adu pledged to contribute meaningfully towards achieving the mandate of the great mind team.

While commending the corporation for the opportunity he had leveraged to progress further in his journalism career, Mr Adu appealed for full support of staff members to enable his team win the forthcoming election.

The Oyo NUJ election comes up on December 9, 2025.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services following the alleged mass dismissal of some Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery.

This was announced in a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa.

The union accused the refinery of violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by dismissing workers for joining the association.

It alleged the refinery had replaced the dismissed staff with “over 2,000 Indians,” calling the action “an affront to all workers in Nigeria.”

PENGASSAN directed members in field locations to down tools from Sunday, and ordered a total nationwide shutdown across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies from Monday.

“All PENGASSAN members working across field locations are to withdraw services effective 06:00hrs on Sunday, 28 September 2025 and commence 24-hour prayers. This includes all control room operations, panel operations, and outfield personnel,” the union said.

“All PENGASSAN members across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies should withdraw all services effective 00:01 on Monday, 29th of September, 2025.

“No intervention whatsoever will be entertained across field locations except where the safety of personnel and assets is at risk; such clearance must be obtained from the National Secretariat.

“All processes that involve gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery should be let off effectively immediately,

“All IOC branches must ramp down gas production and supply to Dangote Refinery and petrochemicals.”

According to the circular, the union announced 24-hour prayer vigils and appealed for government intervention, declaring that the strike will continue until the dismissed workers are reinstated.

“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” it added.

Recently, Dangote refinery has been at loggerheads with NUPENG over labour rights and safety standards.

Channels/Adebukola Aluko

By Omolara Adasofunjo

The National Directorate of Employment, NDE says in the last 3 months, it has trained 33,692 unemployed Youths, Women and Persons with Disabilities in various sought after skills to make them self reliant.

At the Training held across the thirty six states of the Federation and the Federal Capital territory, FCT, the participants were exposed to Agricultural Skills Training, Vocational Skills training, Entrepreneurship and business management training,  and other activities within the Public Works sector.

In Ogun State, beneficiaries of the training were offered loans and starter packs for the establishment of their private businesses, as part of the 5,532 individuals to be resettled nationwide. 

At the official launch of the resettlement programme in Abeokuta, Director General of NDE, Mr Silas Agara, represented by the Ogun State Coordinator of the Agency, Mrs Kehinde Oshinowo explained that the programme was aimed at fostering economic growth and empowering communities.  

The Chairman Association of People With Disabilities, Mr Michael Ebohan while applauding the initiative also implored Nigerians to patronize people living with disabilities for goods or services as a way of showing them love and giving them a sense of belonging. 

Other Dignitaries at the event, including the State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Wasiu Isiaka, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Lanre Ogunyinka and the State Director, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Andy Egbor encouraged participants to make judicious use of the knowledge gained and the resettlement materials. 

Similarly, the Programme Manager, Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme, OGADEP, Mrs Abiola Sobukola, a representative of the State Universal Education Board, SUBEB, Dr Ismail Lawal among others encouraged the beneficiaries to multiply the resettlement materials through hardwork and diligence. 

Some of the participants, including Miss Rofiat Abbas, Victoria saliu and a visually impaired beneficiary, Mrs Oluwatomisin Adeyefa promised to reciprocate the gesture by actively contributing towards enhancing the the country’s economic development. 

By Bunmi Agboola

Workers across the country resumed on Thursday as public holiday declared by the federal government to commemorate New Year ended yesterday.

Our correspondent who monitored the situation at the Oyo state secretariat, Agodi, reports that most of the offices were opened for official activities.

The situation was however different at the federal secretariat, Ikolaba, where some offices were opened with some staff noticed in some of the offices.

Radio Nigeria also observed that some private organizations also opened for work while others were appreciating God for sparing their life to witness new year.

They expressed optimism that 2025 would be a better year for them.

Chairman, Nigeria labour Congress, NLC Oyo state council, Mr Kayode Martins said since the state government is set to implement the new national minimum wage this month, it is expedient for Oyo state workers to reciprocate the gesture through diligence, punctuality and commitment to duty.

The NLC Chairman, who said the union is committed to fostering industrial peace however appreciated the state government for prioritizing the welfare of the workers.