The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Ondo State are at loggerheads with the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa over plans to demolish staff quarters structures under the guise of infrastructure upgrade.
The Special Adviser to the state Governor on Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Engr. Ayorinde Olawoye, had in a statement labeled as half-truths, misinformation, and mischievous rhetoric aimed at discrediting what he described as a forward-thinking initiative of the Ondo State Government by the workers body.
“As the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Lands, and Housing, I deemed it necessary to clarify the facts and reaffirm the administration’s unwavering commitment to responsible urban renewal in line with global best practices and Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa’s sustainable infrastructure development agenda.
“The Alagbaka Staff Quarters, consisting of 69 bungalows of 53 residential units and 16 office units, was developed over 30 years ago and currently sits on 31.3 hectares, equivalent to approximately 481 standard land plots.
“Over the years, these structures have suffered neglect, with no significant renovation or infrastructural upgrade. The structures are now largely substandard, unsafe, and unsuitable for modern habitation.
“What this administration envisions is not just reconstruction, but a holistic transformation into a modern urban housing estate that reflects the aspirations of a 21st-century Ondo State
“The current occupants, many of whom the quarters have been sublet to by the supposed valid occupants at exorbitant rates, represent less than one percent of the state’s workforce. The government is engaging labour leaders to ensure that those who will be affected are taken care of”.
In a counter statement by the state NLC, the union clarified that the state workers didn’t sublet government quarters at exorbitant rates, describing the claim as a “cheap lie”.
According to the statement signed by Comrade Olapade Ademola Adeniji, NLC Chairman; Comrade Fatuase Clement Chairman, TUC Chairman, Comrade Segun Ajiböye
Chairman Joint Negotiation council (JNC) the workers said “the attention of the Organised Labour in Ondo State, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), has been drawn to a public statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Engr. Ayorinde Abiola Olawoye, concerning the proposed redevelopment of the Alagbaka Government Staff Quarters, Akure.
“Ordinarily, we would have ignored the self-congratulatory rhetoric and anti-worker posturing laced throughout the said release.
“However, in the face of deliberate misinformation, half-truths, and the thinly veiled insults against hardworking civil servants, silence would be betrayal.
“We wish to state in very clear terms that the claim that civil servants have “sublet” government quarters at “exorbitant rates” is not only a cheap lie, but a calculated attempt to paint workers as profiteers in order to justify the eviction plan.
We challenge the Special Adviser to publish verifiable evidence to support his wild and defamatory allegations.
“Until he does, we consider his statement as not just false, but malicious.
“It is disturbing that in a time when citizens -including government workers- are battling economic hardship, rising food and fuel costs, and housing shortages, what the government considers a priority is an eviction plan disguised as urban renewal.
“The Alagbaka Staff Quarters have served as a critical buffer against the housing deficit in Akure for decades.
“Displacing workers from their homes without any clear resettlement or Compensation plan is cruel, anti-labour, and completely unacceptable.
“We take particular exception to the condescending assertion by Engr. Olawoye that “less than one percent” of the state workforce resides in the quarters.
“Since when dịd the number of people affected determine the worth of their dignity? Even if it
were just one family, the government has a responsibility to treat its workers with empathy and not as disposable statistics.
“Let it also be known that the so-called engagement with Labour was superficial as there was no briefings whatsoever.
“Organised Labour is not against development. we welcome genuine urban renewal efforts that follow due process and uphold human dignity.
“We call on His Excellency, Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, to listen to the voice of reason and direct an immediate halt to all plans that will force civil servants into the streets.
“No government should derive satisfaction from turning its workforce into victims of eviction.
“The Organised Labour stands firmly with every affected worker and their families.
“We will resist all forms of oppression, humiliation, and disregard for the welfare of workers under any quise.
“Let it be known that an attack on one worker is an attack on all” the workers said.
