February 18, 2025
By Idris Buba
Rivers state Governor, Sim Fubara, on Tuesday inaugurated the one-storey twin-building Labour House constructed by the administration of Governor Douye Diri, in Yanagoa, Bayelsa State.
The Governor who recalled what propelled him to pay N100,000 December bonus to all categories of staff including retirees in the state in 2023, said the thought occured to him while en-route Abuja for a reconciliatory political meeting to find solutions to the 2023 political crisis.
Governor Fubara, noted that the gesture has created industrial harmony in Rivers state..
“On the 18th of December, the year of Our Lord 2023, I was on my way to Abuja for a reconciliatory meeting, and I was thinking: what will I do for my people – my primary constituency, who are the civil servants?
“We all know that the salary is not enough during the Christmas period. I knew we had a lot of challenges at that time, and it would be difficult for me to do the 13th month.
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“But, however, even if I had to do the 13th month, it would also be a cheating to the lower level workers because some of them would have less than N100,000. So, I decided that I was going to do a bonus of N100,000 to all workers. That was my meeting with the Accountant-General while I was on my way to Abuja.”
Fubara, further recalled that both leaderships of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC, wrote him letters of appreciation.
He commended the Bayelsa State Governor for building a labour house which he said showed there was cordial relationship existing between labour and the administration of Senator Diri.
The Rivers State Governor advised the organized labour in Bayelsa State to consider the gesture as a privilege and urged them to work towards sustaining the existing relationship with the governor.
Speaking at the inauguration, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, acknowledged that the project was started by the administration of his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, but that he completed it to provide the organised labour in the State a place to conduct their affairs.
Senator Diri, who commended Governor Fubara for his exemplary labour-friendly policies that have promoted workers’ welfare and industrial harmony, said his administration has so far paid N20billion to servicing pensions and gratuities, hoping to upset all outstanding indebtedness by the end of his second tenure.
In their joint address, both the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, leaders appreciated Governor Diri for building a befitting edifice and pledged to support and sustain cordial relationship with his administration.
