Fayose warns civil servants against partisan politics

EKITI State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has warned civil servants against partisan politics. 

  He however, told the entire workforce in the state to vote according to their conscience in the March 28 Presidential election and April 11 State and National Assembly election.

    Fayose said, being a proponent of apolitical and non-partisan civil service that he would not openly coerce the workers to vote for any

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in the forthcoming elections.

   The Governor spoke during a parley with the entire civil servants in state at an event held at the State Pavilion in Ado Ekiti.

   Fayose said his government would continue to place high premium on the welfare of workers, in spite of the poor financial situation of the

State.

    Revealing that the immediate past government left a whopping sum of N7.7 billion as arrears of salaries and allowances, Fayose assured that his government shall meet all demands of the workers as soon as the finances of the State improve.

   The governor said he would ever be grateful to the state civil servants for joining the forces that returned him to power after eight years he was impeached by the then House of Assembly.

     Fayose, who pleaded for patience, appealed to workers to show understanding in view of the critical financial situation of the state.

  He said: “I won’t be a governor that would take advantage of you. I won’t promise what I won’t be able to meet. Ekiti is financially challenged now in view of the huge debt left behind by immediate past government and drop in oil price.

   “This is not an attempt to malign anybody, but we have to state the facts as they are. We have tried to borrow money from banks, but they refused because we have not paid the one that was borrowed by the last administration. So, we can’t pay all allowances now”.

     Warning that any worker found playing politics shall be disciplined,

Fayose said there is need to de-politicise the civil service to improve productivity and professionalism.

   “If I politicize the service my own way and another person come and do same, we will end up destroying the service. That is why any civil servant found playing politics arbitrarily should be disciplined.

     “My own way of getting votes shall be doing those things that would promote your welfare. And if you love me under this context, you will love whatever political course I support. I want to make it clear that I won’t force you to vote for any candidate in this election.

Just go and vote according to your conscience”, Fayose advised.

    Fayose pledged his resolve to continue to defend the workers and all the indigenes of the state, who are being oppressed under any guise, “because you elected me as a governor to defend  the interest of Ekiti people”.

    “I have told the Head of Service that any worker that felt he was oppressed or unjustly sacked under Fayemi , I mean those with genuine case should write to me and I shall look into such case dispassionately”, he assured.