Douye Diri Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has informed civil servants in the state to go back to farming. He stated this while addressing members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) who were protesting against economic hardship hitting the country as a result of the sudden rise in the prices of food items and other essential commodities in the market.
Governor Diri while addressing the protesters, who marched to the Bayelsa State Government House Gate in Yenagoa, told the civil servants that "his advice to them is to go back to farming."
Governor Diri stated that the cause of the protest was beyond his capability because it was a national issue.
He, however, promised the civil servants in the state that his administration would work with the Head of Service to reduce the working hours of the workers to save them transportation costs.
He said, "Seeing you protesting across the whole country, the power of government belongs to you the people, that's why in anything I do, I see the people as number one. In any project I do, in any policy we bring out, we look at the effect on the people.
"But I believe that the President will listen to this protest. It is not out of place, you have done this protest for me also and for every other Nigerian.
"I can assure you that all of us are not sleeping. If it were something within our reach as governors or as a government of Bayelsa, you would have heard from me by now but it is beyond our reach. It is a national issue.
"But be that as it may, I want to assure you that as a worker-friendly government from day one, we will also consider the few issues you have raised here, particularly on the issue of man hour. I am going to dialogue with the Head of Service and the NLC chairman and we will look for the appropriate steps to take to reduce the workers' man hours so that in terms of paying transport, you can be relieved.
"My advice again to our workers beyond earning your salaries is, let's go back to farming, it is high time we also think out of the box, this is the time we need to explore other areas, mostly farming or trading to augment your salaries.
"But for now, the issue of palliatives is always there, we will also look at it and address it properly.
In his address, the State Chairman of the NLC, Bayelsa chapter, Comr. Barnabas Simon appealed to those in authority to urgently take steps to revert this ugly economic trajectory before the situation gets out of control.
He stressed the need for interim measures to assuage the impact on workers, as some state governments are considering man-hours reduction for workers and palliatives to cushion the effect.
He also appealed to the Governor to come up with policies that would bring succor to Bayelsa workers.
Attached Photo(s):
RoundTable Image 
RoundTable Image 
RoundTable Image
Category: World-News
Tag: My Advice To You Is Go Back To Farming Gov Diri Told Protesting NLC Members in Bayelsa
Written by Author (author)
Published 2/28/2024 1:27:57 AM