L- R: Alao-Akala and Ajimobi: Friends now

Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State today disclosed that he reconciled with his predecessor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala , who has defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the Labour Party in the spirit of forgiveness.

Governor Ajimobi said this while addressing workers of the state at the inter-faith religious service organized to mark the commencement of 2016, held at the Agodi Government Secretariat, Ibadan. In attendance were the workers led by the Head of Service, Mr Soji Eniade.

While preaching the culture of forgiveness, a catalyst, according to him, for answering of prayers, Ajimobi said, “Somebody said why did we and Akala become friends? I said we are now friends because it is good to forgive one another. We are not friends and that is also about politics. We must learn to forgive one another. We all own this state and so we must learn to work and stay together.

Making reference to the just resolved chieftaincy face-off between him and some High Chiefs in the state including the former state governor, Senator Rasidi Ladoja, and the insinuation that his action was targeted at him, the governor emphasized that he never had the mind of denying Ladoja the chance of Olubadan chieftaincy.

According to him, “We said someone should not be governor and whether anybody likes it or not, we are going to spend eight years. Let them go to the Hague, we are going to spend our eight years. But when we say that someone should not be governor, would we also say that he should be denied Olubadan chieftaincy title?”

Ajimobi nevertheless used the occasion to appeal to the state workers to put in more efforts for better productivity as the government was doing its utmost best in the face of financial difficulties it is facing.

“We are not going to retrench workers. We are paying 90 per cent of state allocation to only you people, and you are just about 100,000, whereas the state is of the population of about 8 million. Many of you are working, but many are not. We have paid salaries up to date except for those from levels 12 and above. The Federal Government is owing us two months and in spite of that, we are trying to pay as and when due.

“The thirteen ministries structure newly put in place is not to retrench workers but to make Civil/Public Servants highly productive, efficient and effective. The organizational re-arrangement will definitely lead to re-deployment, re-engagement and redistribution of workers and help in placing workers in areas where they will be more productive and impactful. We are being fair to the workers, and that is why we said we are not going to retrench. But we will not allow ghost workers in our system where some worker will be collecting salaries of dead people. Let us all get close to God, be honest and prayerful because prayer is the lubricant that oils the machine of success”, he said.

At the inter-faith service were the Chief Imam of the Oyo State Government House, Alhaji Rufai Bello, and Reverend Francis Omolade, who both delivered sermon of hope and encouragement to both the workers and the government for better peaceful co-existence in the state.