The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun, Mr Dapo Abiodun, says he will reinstate the sacked Chairman of the NLC in the state, Akeem Ambali, if elected.

Abiodun made the pledge on Friday during his visit to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in Abeokuta where he met with the organised labour movement in the state.

Ambali and 15 other Labour Leaders, including the former Chairman of the State Chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Dare Ilekoya, were dismissed from the state Civil Service in November 2016 by the state government.

They were accused of professional misconduct during the 2016 World Teachers’ Day celebration in the state.

While 15 of the labour leaders were pardoned, Ambali’s case was not re-visited.

Abiodun, however, promised that if elected, he would review Ambali’s case and reinstate him.

He described APC as a progressive party, adding that it was not in its culture  to be anti-labour, particularly when its Chairman was once a labour leader.

Abiodun explained that labour issues occupied prominent place in the policy document he and his team had developed for the state.

He promised to establish the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to effectively engage workers and improve their productivity and welfare.

He also pledged to restructure the contributory pension scheme and inaugurate state and Local Government Pension Boards.

” If elected, we will review and restore the roles and responsibilities of Public Service as implementation engine of government policies and programmes

“We will develop affordable labour estates for workers in different parts of the state and prioritise prompt payment of salaries, remittance of global deductions and gratuities for retirees,” he promised.

Abiodun, who said he was aware of many unfulfiled promises made by politicians, regarded his pledges as “sacred and solemn commitments that must be pursued with sincerity and vigour.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, Ambali alleged unfair treatment of the labour leaders by the state government in the last two and half years.

He complained about unjustifiable dismissal of its leaders, backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuities as well as un -remmitted deductions from workers’ salaries among others. (NAN)