Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Wednesday confirmed the readiness of his administration to pay the new minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government.

The Governor said his administration will continue to keep its promise to the workers and people of the state by making their welfare directive principles of state policy.

The Governor, who spoke at the 2019 May Day celebration held at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Arcade, Igbatoro Road, Akure, the state capital, saluted the workers for their cooperation since the inception of the administration.

The Governor also appreciated the union for the understanding displayed at difficult moments while calling on the workers to rededicate themselves to the service of their fatherland.

He said: “It is expected, therefore, that all those who serve diligently should also be catered for during and, more importantly, after they must have disengaged from public service.

“On our part, this administration continues to keep its promises to the workers and people of the state that their welfare shall be the directive principles of state policy. We have been able to strike the delicate balance in discharging this duty to both the workers and the people, within the available resources.

“Not only have we been able to manage the severely limited funds, our administration, with your commitment, has just been rated number one in Internally Generated Revenue rating in the country by the Public Bureau of Statistics.

“We believe that the most effective way to ameliorate the poor living conditions of our people is to abridge the infrastructural deficit in the state.

“Unless and until the hinterlands, upon which our aspiration towards self-sufficiency in food production is anchored, are linked to the urban centres, in a design which promotes cooperation on socio-economic fronts, poverty will not be tackled effectively.

“The provision of social amenities such as water, as exemplified by the drive of the government to reach all the nooks and crannies of the State, as well as the recent supply of medical equipment to all the facilities in the 18 local governments, attune with our determination to make life more meaningful for our people.”

Governor Akeredolu recalled that his government had embarked on massive road construction projects in the three senatorial districts in the state.

Besides, he added his administration equally renovated over 700 state-owned primary and secondary schools across the state.

According to him, the state government will support any programme which enhances capacity building for teachers in the state public schools.

He said because real prosperity lied in the production of goods and services by any society, his government had started the revitalization of the moribund production sector through the promising project of Ore Industrial Hub.

The governor said: “Creating an atmosphere which promotes economic activities is a priority of this government. The Deep Sea Port project at Araromi will become a reality soon. Our state will be the desired destination for serious investors and tourists.

“This administration has not reneged on any of its promises since inception. We will continue to treat the welfare of civil servants as a priority. “We have paid salaries of workers till date. We acknowledge the outstanding one month salary from the 7 months arrears inherited from the previous administration. We are obliged to offset this entitlement and other legitimate earnings as soon as the financial situation improves. We crave your patience and understanding in this regard.”