In a recent development, the Oyo State government has made significant changes to the promotion status of 1,629 workers, including nurses who were previously affected by administrative errors in the promotion exercises conducted between 2017 and 2020. Additionally, the government has allocated N25 million as compensation to the creators of the state anthem, “Asiwaju ni Wa.”
This decision was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, following a State Executive Council meeting. The statement further mentioned the approval for the reinstatement of 47 civil servants who were unfairly dismissed during the previous administration and the pardon of 124 workers who were terminated in 2012.
However, the council upheld the dismissal of 823 workers who were laid off due to submitting fake certificates by the previous administration. Furthermore, the termination of 180 workers who were employed at the end of the last administration in 2019 was also approved.
Governor Seyi Makinde expressed gratitude for the initiative and vision of Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi, the former Governor’s wife, regarding the anthem compensation. As a result, the anthem composers will receive land parcels and have streets named after them. The Ministry of Information and Orientation will produce a documentary to showcase the anthem’s history.
The official anthem, “Asiwaju Ni Wa,” was adopted without compensation for the composers a decade ago. To address this, a committee was established by the council last year to rectify the situation.