In this report, YEKINI JIMOH examines the ongoing workplace security campaign and its implications for workers’ welfare, job security and the 2027 political landscape in Kogi State.
As the nation gears up for the 2027 general elections, Kogi State is already witnessing heightened political activities, with organised labour taking a leading role in mobilising workers for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
The sensitisation campaign, spearheaded by the Special Adviser to Governor Ododo on Labour Matters, Comrade Onuh Edoka, has traversed several local government areas across the three senatorial districts, taking its message of workplace protection, security consciousness, workers’ welfare and political awareness directly to the grassroots.
Held under the theme, ‘Workplace Security: Protection, Sensitisation and Preparedness Against Banditry and Kidnapping,’ the campaign sought to draw workers’ attention not only to the security of their workplaces but also to the need to protect their jobs and welfare by supporting policies they believe promote workers’ interests.
From Okene to Ogori-Magongo, Ankpa, Adavi, Okehi, Dekina, Omala, Bassa, Ofu, Ajaokuta, Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopamuro, workers and labour leaders expressed varying degrees of support for the continuity of the Tinubu and Ododo administrations.
Security and job protection
Speaking during the campaign, Edoka said workplace security had become increasingly important in view of the security challenges confronting society, particularly banditry and kidnapping.
He maintained that security was a collective responsibility requiring the cooperation of government, workers and other stakeholders.
According to him, workers must remain vigilant and security-conscious while also understanding that job security is an essential component of workers’ wellbeing.
‘Security is a collective responsibility, either in the workplace or beyond. Government is committed to providing the leadership and resources, but cannot do it alone.
‘The political will is the foundation of all security progress. Governor Ododo is ready for all-round protection of the people and property. The workers’ job is not an exception,’ he said.
Edoka also urged workers to make informed political choices, arguing that continuity in government was necessary where existing policies and programmes were yielding positive results.
Workers’ welfare takes centre stage
A major component of the campaign has been the presentation of the welfare initiatives of the Ododo administration as evidence of its commitment to workers.
Edoka listed the implementation of the new minimum wage, payment of full salaries to local government workers, full hazard allowances for doctors and other health workers, health insurance coverage for workers and pensioners, promotions and payment of promotion arrears, leave bonuses and the provision of buses for the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Council.
He said the measures had helped create a more conducive working environment and strengthened the relationship between government and organised labour.
The campaign has consequently become not only a security sensitisation exercise but also a platform through which workers are being encouraged to examine the policies and programmes of the present administrations before making their electoral choices in 2027.
Labour backs continuity
The Kogi State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Gabriel Amari, said organised labour’s participation in the campaign was informed by what he described as the verifiable achievements of the Ododo administration.
Amari noted that the governor had taken steps to improve workers’ welfare without necessarily waiting for pressure from labour unions.
He urged workers to sustain the cordial relationship between government and organised labour, saying the existing partnership should be protected.
Similarly, the State Chairman of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Comrade Olusegun Alemeru, said workplace security was directly connected to the wellbeing of workers.
He urged workers to see the 2027 election as an opportunity to make decisions that would protect their jobs and welfare.
The Senior Technical Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Chief Godwin Edime, also canvassed continuity, saying the policies of the Tinubu and Ododo administrations should be sustained for the benefit of workers and the wider societyorsements across the councils
The campaign has received strong endorsements from workers and labour leaders in several local government areas. From the western senatorial district to the east and the central, labour leaders including chairmen of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Medical and Health Workers Union, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) among others passed a votes of confidence in Governor Ododo and described the governor’s interventions as a departure from what workers experienced in the past and assured the campaign team of massive support for the governor’s re-election.
The Kogi State President of NULGE, Comrade Muhammad Sanusi Inyanya, described the situation as a moment of celebration for workers, commending Governor Ododo for placing workers’ welfare on the front burner.
A campaign beyond politics
Although the campaign has a clear political undertone, its organisers have continued to present workplace security as its central theme.
Edoka has repeatedly urged workers to remain vigilant against threats such as kidnapping and banditry while encouraging labour unions to speak with one voice.
In Ofu and Ajaokuta, workers pledged their support for Tinubu and Ododo, while the Director of Local Government in Ofu, Mrs Joy Audu, described the engagement as timely.
Across the councils, cultural displays and large gatherings of workers added colour to the engagements, underscoring the campaign’s growing visibility at the grassroots.
The road to 2027
With the campaign now moving across the three senatorial districts, its organisers appear determined to turn workplace engagement into a broader grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
For the labour unions and workers who have publicly endorsed the administrations, the argument is straightforward: policies affecting salaries, minimum wage, promotions, healthcare, hazard allowances, pensions and general working conditions should be considered alongside broader political issues when deciding who should govern.
For Edoka and his team, therefore, workplace security goes beyond protecting government offices from physical threats. It also encompasses the protection of workers’ livelihoods and the continuity of policies they believe have improved their conditions.
As the 2027 political season gradually gathers momentum, the campaign has provided the Ododo administration with another platform for direct engagement with one of its most important constituencies-the organised workforce.
Whether the endorsements recorded across the local government areas will ultimately translate into electoral strength remains a question for the 2027 polls. But one message has emerged consistently from the campaign trail: Kogi workers want their welfare, job security and relationship with government to remain central to the political conversation.