Akpan Umoh, Uyo
Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has lauded the partnership role of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Akwa Ibom State wing in the promotion of peace, progress, and industrial harmony in the state.
Emmanuel said this during the ground-breaking ceremony of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) complex of NLC in Uyo on Tuesday.
He assured that the State Government will continue to assist the organised labour in the state in its effort to build the facility and donated N20 million for the building of the ICT facility, named after him.
The governor, who was represented by his Deputy Governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, mentioned that there was enduring industrial harmony that existed in the state since 2015 when he came into office.
“The peaceful disposition of labour confirmed his belief that the government and NLC are partners in the bigger and larger Akwa Ibom enterprise,” he said.
He said that the ICT ground-breaking ceremony has further reinforced the fact that the organised labour in the state was operating in line with conventional and universal realities which has shaped the engagement between labour and the state.
Emmanuel said the world revolves around technology in all aspects of life including the way we think and undertake simple and complex tasks.
The governor said that he was excited by the decision of the organised labour to build an ICT centre in the state, adding that the action showed NLC was aware of the imperative of the facility to the contemporary work-place environment.
He said the centre when completed would go a long way in ensuring that all operations of labour would be undertaken within the framework of modern technological requirement.
Earlier, the State chairman of NLC, Comrade Sunny James, said the ICT facility which the governor was invited for the ground-breaking ceremony was initiated with a view to giving workers a befitting ICT facility in the state.
James added that the project was conceived when it was observed that the government had come up with computer-based test examinations for promotion and employment.
He said that the facility would have 300 computers, so that workers would take advantage of the centre to prepare for such examinations.