Lagos State Government workers on Tuesday gathered for an inter-religious prayer session at the state secretariat as they resumed on the first working day of the year.

Prayers were offered by the workers for peace and prosperity in the state, the nation and in the lives of civil servants.

The Acting Head of Service, Mrs Folashade Adesoye, in an interview with newsmen, said that the prayer session was aimed at appreciating God for His goodness to the state and its inhabitants in the past year.

Adesoye said it was also to solicit for God’s continuous blessings over the state and Nigeria as a whole.

She thanked the workers for their services and urged them to be punctual and make judicious use of available resources.

Adesoye said that in the course of the year, a number of policies and projects would be implemented to improve staff welfare.

She said that a multi-storey complex under construction opposite the Secretariat would be converted to a workers’ welfare complex to house a day care centre, cafeteria, and recreational unit.

According to her, it will also have offices for the unions and a discount shop.

A minute silence was observed in honour of civil servants who died last year.

Some of the workers disclosed that the government needed to improve on their welfare and maintain good relationship with various unions to avoid labour strike.

“What we expect from the government is better welfare packages, as our take home cannot take us anywhere.

“We thank our governor for his good works in the state, but more can be done to make workers happier and merrier,” one of them, who simply identified herself as Tope, said.