Date Published: 05/12/09
CAN NLC BARK AND BITE?
By Emmanuel Onwubiko
The Nigerian Labour Congress [NLC] has carved a niche for itself over the years as one of the few credible voices that represent the interest of not only the Nigerian working class but the large army of impoverished and pauperised citizenry. During the dark days of civilian dictatorship of Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007 when he was forced to abandon his unconstitutional tenure extension, the Nigerian Labour Congress headed then by a charismatic man, Adams Oshiomhole was at the forefront of series of peaceful but effective agitations for the implementation of policies that are pro-poor and targeted at ameliorating the high cost of living. Though the then civilian tyrant Olusegun Obasanjo used everything available to him in his arsenal including the Nigeria Police to seek to crush the voices of opposition to his grand misrule but the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress did not give up the popular struggle even as the greater population of ordinary Nigerians showed greater loyalty and followership to those popular agitations because they were by and large meant to liberate the impoverished and endangered populace and more so when most people realised that Adams Oshiomhole could have comfortably compromised with the then corrupt political leadership to perpetuate the reign of civilian dictatorship including the churning out of very unpopular and anti-poor policies like the frequent hike in the pump price of premium motor spirit. But Adams Oshiomhole who due to dint of hard work has successfully liberated himself from the clutches of poverty still refused to compromised with the reactionary forces in the Federal Government and ensured that the body of the labour movement gave the then civilian dictators headed by Chief Obasanjo the fight for their money. It is a fact that the then President even sought to disband the Nigerian Labour Congress and did everything under the sun to destabilize the Nigerian Labour Congress by registering another labour platform-the trade Union Congress but little did he know that even those that championed the creation of another autonomous platform for workers in the higher echelon were united with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress to fight to better the overall living condition of the Nigerian workers and Nigerians in general so Olusegun Obasanjo’s divide and rule politics within the labour family did not click. Olusegun Obasanjo deployed the services of one of Nigeria’s best legal minds Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to use legal means to stop the organized labour from truncating his unpopular anti-people policy of deregulation of the oil sector which simply means increase in the pump price of petroleum products. Obasanjo found a ready ally in the person of the then Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Justice Roseline Ukeje who gave a highly controversial judgement annulling the power of the Nigerian Labour Congress to call out her members on strike to protest unfriendly Government policies.
The regime of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the Labour leader in Nigeria was indeed eventful. It is the thinking of most analysts that the Nigerian Labour Congress under the last dispensation met substantially the mission statement of the labour movement which in summary is to organize and unionise and educate all categories of the Nigerian workers, defend and advance the political, economic, social and cultural rights of Nigerian workers; emancipate and unite Nigerian workers and people from all forms of exploitation and discrimination, achieve gender justice in the work place and in Nigerian Labour Congress, strengthen and deepen the ties and connections between Nigerian workers and the mutual/natural allies in and outside Nigeria and to lead the struggle for the transformation of Nigeria into a just, humane and democratic society. Abdulwaheed Omar assumed the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress at the threshold of Nigeria’s transition from one civilian rule to another and it is the expectation of Nigerians that he should drive the labour movement to greater height because of the fact that he took over from a man who made a mark in the memories of Nigerians and succeeded in making the Nigerian Labour Congress a house hold name in the minds and hearts of most analytical and rational Nigerians. It is true that every leader has his own style but leading the Nigerian Labour Congress is a big and highly demanding job that requires charisma and the ability to mobilize the entire membership of the labour movement and the organized civil society sector including the ordinary Nigerians to achieve good governance and a transparent and accountable leadership in Nigeria. This gentleman Comrade Waheed Omar has been around in the Labour movement for decades and his assumption of the Nigerian Labour Union’s hierarchy was greeted with greater optimism that the vibrancy and the independent -mindedness that the labour movement has been known over the years would not be compromised under his watch. To a great extent, Comrade Omar has not disappointed Nigerians only that he needs to be much more forceful in pushing the popular position of the Nigerian people in matters like deregulation of the oil sector and the issue of electoral reforms and the promotion of respect for Human Rights of Nigerians. Comrade Omar has successfully waged a battle to compel the current Government to reverse a hugely unpopular hike in the pump price of petroleum products. But the battle ahead of the Nigerian Labour Congress is monumental and the leadership are expected to remain resolutely in the pursuit of the policies and programmes that will promote the human rights of all Nigerians and the interest of the Nigerian workers. The warning by the Nigerian Labour Congress to begin peaceful public rallies today to call for electoral reforms and for the rise in the salaries and wages of the Nigerian workers from the current unfortunate slave wage to a more acceptable living wage of N52 thousand Naira must be followed to its logical conclusion. The leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress must not allow themselves to be hoodwink into believing those sweet stories by the Nigeria’s labour minister Adetokunbo Kayode to the effect that the Federal Government will meet the demands of the Nigerian Labour Congress. My question to Adetokunbo Kayode is that how does he want anybody to believe him that the Government will meet the demands of the Nigerian Labour Congress and that the current President is a listening one when it is clear that the Federal Government has already rubbished the Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais-led Electoral reform panel’s recommendations? Aluta continua, Victoria asserta.
+Emmanuel Onwubiko heads the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria.
