Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to put matters of workers’ welfares in the front burner as he assumes the mantle of leadership as the 16th President of the country.
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, made the call at a reception put together by his media colleagues and friends to honour him as the new President of the NLC.
He urged the new government to ensure it keeps to all agreements entered into with labour unions saying that the immediate past government only succeeded in what he called “apprehending the issues”.
“Let me also say this now, the incoming administration will have a lot of labour challenges because there is no industrial issue that was concluded by the outgoing government.
“They succeeded in apprehending the issues, according to Senator Chris Ngige, the out gone Minister of labour.
“Apprehending an industrial issue is not the same thing as resolving it”, Ajaero said.
While promising to rekindle the fire of unionism past leaderships of the NLC are known for, Ajaero said that the current leadership of the NLC will not disappoint past labour leaders, workers and Nigerians.
He said that the Congress under him, has already started the work they pledged to do adding that “the State is fighting back”.
Speaking particularly about the leadership qualities of the former NLC President, Adams Oshiomohle who was present at the event, Ajaero said, “we are going to continue sir, from where you stopped and we will not disappoint you.
You represent modern day unionism in all ramifications. We saw a balkanized NLC after long years of military dictatorship….
“We are not deceived that it is yet uhuru, we have already started and the State is fighting back; and we will continue to do the right thing at every point in time,” the NLC President said.
Speaking on the planned removal of subsidy on fuel which has already been pronounced by the new President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu after his swearing in on Monday, Ajaero said that government put palliatives in place to cushion the effect of the removal on the citizenry as well as devise a means of preserving some of Nigeria’s crude for domestic use instead of selling off everything and thereafter import refined products at higher price.
In his address, former governor of Edo State and one-time President of the NLC, Mr. Adams Oshiomohle urged the NLC leadership not to relent in its mandate of protecting and defending workers’ rights, but should keep the fighting spirit of the labour movement.
According to him, “the unity of the labour movement and its fighting spirit is not to be sacrificed for the pleasure of any government, but to better the living conditions of workers and citizens.
“The unity of the labour movement is not at the pleasure of the government of the day. So protect the movement, defend its honour and uphold what you stand for.
“Please keep the fighting spirit of our labour movement. Deal with the big issues, when you are on the side of the people, you cannot fail”, he said.
Oshiomhole, who is the Senator-Elect from Edo North also pledged his support for the labour movement in Nigeria
“I use this opportunity to assure you that with me in the Senate, though I have only one vote, I cannot be a party to any anti-labour law.
“I cannot be a party to any law that is meant to weaken, undermine or do any of those things that will reverse the gains of the labour movement. I will rather be a one-man-squad,” he added.
One of the organisers of the event, Mrs. Prisca Egede while welcoming the guests, said that the occasion was put together to honour one of their own who she said moved “from Labour correspondent to the President of the NLC”.
