Hon. (Comrade) Joseph Akinlaja is the Life Patron and Technical Consultant to PTD Branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). He is also a former General Secretary of NUPENG and former Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream. From a humble beginning on his father’s farms in Ondo State, Akinlaja dreamt big about life and grew up to become a leader in the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) with the likes of Adams Oshiomhole and Frank Kokori. But he also has scars to show for it. He shares his story with PAUL UKPABIO.
WHAT was life like growing up as a little boy in Ondo?
It was exciting. I was born in Yaba in Ondo Local Government Area. I grew up with my siblings in a family of five—four boys and a girl. The girl was my immediate senior sister. It was a village setting which meant that we had the opportunity to play most of the games children played. There were also domestic chores to do at home after coming back from the public school we attended in the town.
What were your early school days like?
Education was compulsory, courtesy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo who made primary and secondary education compulsory in the then Western Region of Nigeria. He introduced free primary education in 1955 and I went to school to get enrolled. But that year, my hand could not go across my head to touch my ear, which was the measure of school age at that time. The headmaster had to ask me to come back the following year. I did and started with free compulsory education.
Education was the value for people in the Western Region at that time. Parents used to size each other up and teased each other about the number of children they had in college or in primary school when they sat under the tree in front of their houses after returning from work or from the farms, playing draft, ayo or other games together. Education was the value, and it is still so to some extent.
Like I said, I started school in 1956. I went to modern school between 1961 and 1964 and then to secondary school, after which I came to Lagos from Ondo to attend the Yaba College of Technology where I studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering. I also studied in a French university in Russia, where I graduated in Political Economy in 1979, after which I began to attend short courses in trade unionism and management at the International Labour Institute in Geneva, Italy; the London School of Management in the UK and a university in South Africa where I did some short courses.
What were the challenges you faced as a unionist in your younger days?
It was almost a taboo for employers then to have unions in their enterprises. We were not allowed to entertain union activities in the premises where we worked. I remember when we went to Empire Hotel in Mushin, Lagos to hold our meetings on Sunday, policemen were sent to us under trumped up charges just to prevent us from forming a combination towards a trade union. Even to collect union dues from the people we were trying to help in those days was a big issue.
In those days, salaries were paid in envelopes fortnightly at Berec Nigeria Limited where I started my unionism career. There, some workers would jump over the fence to avoid paying union dues at the gate where the union officials used to mount sentry to collect union dues on pay days, which was one shilling per month. Even the employers used to drive us away from their gates, saying that we should not mount anything at their company gate to collect our dues. Some typical workers would even tell us that they could not open their pay envelopes until they took it home to their family heads or pastors or husband to bless the money. And once we allowed them to take it home, they never returned to pay that particular union due.
So the union faced recognition challenge from employers and the challenge of collecting union dues from the workers, which was later overcome through organisational restructuring of trade unions along industrial lines in 1976, 77 and 78, and then compulsory check off dues that was introduced in 1978 through Decree Number 21 of 1978.
You were a unionist as a young man. Weren’t your wife and family members worried about that aspect of your life?
In the month of July, 1981, my wife was six months pregnant with our first child. That was exactly the day that I was sacked from work at the petroleum company where I worked. I was sad. When I got home, I wanted to hide the letter from my wife. But the moment she saw me, she asked me if it had become unbearable for me to continue struggling with the company I was working for. She said: ‘Today, you look dull.’ I tried to pretend but she objected, saying something must have happened to me. I then told her: ‘Okay, they have sacked me.’ She said: ‘Okay, you know that I’m more than seven months gone in this pregnancy, but I know that what we and this child will eat, God has already provided it. Don’t worry about the sack.’ With that, she served me dinner and we ate together. I had thought she would break down, but she didn’t. That goes to show you how supportive my wife has been in our marriage right from my early days in unionism. I was lucky not to be sacked at home after I was sacked as union leader. Also, my wife has always been some sort of an activist in nature. So she encouraged and followed me in some dangerous struggles for the liberation of humanity. My parents were also known for fighting for the cause of humanity.
‘Dramatic way my
wife reacted to news of
my sack as union leader’
What would you say has been the moving factor for you?
It is the spirit to succeed and the spirit to help other people to succeed. Today, if you mention my name in NUPENG and in the Labour circle, it is a household name. Today, I have been honoured by the Federal Tanker Drivers Association in Nigeria as their Technical Consultant. I am usually consulted for opinion despite the fact that I left them 17 years ago. That shows you that my passion to help people is deep.
Tell us about your relationship with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
I was his deputy at a time. I was a very loyal deputy. He can attest to that. I made sure that Icarried out collective decisions to the last letter. So, the relationship was very cordial and it is still cordial.
You started in the farm with your dad and family in Ondo State and ended up being a union leader. What would you say drove you in that direction?
It was fate, because anytime I encountered any difficulty, it was always a springboard of progress for me. As a unionist, I became properly schooled on how to handle people at all levels. Today, I could be in the northern part with the people at the depot, and tomorrow, you could find me in Aso Rock holding meeting with the President of Nigeria. There is no president of Nigeria from Alhaji Shehu Shagari to the present one that I have not had a meeting with at one time or the other. So, I am a leveler. I can level with ordinary people like myself, and I can also level with people in higher places. And that’s what took me to the National Assembly. My knowledge and experience in advocacy for the ordinary people led to me to the legislature for eight years. I believe it was fate because each time I am victimised, and it led to an exit, such exit only leads me to a higher position in life.
You worked for the British Petroleum which later became African Petroleum before you became a unionist. What memories do you have of these?
The sweet memories I have is that I was able to be part of the struggle that now makes contribution of union dues easy, and seeing the successful process of the restructuring of the Trade Union in different aspects. The 17 senior staff associations plus the employers’ association, I was a part of that struggle. And it is a sweet memory because today in the Trade Union in Nigeria, we don’t have to go and wait at the gate to collect union dues by hand. It is now automatic.
Which employment did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed the trade union experience the most. I was an employee of the Trade Union. British Petroleum changed its name to African Petroleum, meaning it was spearheaded by the same management team. I became an employee of NUPENG in 1981 and worked there until 2004 when I got to the climax of my career as General Secretary, after which I retired into politics.
Why did you go into politics?
I went into politics because I have always believed that trade unionism and politics are just two sides of a coin. Trade unionism, in a sense to me, is industrial politics. You cannot be a union leader without canvassing for votes among workers. That is industrial politics. Then the other one is partisan politics which is based on political party. Between the two, politics is the common denominator.
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So, since 1978, I have been involved in partisan politics. Even though I was a unionist, I was also a politician. I was the secretary of UPN in a ward in Mushin as at 1978. I became a counsellor between 1987 and 1989 in Lagos Mainland Local Government. I contested the chairmanship of the Federal Democratic Party in the Mainland Local Government. So, I have been doing unionism and politics together till today.
As technical consultant and life patron of the petroleum tanker drivers’ branch of NUPENG, how do you think the tide of traffic gridlock in Apapa and on Lagos-Badagry Expressway can be stemmed?
If the government, both state and federal, had listened to me and our union back then, this problem would have been solved a long time ago. During the tenure of General Adisa as Minister for Works during the Abacha regime, the labour unions confronted the government that we needed a parking space in Apapa, and they gave us an expanse of land at Orile. We asked the government to talk to Julius Berger to fix the 14 hectares of land for us but the government preferred to give it to a contractor who would charge tankers N2000. How can the tankers afford that? And that space would have taken more than 3,000 tankers off the road and they could go out serially to load. But the government turned down our idea and preferred to drive the tankers away. So they leave the place in the afternoon and come back at night.
The land is still there. Now hoodlums have taken over the place and people are building small jetties in the place at Apapa. That is the irony of Nigeria! Anything anybody would do that would not benefit their pocket, even if it is good for the society, they would not do it! That is why we are where we are.
You will turn 70 years next year. Any regrets?
No regrets. My life has been a life of struggle. In 1969, I was beaten by a school bully, who I fought because he bullied a younger student. And he was punished by the principal. After that, l went into unionism. During the June 12 struggle, I was injured, detained for fighting for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria. So, it’s been a life of struggle for me. I have been detained by the DSS for fighting for justice and fair play. But I enjoyed it because I was detained in the cause of service to humanity. As far as I’m concerned, it was a glorious detention. No regret at all.
You were in the House of Representatives for eight years. How would you describe your experience as a federal lawmaker?
It was exciting. The only regret I have on that one is that the Bill on Social Security never became law, and that’s because I am for a law that provides social security. If that law was in existence, it would be difficult for anybody to steal millions.
You also have this peculiar style of projecting your culture…
I love our local dresses. When you see me in the National Assembly, I’m always in my white and Musca (Aso Oke), which signifies the culture of Ondo people. So, when people ask me, ‘Are you from Benue?’ I reply, ‘No, this culture is from Ondo, and it is a culture that is about 530 years old. So, they now know that Ondo people dress like that.
What is life like in retirement now?
Well, I’m learning the ropes because it is not comfortable for me to wake up in the morning and go back to sleep again. You know, unionism and activism runs in the blood. So, I’m learning the ropes. Sometimes I get invitation from the labour unions and sometimes from politicians to deliver a lecture or speech at an event. I do that all around the country.
I started thinking of my retirement right from the day I started working in 1971. When I was at British Petroleum, each time I got my salary and was paid overtime, I would save my overtime money in a separate account. I didn’t touch that. By 1979, it grew up to N6,000, and I used it to buy a car which I used for commercial purposes. Also instead of driving a big car, I rode a motorcycle. That is why up till today, I am a transporter. My one taxi became two, three, and became a tanker, and so on. So, I did not leave planning to chance. I thought about tomorrow back then.
I didn’t want to retire into penury, so, I started planning my retirement from my first day at work. I also knew that my parents were not very rich, and so I could not rely on them. I knew I must carve a niche for myself so that people coming behind me could emulate.
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