The leadership crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday took its toll on the Workers Day celebration in several states of the federation particularly Lagos and Kano, with state chapters holding parallel rallies.
The parades were staged by the unions supporting either the faction headed by Mr. Ayuba Wabba or the one ledby Mr. Joe Ajaero.
The police shut the main bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos to prevent union members loyal to the Ajaero faction from holding their rally there.
Ajaero and his supporters from 21 affiliate unions took over the nearby Funso Williams Avenue Road for their celebration.
Their blockade of the road disrupted traffic flow in the area.
The workers carried placards with inscriptions like: ‘President Buhari, we demand change from poverty to power’; ‘Protect our enamel ware industries’; ‘Reduce import duty to five per cent for cold roll steel, coil and sheet’; ‘Stop fuel importation’; and ‘Save our jobs’.
Ajaero condemned the police siege and asked Police Acting Inspector General Solomon Arase to “learn from the misadventure of his predecessors and ensure that he operates within the ambit of the law.”
He added: “We have a fundamental right to peaceful assembly and information. The IG should know that no one can intimidate us not to exercise our fundamental rights.”
At the other faction’s rally held at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos, Governor Babatunde Fashola advised the NLC to resolve its leadership crisis.
“You must stop having factions in Labour and you must realise that a divided labour is a fragile labour. The welfare of the workers must be bigger than the political ambitions of the members,” he said, adding: “the new governments that is coming needs a united labour force, not a divided labour force in order for it to deliver its promises.”
Labour, according to him, ”must resolve to sacrifice, must resolve to participate, must be a part of the solution and must resolve not to be a part of the problem.
“Labour must choose negotiation and dialogues over strikes. There is nothing wrong with a strike, but we must understand the nature of strike. Strikes are regulated by law and they have consequences.”
The governor appealed to workers in the state to give maximum support to the incoming administration to enhance fulfilment of workers aspirations.
He thanked the NLC for all its support during his tenure.
Earlier, the Lagos State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Akeem Kazeem, appealed to the governor to wade into the lingering crisis between the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Lagos State University (LASU) and its vice chancellor.
He commended the governor for reducing the school fees of LASU students from N350, 000 to N25, 000 and urged the Federal Government to reduce the pump price of petrol.
A similar leadership crisis in the Delta State Chapter of the NLC caused Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State to stay away from the celebration in his state.
The Nation gathered that the governor’s absence was informed by the alleged threat by a labour activist in the state to deploy thugs to disrupt the exercise.
Security agencies were said to have tipped off the governor about the activist’s alleged plan to “bring in thugs from the East to cause mayhem during the rally.”
Sources said this was also responsible for the deployment of armed security personnel at strategic locations in the state capital and around the St Patrick’s College venue of the rally.
Uduaghan was represented by his Special Adviser on Labour Relations, Comrade Mike Okeme.
Uduaghan, in a message, said his administration was not owing its workers: a statement that attracted boos from the crowd.
He said the administration would pay all the local government workers before the handover date.
Chairman of the State NLC, Comrade David Ofoeyeno, enumerated the challenges facing workers in the state and appealed to the governor to resolve the issues in the interest of industrial harmony.
These include shortage of nurses in state hospitals; snail pace of work at the construction of permanent secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), among others.
The two factions of the NLC in Kano State at separate rallies charged their members to remain steadfast in the struggle to liberate Nigerian workers.
While the Comrade Ado Salisu Riruwai-led faction celebrated the May Day at Textile and Garment Union secretariat on Air Port Road, the Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir-led faction held its own rally at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre.
About 200 policemen were deployed to provide security at the venue.
Minjibir commended the Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso-led administration for its support and hailed the government’s achievements as giant strides in the transformation of Kano into a mega city.
The Minjibir faction is in support of Wabba leadership of the NLC while the other faction is backing Ajaero.
Comrade Ado Salisu Riruwai alleged that some people had turned the NLC into a cash cow and called for prayers for the restoration of the past glory of the NLC and peace in Kano State and the entire nation. Also, speaking at the occasion, NLC state Vice Chairman, Comrade Ali Baba berated the recent conference of NLC across the country, which according to him was characterised with “comedy of error.” He added that the rights of worker have been neglected, hence the need to correct the anomalies.