Category: Labour

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, (NSITF) has spent over N4 billion as compensation for employees who sustained injuries at their various workplaces since inception.

The Fund’s General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Dr Kelly Nwagha, stated this during its Occupational Safety and Health sensitisation for employers from Northwest and Northeast zones in Kano.

Nwagha said the funds were given out as succour to the victims (employees) through their employers for their treatment.

He further noted that a lot of employers were not aware of the scheme hence the need for the sensitisation to extend the schemes to the employers (unregistered employers) to key in and tap from the benefits available under the scheme.

He said: “Since inception, we have so far spent not less than N4 billion in paying compensation to injured employees through their employers. And we have been constantly paying compensation to the injured employees. This is done at zero cost to the employees and employers. Because the employers pay a premium of one per cent of the total salary of the entire workforce on behalf of the employees and they would not deduct it from the salary of the employees.

“It is a pull of funds that we all contribute. And so we keep it as a trust for the employees and employers, not the government. It is not a case of tax.

“So far, we have more than 100 employers of labour all over the federation. And the number is increasing.

“The main challenge is the inability of employers to understand what they stand to benefit from the employee’s compensation scheme of NSITF.

“The programmed is organised with the goal to sensitise selected employers within Northeast and Northwest zones on how prevention of workplace accidents and promotion of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) can enhance their productivity and improve their bottom line.

“The programme is extended to include the unregistered employers within the zone because we do not want any employers to miss out on the enshrined benefits of the Employees Compensation scheme.

“So, this programme we are carrying out here is part of the processes to let the employers of labour know the benefits when they enroll their employees in the scheme. Because that would lead to improvement in morale and productivity of the employees as well as an increase in revenue of the employers. When there is more money to the employer, staff welfare will improve, there will be more employments which will reduce crimes and other social vices in the country,” Nwagha said.

Earlier, the Fund’s Senior Manager, Susan Osuhor, said lack of OSH awareness in workplaces is responsible for the high rate of workplaces injuries, diseases and death, stressing the need for the good safety to ensure safety.

Osuhor maintained that a safe workplace guarantees high productivity and efficiency as it will save hours that will be lost treatment of injured employees.

President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in this interview with TOBA AGBOOLA, condemns the division between northern and southern governors. He says what should preoccupy their minds is how to tackle the insecurity in the country, and dwindling fortunes of our economy, especially the free fall of the naira, among others.

Nigeria celebrated its 61st Independence Anniversary on October 1. How would you say workers have fared?

There’s no gainsaying that the pandemic affected workers globally, Nigeria inclusive, especially the private sector. So, it has been a very challenging year. There is no cheering news from micro industries and, basically, every worker that is on fixed wage has been pushed from the level of prosperity into that of poverty. It’s a reality. The cost of goods and services has skyrocketed; in some cases, it’s 100 per cent increase. I can give you one example, cooking gas. The increase is almost 100 per cent, same with goods and services. This is how to measure the prosperity of a nation, which should reflect on the prosperity of the citizens and that is what we consider as Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is giving us some statistics that tend to point to the fact that things are improving but the pockets of ordinary Nigerians, including workers, are drying up. Many cannot send their children to school and social security cover has been reduced to nothing.

So, for the last one year, we have gravitated from a bad to a worse situation. Many workers have not been paid in some of our sectors and some have threats of being disengaged over them.

So, the picture is very gloomy but the real threat is the disconnect between our political elite and the citizens. They don’t see some of the challenges as real; in fact, with what has happened in the last one month, their focus is already on 2023. But I have warned that we must also take some of those challenges seriously and continue to offer good governance if not, if the attention has been switched over to 2023, we should pray that we should have a peaceful 2023, because first, is to preserve the unity of our country and the issue of togetherness before we begin to look at our political interests. That’s why I have condemned, in a very strong terms, the seemingly divide between northern and southern governors. I think what should preoccupy them is how to address the insecurity, dwindling fortunes of our economy and the free fall of the naira, making sure that the commanding height of our economy is working, particularly the manufacturing sector, provide jobs for the teeming youths that are unemployed. And, we have two categories of youths – those that are trained, eminently qualified, but don’t have any placement and are roaming the streets, and  a sizable number, that has not gone to the four corners of the classroom – no education, no skill and they’re within the urban cities because they have been displaced from the rural areas and are a threat to everybody.

Basically, nothing has been provided for them, they don’t have any social security cover, no skill to look for a job, and, in most cases, what they do, is to become tools, ready to be manipulated. In fact, they are political thugs; they are those perpetrating banditry and other social vices.

We should be concerned. If we are not, it means we would be fanning the embers of division, discord. At the end of day, the country will divided that it will be difficult to unite it.

That is the real situation and  it has not been rosy. It has been so bad and many Nigerians are gullible to what is happening. And that’s why you see that the poor is blamed in most cases for their predicaments.

Somebody has not eaten for three days, instead of looking at those he elected to represent him because there’s a disconnect between him and them, he will look at his neighbour as the one esponsible for his problem.

When a country reaches that stage, it’s something that everybody needs to be concerned. That’s the stage we are and that’s why I said that, coupled with the challenge of COVID-19, many Nigerians are actually in a very precarious situation.

How many jobs have been lost in Nigeria since the pandemic?

One of the issues affecting us is that we don’t have credible data. Even at the level of NLC, I cannot say we have the data because, each day, workers lose their jobs.

In other climes, because of the unemployment benefits, they have credible data because when you lose your job, you are sure that there’s a social security cover that you can rely on and then you go and register either in a public or private sector and your name and data will be captured. But, in our case, even the unions don’t have that, especially the informal sector

And how can NLC put politicians on their toes?

NLC has actually a platform, different approaches to the issues, some it will be street protest. And I can give you a number of processes that we have engaged for advocacy; but one thing is that our politicians are becoming more adamant. You can organise the best strike, protest, the best advocacy yet, nothing changes and, therefore, we are going further. At the eve of every election, they bring theories and because Nigerians are gullible because of the poverty, they will actually buy some people over, including media professionals. We need to hold our political elite accountable, that’s the function of NLC and the civil society organisations. Even, a sizable number of civil society organisations have been bought over. You remember when we protested in 2015 against fuel increase, all those that we worked with withdrew to say, ‘let’s allow time’. But we said no. As NLC, if all our social partners are withdrawn, for posterity we will declare our action even if we are alone. Time will come when Nigeria will say, where is NLC to assist us? I made that statement very profoundly because of the fact that we have seen that politicians are the same.

They are the same. And that is why it’s easy for them, to be in Party A in the morning and the evening, if their interest is not met, he jumps over to Party B. It doesn’t happen anywhere in the world. In fact, in developed democracies, a democrat will never change. He can vote somebody if he believes that the candidate of his party is not somebody that agrees with his philosophy. So, he vote for another candidate but not for him to jump from one party to another. And that is what has made their democracy to be strong, stable; holding people accountable. But, in our own case, in fact, you will be surprised at the statement that somebody made and the one he would make when decamping. That is what has made our case very pathetic. So, it is our responsibility to continue to mobilise Nigerians using every means and this platform we have is part of the means.

Read Also: ECOWAS’ 2022 draft budget to prioritise security, economic growth

What more are you doing to mobilise people?

In the last two weeks, we have started our study cycle. We have re-energised the study cycle that is going to take place in the work place across our unions. In fact, after the training, we gave them responsibility. We have also dedicated some resources to ensure that workers’education is a continuum and that workers should be able to work assiduously to build an information dissemination process and educate many Nigerians because thwey are gullible. It’s a plan of what we want to do and it has worked in advanced democracies. In fact, in the administrations in the United States, unions played a very important role, particularly our counterpart, the American Federation of Labour. That’s why the first person that Joe Biden fired was an employer that has been a thorn in the flesh of workers at the Labour Commission and he campaigned for workers to join a union. We want to see leaders that can think in that way. We want to see leaders that will say, ‘let us build strong institutions instead of undermining our institutions.’

Today, many of our institutions are being undermined. You can see judiciary that is supposed to be the hope of ordinary man. Few weeks ago, the Chief Justice of Nigeria intervened because judges gave contradictory judgments; the same court of coordinate jurisdiction made contradictory pronouncements.That means, the independence of the judiciary is also affected and so are our critical institutions. That is the difference between our democracy and advanced democracies. In advanced democracies, the institutions are very strong. They are stronger than any leader and they can call any strong leader to order, that was what happened in the case of the United States. Even when their former President approached many courts, the courts were independent. The judgments were unanimous to say that you have lost the election, ‘please go and make sure you respect the rule of law’. Same with their security agencies. All their security agencies were unanimous and other institutions, too. But, in our case, it’s about the interest, and if it’s so, then the institutions can be undermined. So, we want to strengthen the institutions to play their traditional role of holding any person accountable, no matter his level in the society.

What do you think of the Labour Party?

Yes, we are trying to reorganise it because what happened was that politicians tried to harness it. The party was formed, and promoted by NLC to serve the interest of workers – NLC, TUC, civil society organisations and Nigerians that want credible platform. But, along the line, they tried to harness the party and we had to challenge them in court. At the last sitting, the judgment we got was that yes, ‘the party was registered by the NLC to promote the interest of workers’ and that there should be an all-inclusive conference to bring about credible leaders. That has not been respected. We went back to the court and, at the last sitting, there was an adjournment and we are working towards making sure that we recover the party and get the people who are credible.

 If we don’t get them, then there would be no difference between the Labour Party and others. It’s a party with a different philosophy, ideology of the working class. There must be criteria to give you the platform – you must earn the confidence of Nigerians, the trade union movement that you are different. And the manifesto is explicit. It is only party that has logo of the family, baba, mama, pikin. All other parties, it’s either you have umbrella, animal, they’re not human- centred. We believe in human-centred approach to development, not about primitive accumulation of wealth and cleverly that is why founding fathers know that the totality of what we will be doing as a government will be about the people – their welfare and well-being..

Nigeria clocked 61 on October 1. But many said there was nothing to celebrate.  Do you agree?

Well, we have not made any progress.When you look at our resources – human and natural –  we ought not to be where we are and that’s why each time people make comparisons with countries that we started together with – China, and other Asians, we are far behind them for obvious reasons; I think it is leadership. Because everywhere that people were able to transform their country, you can link it to one leader that was progressive and forward-looking. Nigerians are good followers. I remember the days of War Against Indiscipline (WAI). We so much believed that the system could be transformed. For instance, if you want to urinate, you would look back, left and right, you did it carefully. Nigerians can change. The only issue is that we need leaders with foresight, who have the people at the centre of their heart, the requisite knowledge, the energy to reform the system and make sure that we are able to work for the people. Secondly, some of the neo-liberal policies that our leaders adopt hook, line and sinker have been part of our problem and Labour has said so times without number. You remember the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Nowhere has it worked in Africa. I remember, at one time, their best example was Argentina until the economy of that country collapsed and there was no example again. And they have changed the model.

We must have home-grown solution to our problems. No two issues are the same.

When they are talking of liberalisation, outsourcing, privatisation, I used to ask them, ‘at what level of development, either America or Europe have they adopted some of those policies’. Some of them were more than 200 years old.

We know that of the United Kingdom (UK). It was only Margret Thatcher. But at that time education was free, social services were free, people were able to develop, economies were built, critical infrastructure built-in Europe. How will you compare our states even when our roads are not good? It will not work. That is the bane of our problem and that’s why we have not made the progress we ought to have made. One, leadership deficits, long term plan have not been there. Even when you have plans, successive leaders don’t actually key into the plan. In terms of recourses we have everything to arrive at greatness. And then the issue of conspiracy theory. We have become a trading post for the entire world, particularly Asia, Europe and America because of enormous resources that we have. They will come, buy our raw materials, go and refine it and come back to sell it to us. And our leaders could not do anything, that is the major issue that has affected our economy. When our colonial masters were here, a decade after they left, everything was working. Peugeot assembling was here, Volkswagen, Beetle. That time you can afford to buy new car. Then, my father bought a new motorcycle. Today, not everybody can afford new motorcycle. Every worker then can afford one type of vehicle or the other. If your grade level does not allow you to get a loan to buy Peugeot 504, you can buy Ladder, Bettle, Panel Van. Our currency was well appreciated, that was immediately after independence and in the first republic and thereafter, things started to go hay wire because most of those industries left and therefore we are nearly importers. And it started when we then believes that importation pays than producing those products at home because we ought to have produced and we use the entire West African market. All our political elite that will receive the support of the West in most cases, some of those policies have been sank into their nets and they’re buying it. That’s why when they come into the office, it will be difficult to change some of those negative narratives. Basically, we need to get people that will do the biding of Nigeria to change the negative narratives and we can then change the situation. If not, I don’t see how we will be able to stop lamentation and then begin to appreciate and celebrate our country. I think the only thing that we celebrate is that the country is still one. There are many countries that have disintegrated. And shouldn’t take it for granted.  But in terms of progress, we are not yet there.

Will you be going into politics after your tenure has ended?

You know that I will be in office till 2023. Basically, the process must have commenced then. My plan is not actually to jump into it. We can play some roles to bring about credible people. Possibly in the future after my term in the office.

With the current situation, is there any hope? 

The way things are going, if we don’t retract and reorder steps and make sure that we look at the interest of the country instead of the individual and sectional interest, I see danger ahead because in all intent and purposes even the politicians are working at across purposes. Nobody is looking at the country and that is where the danger is.

So from what is going on, except we are able to retrace our steps and God help us because in a very bad situation as it were in the past, God has always intervened.

You remember the issue of June 12, I was a student then, people were moving from North to East. Everybody was carrying his load on his head because nobody knew precisely the next moment and God in his mercy was able to stabilise the system and at the end of the day, there was a new beginning. That was how we were able to stabilise. God can intervene through any means.

Basically, I believe that God will intervene because they said Nigeria is a very religious country and so in some of those cases, it’s not even our making but God will make a way for the poor and less privileged.

I keep saying, the blood of the innocent that is shared daily and nobody cares for them, there will be vengeance. There’s no day you read a page of newspaper that the blood of the poor is not shared.

The entire land has been desecrated with blood of the innocent. Usually, it’s something that should prick our leaders and all of us.

 

 

THE Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue has been urged to comply with the ruling of the National Industrial Court, Ibadan by reinstating Ogunjimi Busola Adebisi who was  dismissed by the board in 2015.

In its ruling of September 28, 2021, the court reinstated the plaintiff to the pensionable establishment of the board, without any loss of employment rights, including promotion, immediate payment of all her salary arrears plus allowances from September 1, 2015, till the date of the judgment and payment of N200,000 to her as cost of proceedings.

The appeal was contained in separate letters addressed to the state’s Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice and the chairman of the Board, entitled: “Imperativeness of Compliance With Judgment in Suit No. NICN/IB/19/2016: Ogunjimi Busola Adebisi V. Board Of Internal Revenue, Oyo State & Two Others Delivered On 28/9/2021,” dated October 7, 2021, and signed by her counsel, Femi Aborisade, Managing Partner, Abope Chambers.

According to the judgment delivered by Hon. Justice J.D Peters, the court declared that the dismissal of the claimant through the letter referenced BIR/Vol. 11621143 and dated November 16, 2015, was illegal, unlawful, null, void and no effect, being contrary to the Civil Service Commission Regulations, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

“A declaration that the dismissal of the claimant is unreasonable, unjustifiable, mala fide and unfair labour practice. A declaration that the defendant’s letter dated 28/8/2015 with reference number BIR/Vol. IU50/325 promoting the claimant remains valid and subsists.

“An order setting aside the first defendant letter with reference number BIR/Vol. 621/43 date 16/11/2015, through which the claimant was dismissed as Clerical Officer GL 04. An order reinstating the Claimant as Clerical Officer GL 04. An order reinstating the claimant as Clerical Officer GL 04 to the Pensionable establishment of the Board of Internal Revenue, without any loss of employment rights, including promotion.

“An order for the payment of the full salaries, allowances, fringe benefits and all other outstanding entitlement accruable to the claimant from the month of February 2016  (when this suit was instituted), till the determination of this suit as if she was never dismissed.”

In both letters, Aborisade said the essence of the brief is to ensure that the Board observes the orders made by the court without any further delay. “This is because, unless and until set aside on appeal, decisions of Court are binding on all authorities and persons.”

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has criticised the Federal Government’s Special Public Works Programme aimed at employing 774,000 citizens, describing the project as a scam.

Its President, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, stated this at the World Day for Decent Work, organised by the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI).

It had as a theme “The new normal: Occupational health and safety challenges presented by new technologies”.

It would be recalled that the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, in July announced the commencement of 774,000 jobs, with 1000 from each of the 774 local government areas across the country.

According to Olaleye, the responsibility of the government is not to provide jobs, but to create an enabling environment for private sector organisations to create quality jobs for the people.

“I have not seen anybody who has been employed since the government announced the commencement of 774,000 jobs. This is a scam. How will a university graduate take up a job cutting grass? he queried.

Olaleye stressed that the government should use its power under the Exclusive Legislative List and ensure that the deliberate violation of minimum conditions of employment by states, corporate and multinational organisations was stopped.

“It is slave labour and unhealthy to engage a graduate of five years or a post-graduate on a salary of N15,000 per month. The thought of such a job in the morning is in itself unhealthy and hazardous,” he said.

The TUC chief urged the government to stop the groundbreaking of any project, saying such projects were always abandoned.

“We don’t want any groundbreaking projects but the commissioning. We have more abandoned projects as a result of the groundbreaking,” he added.

ASSBIFI President, Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye, who emphasised the impact of COVID-19 on jobs, said the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), in collaboration with affiliates and other concerned organisations, was reportedly encouraging the urgent creation of millions of jobs to boost recovery from the effects of COVID-19 and ensure future resilience.

She advised the government to create decent jobs. “The government should use its powers under the Exclusive Legislative List and ensure that the deliberate violation of minimum conditions of employment by states, corporate and multinational organisations is stopped.

“Let me appeal to the government to review the Trade Unions  Act, S. 12(4) cap T14, LFN, 2004. That section of the Act is being exploited by many organisations against the democratic spirit with which the government enacted it. It is high time stakeholders sat down and reviewed that section of the Act,” she added.

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is 50. In this report, TOBA AGBOOLA assesses its performance in its efforts to reduce poverty and unemployment rate by providing skills acquisition.

THE World Bank’s rating of Nigeria is worrisome. It said last year, alone, seven million Nigerians were pushed below the poverty line.

Many blamed this on the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world, leaving in its wake hunger, job losses, and debts, among others.

Others said it’s an aftermath of the unabated security challenges, adding that the rising insecurity has prevented farmers from working, even as traders also could no longer travel with their goods to far markets, due to insecurity.

Unemployment remains the leading cause of poverty in Nigeria. Even insecurity is considered an offshoot of unemployment. Youths have taken to criminality because they have no jobs. Many that have resorted to banditry and insurgency would not if they were employed.

Also, many of those relieved of their jobs during the pandemic resorted to doing nothing because they lacked requisite skills. Yet, there are no longer white collar jobs for them. That’s the reason graduates prefer to acquire some skills to get them engaged.

This is where the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has come in to play a very crucial role.

Noting that getting white collar jobs has become a mirage, the government has considered skill acquisition as a veritable alternative that can lift millions out of poverty. Skilled Nigerians would be able to stand on their own and even create jobs.

Established on October 8, 1971, ITF was given  the core mandate of human resources development.

Giving the scorecard of ITF during the celebration of the fund’s 50th anniversary, its Director-General, Sir Joseph Ari, said the fund had trained over 25 million Nigerians, who were manning key sectors of the economy.

If this number of Nigerians manning key sectors passed through ITF training, then it would be correct to say that the fund would not be pushed aside in the national scheme.

Ari added that the fund was not about to rest on its oars regardless of its current achievements as it has sustained the pace of activities in all facets of its operations.

He recalled that since the assumption of duties of the ITF management in 2016, they have never failed to equip Nigerians with technical skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

Emphasis of the fund on skills acquisition has been premised on the belief that it remains the most sustainable solution to increasing poverty and unemployment, and the catalyst to growth and development.

Ari said the longevity and effectiveness of ITF could be attributed to its quality of leadership and staff members.

He said: “The fund has been blessed with seasoned technocrats, acclaimed academic and versatile administrators with clear vision and commitment to ensuring the full achievement of its mandate.

“It must be noted that throughout the history of ITF, the Fund has been reputed for its proactiveness and farsightedness, which more than anything else accounts for our longevity and relevance and our ability to successfully negotiate all the obstacles to the full actualisation of our mandate.”

Minister of State, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum said ITF is behind the various achievements recorded in the ministry.

She challenged ITF to intensify its efforts as the nation looked up to it for the industrialisation.

Also, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, noted that ITF’s achievements have been visible in its products and the trainees it has graduated and pushed into the economy.

“Only recently, we witnessed the presentation of a smart phone produced by the ITF, to Mr. President. Such success stories are what have made ITF a leading public organisation in Nigeria and earned it several awards locally and internationally,” he said.

The Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD) also commended the laudable achievements of the Fund over the years. Its President/Chairman of Council, Mrs Ayoade Igbeyi, said learning and development should be collaborate to raise the bar to meet the needs of learners. She stressed that content design, development and delivery should be blended with curate and right fit for purpose training.

She said: “Learning and Development have come a long way in shaping the workplace in Nigeria. ITF has indeed impacted so much on the country, being the foremost training organisation in Nigeria and one of the best in the world.

“ITF has been a partner in training, learning and development activities of NITAD for the past 32 years. We believe the partnership will be stronger in the years to come. We are very proud of ITF because of the gap it has filled in the country’s unemployment and manpower challenges.

“We felicitate with Industrial Training Fund (ITF) on attaining 50 years as the foremost Federal Government skills training agency.”

To square up to the growing unemployment challenge, the fund had to upgrade facilities at its Industrial Skills Training Centres (ISTCs) and the Model Skills Training Centre (MSTC), Abuja leading to the equipping of more Nigerians with technical skills for employability and entrepreneurship.

One outcome of these efforts was the production of the first indigenous Android GSM Smartphone with sourced materials by the ITF Model Skills Training Centre (MSTC), Abuja.

The device, which was presented by the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo to Mr. President, is comparable in quality to any android in the market today.

The fund has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for up-skilling corps members. This strategic partnership was aimed at equipping corps members with technical skills to prepare them for self-reliance after National service in the face of dwindling opportunities for white collar jobs.

The fund also signed an MoU with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) to train 23,130 youths in the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 22 trade areas under the ministry’s Youth Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Programme (YOSDEP).

For capacity development, ITF also entered into partnership with the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

The fund also expanded the scope of its partnership with the umbrella body of the Organised Private Sector, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), which gave birth to the Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP), an example of Public-Private Partnership (PPP), being advocated by the Federal Government.

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have fashioned a framework for the country’s growth.

In separate statements to mark the 61st Independence Anniversary, they said though the political leaders had tried, their best was not good enough. They blamed the leaders for the woes of the country, lamenting that by now the country, based on the vision laid by the founding fathers, would have attained an Olympain height as a nation and on the continent economically and politically.

The NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said rather the politicians adopted a deliberate divide-and-rule politics and tactics, which have derailed Nigeria from its expected course at independence.

His words: “Upon the attainment of independence 61 years ago, a lot was expected of the country that hosts the largest population of black people on the planet. It was on the strength of that hope that Nigeria shortly after independence became the pilgrimage destination for many development-minded world leaders, including the famed Lee Kuan Yew of the Singaporean phenomenal transformation.

“Sixty-one years ago, Nigeria was certainly on a march to greatness. In every part of the country, there was a manifest gush of hope, faith, energy and commitment in the stride of most Nigerians as our compatriots strove to prove a point that independence was not a fluke – that indeed we could do better than the white colonial administrators.

“Indeed, we sure made such great progress in those initial years of our national life. Those were the days of the famed groundnut pyramid in Kano, palm oil plantations in the Eastern region, the rubber estates in the Mid-West and the cocoa fields in southwestern Nigeria. Life was indeed safe, secure and abundant!”

Wabba recalled the contribution of the working class to national development, peace and unity, the selfless efforts of past heroes and heroines past and present – workers, pensioners including ex-servicemen and women, members of the armed services, women, youths, and children.

He lamented that the politicians shifted the nation’s direction from progress, building on the zeal and energy of workers and people to redeem the image of the black race, which was badly mauled by slave trade and colonisation.

“Till today, after many successive governments, our country is yet to recover from the Tsunami of ethno-religious politics, values disorientation, and the weakening of unifying institutions,” he said.

Noting that the symptoms of the break in the nation’s progress march stare Nigerians hard in the face, Wabba stated that the country’s deterioration had come so fast that Nigerians had inadvertently surrendered their will and space for development to some non-state actors who have not only become a law to themselves but were trying to impose their regime of lawlessness on Nigerians.

He added: “Today, millions of Nigerians are almost accepting life as internally displaced persons as normal. Many Nigerians would rather die at home than incur humugous hospital bills for surviving family members while wasting to a slow but certain death in our dilapidated public health facilities.

“Unemployment, especially among our teeming youth, has risen to unprecedented levels and the youths are no longer willing to wait for jobs that are nowhere.The frustration and despondency of our youths is at the root of the numerous ills and crimes prevalent in different parts of the country. When we paused the march to human capital optimisation, industrialisation, food sufficiency, and egalitarianism, what were we expecting? Even the blind and the deaf now know that the chicken has come home to roost.”

Read Also: NLC, Ngige mourn NECA DG, Olawale

He declared that it was time to own up to the truth of the self-inflicted pains and examine closely where Nigeria lost it.

“It is not too late to resume our paused march to greatness. We can still become that country that accords the pride of place to truth, productivity, hard work, excellence, integrity, patriotism, service and sacrifice.”

He charged that Nigerians could still create industries for youths to gain decent jobs, provide the excellent infrastructure that inspire inclusive economic growth.

He added: “We can still foster an atmosphere of rule of law, equity, social justice, peace, law and order as a sustainable cure for the deregulated crises of violence in many parts of Nigeria.We can still regain our humanity of love and care for workers and pensioners.

“The rest of the African continent wait for us. The entire black race believes that our renaissance as a country will be their redemption. We must not keep them waiting for too long. We must now come to the party and take our high chair in the comity of nations.”

The TUC also said Nigerians have proven to have the innate ability to create wealth. Its President, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, however, lamented that the nation’s resources had not been well managed by the elite, hence, the country had become the poverty capital of the world.

“This has become our tale because appointments are predicated on political affiliation, ethnicity and religion,” he said.

Olaleye said: “Nigerians have not been given the opportunity to truly choose their own leader as seen in the gang up against electronic transmission of election result. The gap between the haves and the have-nots are daily and deliberately being widened so they can have the people at their whims and caprices.

“All agitations and social frustrations across the country are not unconnected to the failure of the elite to take advantage of our national diversities and build a collective national prosperity.”

Like his counterpart in the NLC, Olaleye believed that even at 61, the country can still find its feet if we have the right leaders that are ready to ride on equity, fairness and justice. Leaders must remember this saying by the late South African president, Nelson Mandela: ‘The world will not respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect. The black people of the world need Nigeria to be great as a source of pride and confidence …’ ,“ he added.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have signed an agreement on the “Return and reintegration of migrant workers”.

The project, according to the ILO, will improve workers’voice in labour migration governance and provide an opportunity to build awareness and capability of trade unions.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement, the Director of the ILO Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Mrs. Vanessa Phala, said there were a lot of collaboration between the ILO and NLC.

Phala stressed the need to build the capacity of media practitioners in reporting labour migration to ensure they understand the intricacies of labour migration governance to enable them report accurately.

She said: “With this implementation agreement, it is an opportunity to also build awareness and capacity of the trade union movement in the issue of labour migration, particularly also drawing in the participation of colleagues from the media. So that they get to understand the new sense of the issues that we are dealing with, because they stand in a very important position to educate and to create awareness. So, they need to do so from a point of accurate information, and from the point of factual information about the work we are doing.

Read Also: NLC to governors: don’t disrupt economy with politics

“I am happy we are able to forge the partnership so that you can also implement specific interventions targeting workers and involving workers and making sure there is also a broader understanding on how we can improve your voice in issues regarding the promotion of effective labour migration governance processes.”

She reiterated the commitment of the ILO to continue to provide support towards effective support for trade unions in areas of mutual interest, such as labour migration governance, child labour and decent work as well as Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH).

NLC Acting General Secretary, Comrade Ismail Bello, said the issue of migration concerns all, adding that the congress will always seek out means to protect rights of workers irrespective of their status.

“On this issue of migration, we are very much glad to be involved and we will take seriously like any of our routine beat. We will do our best. We are committed to seeing the project through as partners with the ILO.”

The Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) plans to train labour leaders across the country. This was made known when Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) executives visited the institute.

The Head of DBI, Mohammed Ajiya, commended the NLC for improving the working conditions of workers and ensuring that they were trained to fit into the emerging world of work driven by Information Technology Communication (ICT).

Specifically, Ajiya applauded the leadership qualities of the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, for placing Nigeria’s name on the global stage due to his emergence as the president of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), representing 200 million workers across the world, with 332 national affiliates.

Ajiya, who was represented by the Head, Business Development and Client Services, DBI, Mrs. Ngozi Nwoche, told the NLC leadership that the DBI was established in 2004 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to build human capacity in the sector.

She said the institute trains professionals and people from all sectors and at all cadres and levels, adding that DBI has centres in Abuja, Lagos and Kano, with two under development in Enugu and Asaba.

She said: “In addition to DBI’s mandate to build capacity within the ICT sector, the institute is also charged with building ICT capacity and digital literacy within all sectors in the nation. Today, DBI is the foremost government-affiliated training and human capacity development organisation in ICT in Nigeria, training more than 14,000 participants every year.

“During the eighth regular meeting of the National Council on Communication and Digital Economy in Owerri from November 27 to December 2, 2020, the council approved that Digital Bridge Institute should be the de facto ICT training institute for ministries, departments and agencies.

“Digital Bridge Institute offers IC3 Digital Literacy Certification, is accredited by the Centre for Management Development and is a leading ICDL accredited training and testing centre in Nigeria.”

Wabba commended the DBI first for the visit to NLC, and his foresight in believing that the NLC and the Nigerian workers are very relevant in national development and growth.

 

Read Also: Labour pickets HoS office in Cross River

 

The NLC president stated that access to ICT in Nigeria was still limited as people are not fully aware of the need to acquire the required skills for the fast emerging world of work. He added that there were a lot of job opportunities but, unfortunately, the required skills were not there for the majority of Nigerians.

According to Wabba, there was the the need for the digitalisation of the economy, but the skill required to achieve this is limited.

He, therefore, charged the DBI to engage in wide publicity to ensure that Nigerians, especially those in the private sector of the economy, keyed into their training.

He pointed out that he brought Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), for a training at DBI, when he was the union’s National President some years ago, adding: “That was the first time I see such facilities you have in DBI, and such level of human resources at your institute.”

The NLC president said a committee comprising the experts from the DBI and the NLC would be set up to design the best training modules for the leadership of the congress and also the affiliate unions.

The NLC Acting General Secretary, Ismail Bello, said it was heart-warming that DBI isbased in the six geo-political zones.

“Two years ago, we set up an in-house Future of Work Group in that area and we have been brainstorming, if not for the set back we have with COVID. The Congress president has been keen in empowering our affiliates and ensuring that we embrace the digital platform in our training, in our meetings, and to be ICT driven,” he said.

Work-related diseases and injuries were responsible for the deaths of 1.9 million people in 2016, according to the first joint estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO).

According to the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury, 2000-2016: Global Monitoring Report, the majority of work-related deaths were due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Non-communicable diseases accounted for 81 per cent of the deaths. The greatest causes of deaths were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (450,000 deaths); stroke (400,000 deaths) and ischaemic heart disease (350,000 deaths). Occupational injuries caused 19 per cent of deaths (360,000 deaths).

The study considers 19 occupational risk factors, including exposure to long working hours and workplace exposure to air pollution, asthmagens, carcinogens, ergonomic risk factors, and noise. The key risk was exposure to long working hours – linked to approximately 750,000 deaths. Workplace exposure to air pollution (particulate matter, gases and fumes) was responsible for 450,000 deaths.

Read Also: WHO urges rollout of malaria vaccine for children in Africa

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “It’s shocking to see so many people literally being killed by their jobs. Our report is a wake-up call to countries and businesses to improve and protect the health and safety of workers by honouring their commitments to provide universal coverage of occupational health and safety services.”

Also, ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder said: “These estimates provide important information on the work-related burden of disease, and this information can help to shape policies and practices to create healthier and safer workplaces.”

 

“Governments, employers and workers can all take actions to reduce exposure to risk factors at the workplace. Risk factors can also be reduced or eliminated through changes in work patterns and systems. As a last resort, personal protective equipment can also help to protect workers whose jobs mean they cannot avoid exposure.”