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Tag: Minister of Labour and Employment

  • Minimum wage war looms

    The debate over the new minimum wage is still festering with probable outcome not clearly defined. But members of the organised labour have vowed to take the battle headlong without caring whose ox is gored. Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf and Tony Akowe examine the issues

    Expectations have remained high since the debate over the new minimum wage began. But hope appeared dampened when the  Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige last week hinted that the new national minimum wage will not materialise  by the end of September as envisaged much to the chagrin of the organised labour.

    Contrary to widespread expectation, the September date was just a date to conclude negotiation on minimum wage, Ngige said while speaking with journalists in Abuja.

    According to him, “The committee on the new National Minimum wage is expected to conclude its work by the end of September and present its report to the government for deliberation and approval.”

    He also said it would be tabled the National Council of State before an executive bill is sent to the National Assembly on the issue.

    He said it was for this reason that the committee embarked on zonal public hearing across the country in order to get the input of all those concerned including state governments and the organised private sector.

    Justification for new minimum wage

    In October 2017, members of the House called for a review of the current national minimum wage of N18,000 to N30,000. , but lawmakers said no Nigerian worker could survive on that.

    The motion was moved by a former union leader, Mr. Peter Akpatason, a member of the All Progressives Congress from Edo State.

    Akpatason had informed the House how the government appeared unwilling to push the wage review plans.

    For instance, he said an agreement by the government and labour unions to begin the process was not being implemented.

    During the October debate, lawmakers agreed that the N18,000 minimum wage was no longer realistic, suggesting at least N30,000 as the new minimum.

    The current minimum wage of N18,000 came into effect in 2011 which the lawmakers said was no longer tenable.

    Early this month, the federal government had said it would prepare a supplementary budget to take care of workers’ demand for increase in salaries when the new minimum wage proposal was eventually approved.

    It is also instructive to note that the interface and discussion session across the states led to different submissions and suggestions of minimum wage from N22, 000 to N58, 000 monthly up from the current monthly wage of N18,000.

    The NLC had made a proposal for N56,000 for the least paid worker to the Federal Government’s committee on the minimum wage.

    It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had last November inaugurated a 30-manTripartite National Minimum Wage Committee headed by a former Head of Service of the Federation, Ms. Ama Pepple, urging the members to come up with a fair and decent wage for Nigerian workers.

    Buhari had said at the time that re-negotiation of a new national minimum wage had become imperative because the existing minimum wage instrument had since expired.

    But the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, had stated that the fact that there was no provision yet in the 2018 budget proposals currently before the National Assembly to cater for the planned increase did not, in any way, suggest that the government was not willing to increase the workers’ salaries.

    NLC ready for war

    Expectedly, the organised labour has warned the federal government against missing the timeline for the implementation of the new national minimum wage for workers.

    The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, handed down the warning while speaking with our correspondent on the sidelines of the International Labour Conference, in Geneva, Switzerland.

    Wabba said, “The organised labour will ensure that the timeline set by the Tripartite Committee on the Implementation of the National Minimum Wage is not altered.”

    He added, “Workers, who create wealth, must also be well taken care of as we are not unmindful of the situation of the Nigerian workers, particularly with the increasing inflation in the land.”

    While commenting on the readiness of the new minimum wage by September, Wabba said the date was achievable. “Certainly, if all members of the tripartite committee are committed to doing what is right and working within the timeline that the committee has already set for itself. I’m of the firm belief that it is something that can be achieved.”

    He was however quick to add that labour will not hesitate to wield its big stick should the federal government renege on its plan.

    “I don’t want to keep repeating myself. I have told you that at the tripartite committee, we all commit to a timetable and timeline which is known and everybody is aware of it. So the organised labour represented by NLC and TUC are committed to following that timetable and timeline. We made that very clear from the beginning after the inauguration of the committee because the first thing they did was to look at the scope of the work and the time it will take for us to deliver, to complete the tripartite negotiation and make sure that we are able to deliver a comprehensive report. Given the process of give and take, with the commitment we have also received from the National Assembly, I don’t think that the centrality of the issue require any delay. So as organised labour, we are committed to the timeline that the committee has set for itself.”

    The organised labour, the NLC boss noted, is determined to actualise its mandate as far as the new minimum wage is concerned.

    “We have many ways of responding to issues and as we progress in the process, we will consult our organs and constituents and will be able to push the process through any other means that is legitimately allowed by law.”

    Echoing similar sentiments, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, Deputy President, NLC, who spoke with our correspondent at the weekend expressed dismay with the sudden volte-face by the federal government. “The issue of the national minimum wage where there was an understanding among the tripartite that everything be concluded by September. We were shock to read the Minister saying that September is no longer feasible. That is clearly unacceptable because Nigeria workers need the minimum wage. We know the efforts we put in even before government decided to set up the committee.”

    Adeyemi who also doubles as General Secretary, Non Academic Staff Union, recalled that, the committee had an agreement on the September date. “We also had an agreement in the committee that we will no longer talk to the media about anything, but do our job because it is the outcome that Nigerians are expecting and not the noise we make when the process is ongoing.”

    Rallying support for organised labour

    Thankfully, the organised labour has gotten an imprimatur of support from the upper and lower legislative quarters.

    Speaking with our correspondent at the weekend, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, representing Abia North, Deputy Chairman Senate Committee on Labour, assured that the lawmakers hope to look at the matter expeditiously once it comes to the hallowed chamber.

    “What we had promised and we still stand on it is that once that bill comes to us definitely we are going to give it accelerated hearing, we are going to fast track the bill for accelerated passage and that is what the Senate President had said. It is unfortunate that both the ministry and the executive have been going back and front. We thought that by now that would have been resolved.

    “So we are looking forward to that bill because it is going to come out as an executive bill, we are looking forward to rounding off or concluding that bill before we go on our annual break but the way it is, it is like we are going to wait. You know it is little or nothing we can do because it is an executive responsibility, they have to make the payment. Ours is that we have supported and agreed that there is very urgent need to review the minimum wage especially looking out at the situation of things and economic et cetera now.”

    The need to review the minimum wage is sacrosanct but we cannot go ahead as a Parliament to legislate on that without the executive coming up with a bill, we are waiting for them to do that.

    On the issue of labour to be on the exclusive list, the lawmaker said, “The National Assembly has taken a resolution on that but personally and since I am one of the advocate of devolution, I still believe that the issue of labour should now go into concurrent list because there are States who can decide to negotiate with labour and pay within their limits.

    “You cannot compare somebody working in Abuja with somebody working in Zamfara. They can look at the rate of transport, accommodation, feeding and all that. They are not the same, you cannot compare Abuja level to Zamfara or Bayelsa. So you should allow the States some liberty to negotiate and decide and have their own pay. The only thing the federal sovernment can do is that we can decide what the minimum wage would be but anything out of that you allow the States the liberty and freedom to negotiate with labour.

    “What I am saying is that the minimum wage can be established at the national level, the minimum wage is a foundation, you have officers at different levels so we can decentralize that and allow the officers at the States to decide. So if you now make it a unified thing for all the States of the country, that is we are having problems, some states can pay, some cannot pay and you can see the level of wage debt now, most states cannot pay so we can allow some freedom. It is just like the oil companies they don’t pay the same rates, construction companies don’t pay the same rate even in Nigeria if you are working in the ministry you don’t earn the same pay with a person working in Central Bank or in NNPC.”

    Private employers ever willing

    Interestingly, one of the leading lights in the private sector, Segun Osinowo who sits atop as the Director General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), an umbrella organisation for all employers in Nigeria has assured that the employers are ever ready to implement whatever wage agreement reached.

    Employers, Osinowo observed: “Have been the good boy over the years as far as minimum wage is concern. What we are doing now is to give expression to the issue if social dialogue in the context of negotiation. The private sector in Nigeria has been one firm believer in collective bargaining. In fact, we have been able to adhere to the principles and value of collective bargaining more than the government. We have demonstrated good faith in the outcome of collective bargaining by implementing the outcome of such collective bargaining from time to time.

    “So, the whole idea of discussing the national minimum wage is not strange to us because we have taken part in it in time past and employers in Nigeria have been very faithful to the outcome of past national minimum wage. I can assure you that just as we have done in time last, our employers will still keep that good reputation which they have as law keepers as soon as the national minimum wage is legislated into law. So, we all look forward to the conclusion of the negotiations which I think should be sooner than later. “But one thing that we as employers are quite sure of is that before the end of the year, we should be able to finish the entire process of discussing the national minimum wage.”

  • Labour wants Ngige to clarify comments on minimum wage

    The United Labour Congress (ULC) on Friday told the Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige, to explain his `double-speak’ on the planned new minimum wage, to avoid confusion on the issue.

    On May 30, Ngige announced that the new National Minimum Wage would not be paid to workers by the end of September, contrary to a previous announcement by the Federal Government.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) labour correspondent reports that Ngige’s announcement appears to have dampened the morale of workers, who have been expecting a new wage in September.

    Nigeria currently operates a wage structure for civil servants, described as one of the lowest in the world, despite its position as Africa’s top oil-bearing nation.

    Addressing newsmen in Lagos, the President of the ULC, Mr Joe Ajaero, told Ngige to clarify his statement to avoid creating tension among workers.

    He said that the minister’s statement that the wage would no longer be paid in September amounted to double-speak on the matter.

    Ajaero described the minister’s statement as unfortunate, saying that he should have consulted with members of the tripartite committee on the minimum wage before making an announcement on the wage.

    “We are not sure the stakeholders, who are members of the committee were consulted and this is undemocratic and lacks due process.

    “Our fear and worry is that the statement is laden with intentions.’’

    Ajaero said there was need to be sensitive to the plight of Nigerian workers, who had been facing immense hardships over the years.

    The labour leader said it would not be good for any government official to sabotage the interest of workers, vowing that the labour movement would not accept anything that would affect workers adversely.

    He assured workers that labour would continue to put pressure on government to ensure that the committee submitted its report next month.

  • Minimum wage may not be ready by Sept, says Ngige

    The expectations of workers in the country getting a new national minimum wage by the end of September 2018 may not materialize after all as the government said on Tuesday that the September date was just a date to conclude negotiation on the issue of minimum wage.

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige told newsmen at his residence in Abuja that the committee on the new National Minimum wage is expecting to conclude its work by the end of September and present its report to the government for deliberation and approval before an executive bill is sent to the National Assembly on the issue.

    He said however that the issue of capacity to pay is also paramount in the deliberations on the minimum wage, pointing out that it was to get the input of all those concerned including state governments and the organised private sector that the committee embarked on zonal public hearing across the country.

    The Minister said further that in the course of the zonal public hearings, many state governments made different submissions ranging from N22, 000 monthly to N58, 000, adding that the governors were also of the believe that foe the new minimum wage to become effective, the current revenue allocation formula will have to be reviewed in favour of the states and local government.

    Read Also:Minimum wage increase on table, says Oyo-Ita

    He said further that some other states are also of the view that the minimum wage should be maintained at the current N18, 000 in view of the inability of some states to pay the current wages.

    Senator Ngige said when the minimum wage committee concludes its report, it will be submitted to the National Council of State and the Federal Executive Council for approval before a bill is sent to the National Assembly to legalize the work of the committee.

    He said even though it was not an easy task, the committee was making progress in its assigned responsibility, pointing out that it was in other to carry everybody, including the states and private sector along that six governors were elected to be members of the committee as well as representatives of the organised private sector.

    On the threat non-teaching staff of universities to resume their suspended strike as a result of government failure to honour the terms of their agreement, the Minister said government was sourcing the N6 billion needed to pay them their earned allowances as contained in the agreement.

    He said his experience as Minister of Labour said him that majority of about 95 percent of agreement currently being paraded by trade unions in the country were signed before the Buhari government came into office in 2015,adding that most of such agreements had no timeline for implementation.

    He also said many of the agreement signed by the last government were not implementable because of the amount involved, adding that the principles of the International, Labour Organisation allowed employers to renegotiate agreements which they feel they cannot implement.

    He said further that what is important in all collective bargaining agreement is the ability to pay what is being demanded and what is agreed upon.

    He appealed to striking health workers to return to work while negotiations continue on their demands, pointing out that the delay in the implementation of their signed agreement was as a result of failure of the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission to defend the two different figure presented to a government high powered committee.

    He said the committee has directed the commission and the Federal Ministry of Health to go back and recompile the figures for onward submission to the committee for deliberation.

  • Ngige decries low productivity, competitiveness

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said despite the country‘s huge  human and natural resources, it  lags behind smaller and less-endowed African countries in productivity and competitiveness.

    Ngige stated this at a briefing ahead of  the 17th National Productivity Day and National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) awards scheduled for  Abuja.

    The minister said for the country to achieve high productivity and competitiveness, there was the need to bridge the productivity and competitiveness gap.

    He said: “So, real competitiveness means the ability to produce goods and services that can compete in the domestic and international markets while promoting and maintaining a high living standard and quality of life for the people.

    “Therefore, only nations with organisations that have high levels of productivity will become domestically and globally competitive.

    “This has the capacity to exploit existing market opportunities to sustain and expand employment and real income growth in the long term,’’ he said.

    He said the government was conscious of the critical place of productivity in the realisation of the change agenda, saying it was against this backdrop that the Federal Government, through the National Policy on Productivity, declared that a day shall be observed as the National Productivity Day yearly.

    Ngige said the observance of the day and the conferment of the award was a positive step by the government to institutionalise productivity consciousness and excellence in service among workers and organisations in Nigeria.

    He said the award committee was an independent committee that conducted a screening, recommended 15 individuals and five organisations drawn from all sector of the economy.

    Ngige said the awardees include:  Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Sam Ohuabunwa, Dr Abdul Husseni, Farm Crowdy Nigeria Limited and Fresh Direct Nigeria.

    Also, National Productivity Centre (NPC) Director-General Kashim Akor said selection of the awardees was done by a committee set up for the purpose of the nomination.

  • Ngige to NMA: Stop meddling in JOHESU strike

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has told the leadership of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) to stay away from the ongoing strike by members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) as their activities are making it difficult for government to resolve issues that led to the strike.

    The Minister, in a statement signed by the Director of Press in the Ministry, Samuel Olowokore said the doctors should stop meddling in the strike, adding that such meddlesomeness arising from an unhealthy inter-union rivalry will adversely put pressure on social dialogue mechanism.

    He however appealed to the striking health workers to call off its strike as the CONHESS table that corresponds with the 2014 CONMESS adjustment with the Medical Doctors has been appropriately addressed by the National Salary Income and Wages Commission and given as an offer in the spirit of equity.  

    Read Also: FG warns JOHESU against harassing doctors, others

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has been drawn to media reports credited to the new Executive of the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA) wherein the body  has taken to meddlesome interloping in the ongoing negotiations with the striking Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU)

    “The Minister wishes to state that in trade unionism, such meddlesomeness arising from an unhealthy inter-union rivalry will adversely put pressure on social dialogue mechanism, clog the wheel of progress and in this instance, retard the return of industrial harmony in the entire health sector.

    “Hence, the NMA should desist from further interference of any form, in the ongoing negotiation as well as stop issuing threats to the Federal Government as it is firmly resolved to achieve a lasting industrial peace in all sectors without prejudice to perceived group interests.

    “Besides, I wish to once more appeal to JOHESU to call off its strike as the CONHESS table that corresponds with the 2014 CONMESS adjustment with the Medical Doctors has been appropriately addressed by the National Salary Income and Wages Commission and given as an offer in the spirit of equity.  I therefore plead that you consider the tragic consequences your action has already brought on the vulnerable patients in hospitals across the nation.”

  • It’s criminal to owe workers, says Ngige

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has said it is a crime to owe workers, either in the private or public sector.

    Ngige, who noted that governors had no excuse for owing workers, said they ought to look inward to generate more fu nds rather than going cap-in-hand to Abuja for federal allocation.

    Speaking on the Federal Government’s disposition to the new minimum wage,  at a forum in Abuja, he said the tripartite committee would ensure that all parties involved arrived at a fair wage that would be binding on all stakeholders in the economy.

    Ngige said the maxim of this government was: if one cannot create more jobs, workers should hold on to the one they have.

    “That is the maxim! If we are not able to create as much jobs as we believe Nigerians will need during the electioneering campaign, we should be able to hold on to the one we have and then do the little we can to compensate for the shortfall. Since we came in, it has not been easy or rosy with the economy,” he said.

    The minister said first, there was the oil price slump and volatility in global market and then insurgency in oil producing areas.

    “Our revenue went down drastically and we couldn’t pay salaries. We had to borrow to pay salary. But we said our maxim is to keep the job, not eliminate jobs, even if we cannot create exactly as we promised.

    “In this regard, government led by example in our public service; we did not retrench people. We maintained the balance and if anything, some of our agencies were allowed to do what they called replacement,” he said.

     

  • Obaseki swears-in elected council executives

    Obaseki swears-in elected council executives

    …Urges prudent mgt. of N2b Paris Club savings

     

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has sworn-in the newly elected local council chairmen for the 18 local government areas of the state, charging them on prudent management of resources saved up in their treasuries.

    Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony held at the Government House, in Benin City, Edo State capital, on Monday, Obaseki charged the new heads of the councils to be accountable, responsive and responsible in administering the affairs of their councils.

    He said, “My administration has kept aside N2 billion saved from the Paris Club refunds in the councils’ treasury for the new executives to commence activities.

    According to him, “You are not coming to meet an empty treasury. I have saved your Paris refund in excess of N2billion and some of you have savings in excess of N2billion.

    “So, you will be coming into office with some reserves and savings, but you have to focus on enduring projects.”

    He said the era, in which council bosses left offices with debts for their successors would not be accepted, noting that his administration has spent the last 17 months offsetting debts incurred by former local government executives.

    The governor described the peaceful conduct of the electoral process as historical, noting, “The increasing acceptability of the laudable programmes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) enabled you to secure victory at the polls. We do not expect less from you.

    “Your elections were free and fair, so you must go and serve the people who voted you into office. You have no Godfather to settle. Your sole responsibility must be the welfare of the people in your council,” the governor charged the newly elected executives.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who witnessed the swearing-in ceremony, commended Governor Obaseki for saving up funds for the chairmen to kick-start their activities. He described the act as benevolent and urged the council bosses to utilize the fund for the benefit of the masses.

    In his vote of thanks on behalf of other chairpersons, Mr Jenkins Osunde, Oredo Local Council chairman, thanked people of the state for finding them worthy to pilot their affairs.

    He assured that they would live up to the confidence reposed in them and build on the foundation already laid by the Godwin Obaseki-led administration.

    Read Also: Obaseki reassures of Economic Expansion, urges social, political harmony

  • Lawmakers urge ministry to check youth unemployment

    The Senate and the House of Representatives Committees on Employment, Labour and Productivity have urged the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, to tackle youth unemployment.

    According to them, he should widen the scope of the various vocational skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development programmes being anchored by the ministry.

    In separate remarks during the ministry’s 2018  budget defence, both Chairmen, Sen. Suleiman Nasif and Rep. Ezenwa  Onyebuchi, noted that employment generation was a critical area, which the ministry needed to do more upon the passage of the 2018 budget.

    The committees expressed readiness to visit the ministry’s projects sites with a view to ascertaining the level of compliance and implementation.

    In his presentation, the Ngige said the ministry did well in both structural and service delivery as a result of the concerted and diligent implementation of budgeted projects and prorammes in the 2017 appropriation despite paucity of budgetary releases.

    He said: “We were operating on only 20 per cent budgetary release until January 2018. Our budget performance for 2017 would have surpassed the expectation of Nigerians and critical stakeholders if not for the paucity of funds for the implementation of plans and programmes in critical areas of capacity building, strengthening of labour councils and other capital projects, which were not fully funded due to the global economic recession.

    “We are very hopeful that we will be able to complete many of the outstanding projects and programmes of all the line items of our 2017 budget before capital budget appropriation closes in March 2018. We are happy that the financial portals have just been re-opened. We, however, pledge to do more before the end of March 2018.”

  • Don’t force govt. to invoke no work, no pay rule – Ngige

    Don’t force govt. to invoke no work, no pay rule – Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has warned striking none teaching staff of Nigerian Universities not to Force the government into invoking the relevant sections of the Labour laws of no work, no pay against them, asking them to immediately call of their indefinite strike action and make a fresh case for “skewed disbursement of the N23 billion released to the Universities.

    In a state signed by the Deputy Director, Press in the Ministry, Samuel Olowookore, the Minister said the government was fully complied with the 12 point demands contained in the memorandum of settlement signed between the unions and the government on September 20, 2017.

    Ngige asked the union leaders to stop misguiding their members and avoid pushing the Federal Government to a situation where it will invoke the relevant section of the labour laws on No Work, No Pay, saying it will be disastrous in the season of Christmas and end of the year if implemented.

    According to him, the Federal Government has not only fully met all the twelve-point condition raised in the Memorandum of Settlement reached  with the Non-Teaching Staff of Federal Universities on September 20, 2017 but has also complied faithfully with the timelines for the implementation of the agreement .

    The non-teaching staff of Nigerian Universities made up of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) National Association of Academic Technologists(NAAT) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) operating under the acronym of the Joint Action Committe on Monday commenced a nationwide strike accusing the government of deceit and not living by the agreement signed with them.

    But while disputing the claims of the unions, the Minister asked them to call off the on-going indefinite strike and make a fresh case in respect of its reservation on the implementation of the Point One of the Agreement concerning the disbursement of the N23 billion Naira Earned Allowances.

    Ngige said it was important for Nigerians to be informed that the Federal Government has fully complied with its own part of the agreement and asked the non-teaching staff of universities not to blame the Federal Government for what the striking unions termed the “skewed disbursement formula” for the N23 billion Earned Allowances released by the Federal Government.

    According to him, “The Joint Action Committee of Non-Teaching Staff came with twelve-point demand. We sat over it and agreed on all, on September 20, 2017. As I speak, the Federal Government has fully implemented the major contemporary issues such as payment of shortfalls, registration with PENCOM etc. in the agreement.

    “The only grievance the unions have today is that the modality for the disbursement of the N23 billion the Federal Government released for the settlement of earned allowances is skewed against them.

    “But I advised them during the negotiation to call off their strike when it entered the fifth day and quickly forward their own template for accessing this N23 billion meant for the academic and non-academic staff of the universities, since the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had already submitted. They bluntly refused and dragged the strike for weeks.”

    The Minister however said that nothing has been lost and urged the unions to make a fresh case for inclusion in the 2018 budget, adding that the Federal Government was willing to address this, urging the unions to immediately call off their strike.

    Ngige flawed the argument that “they only resumed an old strike,” saying that a strike which has been adequately conciliated, called off, and the terms of agreement implemented, cannot yield itself as a basis for resumption of the same action. “If the unions under JAC are embarking on a fresh strike, they are yet to comply with the relevant sections of the Labour Laws for embarking on action.”

  • Ngige leads quest for reform of ILO Board activities

    Ngige leads quest for reform of ILO Board activities

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige is leading the quest for the reform of the activities of the Governing Board of the International Labour Organisation with a view to halting colonialism and the activities of former colonial masters in Africa and South America.

    Senator Ngige who spoke on behalf of Africa deletes the 331 Session of the Governing Board of the ILO currently holding in Geneva, Switzerland, elicited the support of other regions to stop the overbearing role of France and Britain in the conduct of the Regional Meetings of the ILO.

    The Minister’s speech won Africa a major milestone in the conduct of affairs of Governing Board of the International Labour Organisation following the decision to remove imperialist tendencies in the conduct of the affairs of the world body in favour of Africa.

    The Minister spoke against the participation of Non-members in regional meetings other than theirs, especially in Africa and South America, describing it as a continuation of colonization and imperialism.

     Sen. Ngige in his address on behalf of the Africa Region said: “with regards to participation in a Regional Meeting of a member state from another region, it bears repeating our earlier position adopting the principle that each Member State would be invited as a full member to only one regional meeting, with the Governing Body having the discretion of inviting on a case by case basis, any member state as an observer to other regional meetings.

    “To continue to do otherwise is to evoke the ugly memories of the colonial era. As an independent region, our concern on the total cluster liberation of our region is well articulated in our region’s Agenda 2063. The constraint of member States with constitutional challenge should be addressed at the appropriate political forum other than at the ILO regional meetings.”

    He said that Africa would work with independent member states of the ILO without interfering with internal sensitive sovereign constitutional matters of any member state. 

    It will be recalled that the mater of restricting regional meetings to only member states within the specific geographical expression of a given region has been a long-standing battle over the years.   

    The disagreement is hinged on the fact that the current practice based on Governing Board decision of March 2001, France is invited to the African Regional Meeting as a member responsible for the external relations of the Mayotte and La Reunion, two non-metropolitan territories situated in the African Region, now existing as overseas departments, and therefore an integral part of France.

    This issue is often treated as a sensitive constitutional matter which members discuss with great caution and restraint for fear of incurring the displeasure of colonial masters of France and Britain.

    But Nigeria’s address on behalf of the Africa Region was greeted with applause across representatives from other continents, forcing the former colonial powers to plot the frustration of the position already accepted by the majority on Tuesday Nov 7 session, by seeking the postponement of decision on the matter till 2018 and introducing strange elements into the draft,  to enable them continue sitting in the Regional Meetings of other regions in the guise of representing the interest of non-metropolitan territories.

    An emergency meeting of the Africa Region was hence summoned during the session’s tea break yesterday and it was decided that Africa would oppose debate on the new draft by France and Britain or otherwise, withdraw from further participation on the Governing Board as a protest.

    Nigeria was again mandated to lead the debate on behalf of Africa, forcing the chairperson of the Governing Board to adopt the Africa position as other regional groups and social partners rose in support of the position that each member state  would be invited as a full member to only one regional meeting with the Governing Body having the discretion of inviting on a case by case basis, any Member State as an observer to  other regional meetings  

    It requested the office to prepare for its consideration at the 332 sessions scheduled for March 2018, a consolidated version of the Rules for Regional Meetings and Introductory note based on the guidance provided during a discussion for adoption and referral to a future session of the conference for confirmation.