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Tag: NLC president

  • APC to NLC: You are anti-workers

    APC to NLC: You are anti-workers

    The Ondo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted the encomiums passed on Governor Olusegun Mimiko by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    The party noted that it was  ironical that the commendation came at a time workers in the state are currently groaning through the insensitivity of the same government that has failed to pay salaries for four months.

    NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, in a letter applauded Governor Mimiko over what he described as his sterling leadership qualities in the transformation of Ondo State to a modern and one of the leading states in the country.

    This he hinged on provision of physical infrastructure and services and other landmark achievements, which according to him have impacted on the lives of the people of Ondo State.

    APC in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro said it did not denying the present leadership of NLC its right to opinion and decisions

    It however expressed concern on the “injury of inept” leadership foisted on the state in almost eight years of misgovernance which ironically found commendations from an organization that should indeed show empathy towards the challenges faced by the people.

    According to the statement”what should readily have been a succour to the civil servants in Ondo state through the Federal Government’s bailout intervention of over N15 billion has neither been accounted for nor have the workers been paid. Yet the NLC leadership believes such commendations at this struggling time for civil servants is in good faith.

    “Our concern is the obvious disconnect between the realities being faced by residents of Ondo state, who have not experienced pipe-borne water in seven years but are told to celebrate the error of a water fountain which obviously the NLC leadership must have found awe-inspiring in its ill-fated commendation”.

    The party however advised the leadership of the NLC to always seek the truth from the people it represents before putting undue commendations on rejected governments.

  • FG, NLC bid farewell to Ocholi

    FG, NLC bid farewell to Ocholi

    The Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday extolled the qualities of the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi (SAN).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on March 6, the minister, his wife and son died in a motor accident along Kaduna/Abuja Express road.

    Sen. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, while speaking at the valedictory court session held in his honour at the National Industrial Court, Abuja described Ocholi’s death as painful.

    Ngige said that the legacies left behind by the late minister were good ones and would forever be remembered.

    “I have known him before we started working together; we were together in the party APC.

    “He was our deputy legal adviser and was also a member of the merger committee which I also belong.

    “I have also known him as a lawyer and working together in the Ministry of Labour and Employment was a home coming to both of us.

    “We were already friends and we have to pilot the affairs of the ministry together.

    “Our main goal in the ministry was to bring change that will benefit the Nigerian workers and the society as a whole,’’ he said.

    He said Ocholi departure would not be forgotten in a hurry.

    Speaking, Mr Ayba Wabba, NLC President, said the late minister had left his indelible footprints in the sands of time.

    Wabba described Ocholi as one of Nigeria’s brightest and finest minds who was cut down alongside his family members when his star was in the ascendancy.

    “It is with a grief-stricken heart that I perform, arguably, one of the most difficult tasks as the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

    “As Ocholi’s death is an unspeakable tragedy that numb the senses and he left no one in doubt that he was a trusted ally of Labour.

    “Indeed, Ocholi’s knowledge of labour laws, industrial relations practice and his eagerness to work with social partners in the labour circuit raised hope for the labour movement,’’ he said.

    The president also described Ocholi as a legal luminary, an urbane, a highly cultivated person and an invaluable asset in government-labour relations.
    “What a shame death has robbed us of this priceless and irreplaceable gem. How can we come to terms with this? It is ever so difficult.

    “The least we can do in memory of this illustrious son is to imbibe his noble qualities. We should also go a step further to immortalise his name after him a worthy edifice or institution.
    “Fare thee well, my friend and my brother, Mr James Ocholi, (SAN),’’ Wabba added.

  • Kerosene price hike is fraudulent -NLC president

    Kerosene price hike is fraudulent -NLC president

    Sampson Unamka cornered the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba who was in Lagos at the weekend for the NLC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting where he spoke on moves by the organised labour to resist the kerosene price hike among other issues. Excerpts:

    What is the NLC going to do over the removal of subsidy from kerosene?

    Frankly speaking, I doubt whether there is still an existing subsidy with the current market price of crude oil, because the price nosedived, as such, our conclusion is that we’re not sure that what they did was even removal of subsidy. What they did was outright price adjustment because the template which they displayed on their website after 24 hours that template was actually withdrawn. The template would have allowed us to be able to interrogate what parameters were used to do the price adjustment.

    But the truth is that with the current global price of crude oil, we should even be paying lower than what they have come up with at the moment. So, it’s clear that it is just a price increase and what we have kept on saying is that there is still a lot of element of corruption in the system even in Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) itself. So what we’re calling subsidy in Nigeria, is actually corruption and why I say so is because if you look at the current price, Nigerians are suppose to pay less but what they did instead is that we’re now paying more due to corrupt practices. They have transferred the burden now to the larger Nigerian citizens.

    So I can say clearly that I’m not sure with the current fall in global oil price, Nigerians are supposed to pay lower. In many countries, people are paying lower, what they are trying to call subsidy now is because of the fact that one we’re basing our argument on importation. This importation will be in dollars and they have already devalued our currency. So it’s just this element of corruption that they are transferring to all of us and therefore one of the processes of adjusting the price of kerosene is not transparently done because there is no template. If you go to their website now, you will find out that there is no template, so what basis have they used that we can actually interrogate to see whether there is even any subsidy or not. The one they did for Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), where they removed 50 kobo, if you look at the template carefully it’s one of the components that they removed and that is what they call removal of subsidy.

    So are you saying there is no subsidy removal?

    What they did with kerosene is like testing the waters. I believe the price increase is in agreement with the prescription of the International Monetary Fund which favours price modulation system. So, I won’t be surprised that once the price of product goes beyond $46 to the barrel, we are sure that what they would do is to adjust the price and transfer the burden to Nigerians. What we’re therefore saying is that instead of transferring this component of corruption to Nigerians why not make the process transparent?

    I believe that if there is a transparent process in place, Nigerians should be paying less under the current dispensation. There is continuous funding of crude oil import in many parts of the world. But because of inherent corruption in the system, which we discovered in the aftermath of the 2012 subsidy scam, clearly we now know that both the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, the PPMC and some oil marketers cannot isolate themselves from the mess we’re in right now. So those are issues that I think should form public opinion in responding to this issue.

    From all indication, the price hike is already a fait accompli. So what is the organised labour going to do about it?

    Our respond here today clearly is the fact that we don’t believe that the issue of subsidy on kerosene still exists with the current pricing. Having said that, we believe with the current price of oil globally, Nigerians are supposed to pay less. What they merely did was to adjust price upwards without any template, if there is template let them make it available so that Nigerians can be able to see. Therefore, our respond is that Nigerians and all of us have agreed that we’re going on intensive mobilisation to sensitise Nigerians on this ill policy, which the government is trying to use as bait. We believe this is obviously trying to shift the goal post of transparently operating the system.

    If you look at the 2012 episode, it’s clear that what they claim is subsidy is monumental corruption that was put together. And what they want to do now is that without even sanitising the system, they want to put this entire component and add it up such that consumers will continue to pay more. For me, I think that is a bitter-pill they want Nigerians to continue to swallow. But I believe the most decent thing to do is to ensure that they system is cleaned up. All we’re saying is that let us know what is the landing cost of a litre of petroleum and then we can begin to work and see how best this challenge can also be addressed.

    Besides, the excuse they have continuously given is that we’re importing fuel from Europe. We know for sure that if we have crude oil here and we have refineries within the shore of West Africa that can also be used to refine products and bring it back so the issue of freight would have reduced with lots of other tax components reduced and ultimately the price will reduce. But they have consistently relied on import from Europe as such this has helped to jack up pricing template and the component prices so that Nigerians will continue to pay more.

    So I believe that the economics of fuel import as we have now is to satisfy the interest of those marketers and those importers. If you look at the policy carefully, it’s protecting their interest not protecting the interest of the larger consumers. And for me, it is more worrisome that policies of government which should be in favour of the poor and the most vulnerable who cannot afford to even pay more is favouring a few clique in the society. We have looked at the issues squarely and seen the challengesand our conclusion at NLC is that we reject the increase and we’re going out to actually mobilise and then come up with an appropriate respond strategy, effective from today (Friday).

    There are claims that the NLC was part of those who benefitted from the N9.2billion kerosene stove largess under the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan?

    On the issue of distribution of the kerosene stoves by the past administration, I make bold to say we were not part of it and NLC have not been directly involved in any issue of that stuff. It should be people that I think have used that opportunity to advance their interests. But NLC directly have not been part of managing any stuff or any kerosene issue.

     

  • N18,000 minimum wage no longer realistic, says NLC president

    THE President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Dr. Ayuba Wabba, has emphasised that the N18,000 minimum wage is no longer realistic, considering the nation’s  economic situation.

    Wabba, who spoke at his maiden news conference in Abuja yesterday, noted that the negative impact of the falling global price of crude oil at the international market on the country’s economy made it imperative to review the minimum wage.

    He said with the devaluation of the Naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the purchasing power of the average worker had reduced.

    Wabba added that in the face of dwindling economic fortunes, the labour movement would dialogue with the Federal Government and other employers of labour to protect the workers’ interest.

    He assured Nigerians that despite the challenges associated with the conduct of the elections, the union would remain one indivisible family.

    His leadership, he said, would use direct and indirect means to resolve the disagreement arising from the  the election, stressing that the congress was bigger than any individual or group.

    Dismissing the special delegates’ conference called by some aggrieved members, the NLC president said the only organ of the congress constitutionally empowered to call for a delegates’ conference is the National Executive Council, adding: “That body duly called for a delegates’ conference, which had just elected a new leadership for the congress”.

    His words: “We are going to use both direct and indirect approach to approach the aggrieved parties to reconcile. What I mean is that the present leadership will try and meet them individually and collectively to see reasons beyond personal interest and to look at the organisation as the ultimate.

    “We have had such situations in the past and we have been able to resolve them. I think we must give peace a chance. That is why I said we have already extended a hand of fellowship to everybody and, therefore, we are looking ahead to see how we can resolve the issues.

    “Before the elections were to proceed, the veterans intervened and we sat down in this hall to look at preliminary issues that contestants raised and the issues were addressed.

    “A decision was also made that whatever the outcome, everybody is going to abide by it.

    “We made those commitments before the veterans in this hall on the day of the election and so, I am certain that they will play a significant role. Those are the two areas I think will be important for us to use in reaching out to them. We also have time-tested procedures in resolving conflicts and disputes. We will approach the issues with an open mind so that we can move forward.

    “As far as I am concerned, the only organ that can convene a delegate conference in accordance with the constitution is the National Executive Council. That organ has convened a conference, a National Returning Officer was appointed and the results were declared in public. Everything about the election is on record and so, we must also accept the outcome.

    “I think that the most important thing is to continue to extend our hand of fellowship to them and we stand on the constitutional provision. The first President of NLC was the person that administered the oath of office, which is an indication that they believed in the process because they were there throughout the night, watching the proceeding.

    “We don’t believe there will be two leadership because our believe is that we should be able to unite and look at the issues that affect the workers and not personal interest.

    “Although there has been a lot of challenges, it has been a credible process that all of us can attest to. But for me, the most important thing is how we can address the mounting challenges facing the workers because the interest of workers should be paramount and that should guide our engagements. And from what we have heard from all over the country, our members are also satisfied.”

    Wabba assured subscribers of the NLC housing projects that his leadership would do everything possible to refund their money, adding that the congress was aware that they subscribed to the project because of the involvement of the NLC.

    He added: “You are aware that there are two signatories to the account and one of the signatories is at large. The process of refund has been completed, but he has refused to come and sign. Already, he has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

    “What we want the court to do, having been declared wanted, is to make an order empowering the NLC to refund everybody through the process of e-payment since it was mutually agreed between us and the subscribers. We want the court to issue that order.

    “So, the assurance I want to give is that this is a continuous process and NLC is an institution and once decisions are made, every leader that emerges is obliged to carry out those decisions and instructions. So, we will go ahead and make sure that every worker is refunded.”

  • Oshiomhole greets NLC president

    Former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has congratulated the President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, on his election.

    He urged him to provide a focused and dynamic leadership for the labour movement.

    Oshiomhole also appealed to those who feel aggrieved by the outcome of the Congress to resist the temptation of convening a factional congress either on Friday or at any other date.

    The governor asked them to sheathe their swords and extend a hand of fellowship to the new president to help reposition the congress.

    Oshiomhole, in a congratulatory letter addressed to the NLC President, said his election was “a befitting recognition of your leadership capabilities, sound trade union antecedents, loyalty and commitment to the Nigerian labour movement.

    “It must be obvious to you by now, Comrade President, that the Nigerian Labour Movement, and in particular, the congress has lost a significant amount of prestige and influence in the eyes of the Nigerian working people and the Nigerian public at large.

    “The Nigerian people no longer see the congress as the ‘voice of voiceless’ and a bulwark against socio-economic and political oppression and injustices in the polity.

     “It is against this background that your leadership must see its historic role beyond the “bread and butter” issues, to re-assert its independence, re-connect with grassroots workers, including the forgotten rural majority and position itself as a major player in shaping Nigeria’s polity, economy and society consistent with the true traditions of the congress and the interests of the Nigerian working families”.

    He also urged the NLC leadership to reposition and unite the congress, face the challenge as well as expectations of the affiliates of the congress and Nigerians.

    To the losers in the election, the governor said: “Let me seize this opportunity to appeal to my comrades, in particular, Comrades Joe Ajaero, Issa Aremu and Igwe  Achese  to resist the temptation of convening a factional congress either on Friday or at any other date.

    “Having fought the good fight, there is honour in conceding to defeat even in the face of imperfections.”

  • Welfare: Union leader scores NLC president low

    Welfare: Union leader scores NLC president low

    THE National Vice President in-charge of the Northwest, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Sikamfa Ali Mshelinga, has scored the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwahab Umar, low on workers’ welfare.

    Flanked by the leaders of Kogi State chapter of NUEE, Mshelinga alleged that under the NLC president, whose final tenure ends on February 12, workers in several states were not paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW), while others worked under inhumane conditions.

    “For the eight years that he (Umar) has been there, nothing has been done. Are you talking about the N18,000 minimum wage that many states have not complied with or in the many banks and other organisations treating Nigerian workers like slaves? All these have to change,” he said.

    He canvassed for the election of the Deputy President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajero, as the next president, asserting that since after Adams Oshiomhole vacated the leadership seat of the umbrella labour organisation, nothing inspiring had happened.

  • How to end Boko Haram insurgency, by NLC president

    How to end Boko Haram insurgency, by NLC president

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar has urged the Federal Government to block all the channels for food supply to members of the Boko Haram sect to make them abandon their insurgency.

    Omar, who addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja, also advised the government to deploy more troops to fight the insurgents.

    The NLC president noted that experience had shown that closing the exit and entry points for food supplies to insurgents could be a good weapon to defeat them.

    He said it was high time the nation began to think of alternative means to end the Boko Haram crisis.

    Omar regretted that Nigerian workers had been at the receiving end of the activities of the insurgents, adding: “The Nigerian workers, especially in the frontline areas of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, are the most affected by the insecurity. They are the ones who shuttle between their homes and places of work and these are the people who are caught inbetween.

    “Quite a number of Nigerians workers have been killed along with other Nigerians. Insecurity is a very serious one. We want to call on the government to intensify efforts, particularly on efforts to combat this problem in areas where it is prevalent.

    “People have suggested that if you can deploy as many as 30,000 security personnel to monitor an election in a state, there is nothing stopping you from deploying more troops to areas with insurgency and ensure that we end this thing once and for all.

    “I have always said that when it happened, during the Maitasine era, the Federal Government took decisive measures and, within three days, it was brought under control. When it happened in Burunkutu in Borno State, the government took decisive measures and, within few days, it was brought under control. I see no reason why such a decisive measure cannot be taken now.

    “I know that the government is being cautious because we have our daughters in captivity, and it is a very serious issue. I think we should begin to think about other means by which we can end this thing.

    “Closing up on them is a strategy. If you close up on these people and block all channels through which they can move about, it will force them to come out in search of food and other essentials. That is the best way. If you cannot defeat an enemy through bombardment and other means, you can use siege to block her to ensure that you force him to either surrender or perish.”

    On the decision of the government to shift the resumption date for schools across the country because of the fear of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the NLC president said the congress supported any decision to ensure the safety of its citizens.

    He said: “We welcome any decision taken by the government to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. So, the fact that the government decided to shift the resumption date… Remember that schools are places where children are crowded. In most cases, they are more vulnerable and susceptible to contracting diseases.

    “So, if the government has gone this extra mile to take this kind of decision, I think it is a welcome development to ensure that Ebola is eradicated and that there is no threat whatsoever before our students resume school. This is a welcome development.”