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  • NLC, group urge federal government to halt anarchy in Kogi

    NLC, group urge federal government to halt anarchy in Kogi

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the umbrella body for all socio-cultural groups in Kogi East, the Uk’omu Igala have asked the federal government to take immediate steps to curb the decent to anarchy, intolerance, insensitivity and impunity in Kogi state.

    While the NLC said the government must realize that recent development in Kogi state represent strong threats to the nation’s democracy and should not be condoned, the Igala socio cultural Organisation said the attack on the Kogi state House of Assembly by political thugs was a direct attack on the people of the state and an insult on the country’s democracy which should not be allowed to go unchallenged.

    In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said the Government should not be under the illusion that the developments in the state will simply peter out with time. It will be a criminally negligent assumption, and therefore dangerous.

    Wabba said: “For those who may not have been in the know, last week, the speaker, Honourable Alfa Imam was forced out and a more pliant one installed. The offence of the former Speaker was that he had initiated a legislative process to look into the disbursements of the Paris Club refund following non-payment of salaries and pensions and the industrial tensions in its aftermath.

    “But the former Speaker was lucky to have gotten off “lightly” as the House Member who moved the motion for this process ended up in Plaster of Paris (POP) courtesy of the thugs dispatched to disrupt the House proceedings.

    “The Kogi State mess represents the height of intolerance, insensitivity and impunity, and a precursor to dictatorship and anarchy and should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians and apprehended by the Federal Government before the situation spins out of control.

    “Accordingly, we call on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, commence investigations into the disbursements of bail-out funds (50% percent of which it had directed should be applied for payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities); continuous non-payment of salaries and pensions; endless staff audit which has become a convenient alibi for owing salaries and pensions.

    “We also believe that the Federal Government should be concerned that the state-contrived industrial disharmony in the state is slowly, but steadily degenerating into a political crisis as exemplified by the clamp down on ASUU and the State-sponsored violence in the House of Assembly and other acts of witch-hunt in the State’s socio-political space.

    “We need not remind the Federal Government that these represent strong threats to our democracy and should not be condoned. Government should not be under the illusion that the developments in the state will simply peter out with time. It will be a criminally negligent assumption, and therefore dangerous.

    “We at the Nigeria Labour Congress similarly consider ourselves duty-bound to remind the Federal Government that it should not sacrifice the interests of the people of Kogi State on political considerations or convenience. The Kogi State situation has dragged on for too long and the Federal Government cannot continue to look the other way. The time to act is now.

    “We are guided by the dictum that it is better to build strong institutions instead of strong individuals, because whereas strong institutions protect our democracy, strong individuals threaten it.”

    On its part, the Igala socio cultural Organisation said in a statement by its national leader, Major General Patrick Akpa (rtd), that the attack was an “affront on democracy” and an “intimidation of a constitutional arm of government” in Kogi State which should not be allowed to endure if the North-Central State must witness the highly-needed political and economic developments.

    General Akpa said, “The House of Assembly is the political body that represents the over two million people of Kogi State. They are the voices of the ordinary indigenes of the state who voted them to make law and serve as a check on the executive arm of government. This intimidation and assault on members of this constitutional body is a direct attack on all the people of Kogi State, a criminal act that should not go unchallenged.”

    The Uk’omu Igala Organisation urged the Presidency and the National Assembly to wade into the situation because an insult on democracy in any constituent part of the country is a direct insult on the country’s democracy in totality.

    He said, “The Acting President should set up a high-powered panel to investigate the mayhem carried out in the full glare of law enforcement agencies in Kogi State. The allegation that policemen drafted to the House of Assembly complex to forestall the foretold violence stood akimbo while thugs laid siege on the legislature, brutalized Hon Friday Sani Makama, a duly elected lawmaker, and disrupted the activities of the Assembly should not be allowed to go unpunished. 

    “The National Assembly should also investigate the criminal act and take appropriate steps that would prevent the re-occurrence of such intimidating act in future. We call on the lawmakers to realize their role in the administration of Kogi State. They are there to make laws and to check the Executive arm of government. 

    “If they have ignored their own importance, sold their souls for a morsel of bread to other forces in the state, they would have themselves to blame. A situation in which the Assembly has become subservient, and acquiesce to the whim and caprices of other arms of government would embolden their sponsors to violate their rights and powers as lawmakers.

    “We welcome the resignation of controversial Speaker Umar Ahmed Imam after the mayhem and call on the newly-elected Speaker of the House, Hon Matthew Kolawole, to provide a dynamic leadership that would position the Assembly as a truly independent arm of government in Kogi State. If not, this stock of lawmakers would go down in history as those who failed their people in this turbulent dispensation in the political history of the state.”

  • Constitution amendment meaningless without true federalism—NLC, SANs, others

    Constitution amendment meaningless without true federalism—NLC, SANs, others

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is not impressed by the ongoing effort by the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution.

    The NLC said yesterday that the federal lawmakers are getting the whole concept of amending the constitution wrong by failing to carry the generality of Nigerians along.

    “The process of making laws must draw its legitimacy from the people especially if it affects fundamental issues of restructuring because if you can see what went into this process, there has been a lot of argument about restructuring,” NLC President Ayuba Wabba told reporters in Abuja.

    He found supporters in Senior Advocates Ladi Williams and Festus Keyamo as well as former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, all of whom  declared  the Constitution amendment an exercise in futility without first restructuring the country.

    The NLC President  said that though the National Assembly is  constitutionally empowered to make laws, the current process should be thrown open to the larger Nigerian public to enable them make an input into the process.

    “A platform should be created where this discourse can start,” he said.

    “The entire process of constitutional amendment started with the National Assembly and what they are considering is the document from the 7th assembly which is not all inclusive.

    “Therefore I think it will make sense if this process is all inclusive and open so that Nigerians can buy in and also make suggestions. It should not be limited only to the issues that were canvassed during the 7th assembly.

    “The current process is limited to those issues that were canvassed during the 7th assembly. I thought that this is a very sensitive issue. Even though they have the powers to make laws, I think Nigerians should be carried along.

    “If you listen to the discourse, there are a lot of ideas as to what need to be done, which need to be synchronized. Importantly, they need to hear from the people and people should be made to buy into the process so that the entire process will be transparent so that we have a process that is all inclusive and can drive itself so that at the end of the day, if it is from the people, it will be easier to have the process pass through.”

    He however hailed both chambers of the National Assembly for granting financial autonomy to the local governments, saying : “the 8th National Assembly has made history and shall be remembered for bowing not to the insular interests but the popular wishes of the people.

    “Their initiative, we believe, is an improvement on the efforts of the previous Assemblies, which goes to show that government is not only a continuum.With tenacity and requisite experience at the National Assembly, we shall get our democracy right.

    “We have no doubt that if passed into law, these amendments will free-up the local governments from the strangle-hold of state governments and widen the democratic space as well as restore the lost glory of local governments.

    “The Local Government system of government known by various names, is the oldest form of administration, and sadly, the most abused and exploited in our post-colonial history.

    “Until progressive decline and bastardization set in, the Local Government represented the centre of administrative excellence, clinical efficiency, training, education, development, tax administration and effective commodity boards.

    “Local governments also represented maintenance culture of infrastructure including roads, environmental sanitation, functional health facilities, low incidences of corruption and violent crimes.  The singular reason for this magical performance was that local governments were close to the people and ministered to their needs.”

    The NLC president also faulted the Senate for rejecting the 35percent affirmative action, for women.

    He described the move as unfortunate.

    “I think the issue of gender is very important because it will address issues of inequality and bring another perspective to governance and will add tremendous value. Part of our policy and strategy is to mainstream gender in all our structures,” he said.

    And speaking to The Nation by phone yesterday, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Ladi Williams said  the ongoing constitutional  mendment in  the  National Assembly is borne out of selfish motive.

     ”The Senate doesn’t understand what is meant by restructuring. They are only trying to protect their own interest.  We need restructuring because it is one of the fundamental points of the constitutional review committee set up under former President Jonathan,” he said.

    “Of course we need to restructure because it is the only way out to take care of agitations for Biafra, for example, and the insurgency in the North East.

    “If we don’t restructure, the problems will not only multiply, they will go bigger. The idea is to make the centre less attractive for politicians but they are not  seeing the point.

    “The way things are now, the centre is very delicious; there is a lot of money at the centre.”

    He also described as undemocratic, the amendment of the constitution by the Senate to give the National Assembly the power to override the President’s power to assent to bills.

    His words: “This  is not good for our democracy. The National Assembly and the Presidency constitute two arms of government. What the National Assembly members are trying to do is to shut out the executive.

    “The executive is to execute the laws made by the legislature.  Bills must be assented by the President.  I don’t think they have constitutional power to exclude a major functionary of government from performing it roles.”

    In a separate telephone chat, another SAN, Festus Keyamo, averred that the amendment  cannot  a replacement for restructuring.

    He said: “Restructuring is more fundamental than constitution amendment.

    “ Of course restructuring will lead to a new constitution. There is no doubt about that. But it is not this kind of haphazard amendment they are doing. I am not condemning the amendment.

    “As a stop gap measure it is commendable that the legislature has  risen to the occasion to amend the constitution. Restructuring will take more time, and more negotiation, more deliberation and more inclusive than the National Assembly.”

    For his part, former governor of Anambra State and frontline Igbo leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, said it would be out of place for the  National Assembly to take the amendment as a substitute  for restructuring.

     He said:  ”We cannot give the National Assembly, as it is constituted, the role of restructuring Nigeria .

    “The National Assembly itself is part of the problem.  The way they are constituted cannot allow them to do anything in the national interest. The way they are constituted is not balanced.

    “I don’t see any nobody with brain wanting the disintegration of Nigeria, instead of restructuring Nigeria and allowing peace to prevail.

    “If the National Assembly is restructured, they can go ahead and restructure Nigeria.The  action of the National Assembly as I said earlier on, is one of the reasons for the call for restructuring and they cannot on their own restructure the country.”

    Also speaking,an Igala leader,Mr. Cyprian Adejo, said restructuring  will end agitations by the various groups and ensure development across the country.

    Address members of the Movement for Sustainable Development of Igala/Bassa (MOSDIBN) in Lokoja,Kogi State,Adejo said restructuring should be through constitutional means, to guarantee unity, peace and progress.

    “Restructuring is a practical way that will ensure that states develop their resources, as against relying on federal subversion,” he said.

  • NLC accuses Fed Govt of disregarding agreements

    NLC accuses Fed Govt of disregarding agreements

    •Health  workers threaten strike

    THE organised labour yesterday accused the Federal Government of disregarding the policy of collective bargaining freely entered into with trade unions.

    It said such attitude was negatively affecting industrial peace.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke while on a visit to affiliate unions, said it was unfortunate that government had decided not to honour its own agreements.

    He noted that contrary to global best practices, decisions of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council are subjected to different interpretations by government rather than implementing them in the interest of industrial peace.

    Wabba said even when some issues referred to courts by government are decided in favour of the workers, the government still refused to implement such issues.

    He cautioned that anybody who refuses to obey the law cannot turn back and want to benefit from the same law.

    He said: “It is also something that is condemnable  because laws are meant to be respected, court pronouncement are meant to be implemented and collective bargaining agreements in line with our national laws, global best practice and in line with Convention 98 and 87 are supposed to be respected and implemented.

    “I think that without implementing those collective bargaining agreements, we are creating an avenue for chaos in the industrial relation system in this important sector. Where there is disagreement in this sector, it is the citizens that suffer because even the United Nations (UN) Charter recognises the fact that health is one of the fundamental rights of every citizens.

    “In fact, one of the indices of measuring development is health indices. The health indices are used to access whether a country is developing or retarding. So, if it is very important for our people to continue to access quality health services, no reason should arise where those collective bargaining agreements will not be respected and at the end of the day, services will be disrupted.”

    But, the President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Biobelemoye Josiah, said the nation’s health care system may soon witness another round of industrial dispute, saying the health workers plan to shut down all health institutions over government’s failure to implement agreement entered into with the unions in 2014 as well as plans to privatise some health facilities.

    Josiah, who spoke Abuja when Wabba visited the union, said the Federal Ministry of Health has decided to play games with health workers on the agreement freely signed.

    He added that the ministry was waiting to invoke the no work, no pay policy of government when it has not obey its own side of the bargain.

    Josiah told the NLC President that very soon, unions in the health sector under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Unions will shut down the health system due to government’s failure to implement the 2014 collective agreement to adjust salaries of health workers.

  • Health workers threatens strike over govt failure to obey agreement

    Health workers threatens strike over govt failure to obey agreement

    The nation’s health care system may soon witness another round of industrial dispute as the health workers under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Union plan to shut down all health institutions in the country over government failure to implement agreement entered into with the unions in 2014 as well as plans to privatize some health facilities in the country.

    President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Biobelemoye Josiah who made the assertion in Abuja Monday said the government has failed to implement an agreement signed between health workers and the government to adjust salaries of workers even though it has done the same thing for medical doctors who constitute less than five percent of health workers in the country.

    Josiah said the Federal Ministry of Health has decided to play games with health workers and the agreement freely signed, but waiting to invoke the no work, no pay policy of government when it has not obey its own said of the bargain.

    Josiah had told the NLC President who led the ,leadership  of the congress to visit the union that very soon, unions in the health sector under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Unions will shut down the health system in the country due to government failure to implement the 2014 collective agreement to adjust salaries of workers in the health sector.

    According to him, the government has adjusted salaries for medical doctors who constitute less than five percent of health workers in the country, pointing out that even though not a registered trade union, the Federal ministry of Health pays more attention to, and gives more recognition to the medical doctors at the expense of other health professionals.

    He said: “We are calling on NLC to help us in these areas. First, there is huge discrimination in the health industry. It is an industry where, a professional group that makes up only five per cent or less than five per cent across board is given preferential treatment.

    “When you aggregate the work force at the national and the state levels, medical doctors constitue less than five per cent of the work force, but they are given everything that they demand for. They are given preferential treatment. Even though they are not a registered trade union, they are given more recognition in the ministry

    “In 2014, we fought that battle for salary adjustment and they have adjusted for the medical doctors. But the memorandum of understanding that we signed with them is being disputed. The Federal Ministry of Health almost denied that such a thing took place unitill we were able to provide the documents.

    “But as we speak, they have not been able to adjust that salary for us and it has cause serious  ripple  within the health system and sooner or later, it might lead to complete shutdown. When the JOHUSU family meets, we are going to take far reaching decisions on that

    “I am bringing this up to you for your intervention not because we are afriad to go the battle field, but because we have serious concern for the Nigerian citizens. When we shut down, who it is the masses that will suffer.

    “Another threat to the health sector and the work force is the use of no work no pay, by the federal ministry of Health. After entering into agreement, after meeting on this agreement and they refused to listen to us, we said it is our right to withdraw services.

    “At that point, what the Federal Ministry Health will do is for them to wait for us to redraw our services and then they will say they are now invoking the no work no pay policy.

    “Our people recently carried out a survey and they have also mandated us that either no work no pay, it is time we shut down the system and that brings us to the concern of citizens of Nigeria

    Josiah stressed that the union was against the privatization or any decision to concession or operate the nation’s health institution, stressing that Nigerian will be denied quality and affordable health services if that is allowed to take place.

    He said “Nigerians should not in any case accept any of those items be it  privatization, public, private partnerships or concession. For example sir, the Garki Hospital where the PPP is being operational today that hospital is out of reach of the poor masses, card alone is N4000

    “We still believed that public health institutions are established for public good or to serve as a social service point for the four runners. So we are standing here to say no to privatization public health institutions and this is the position of the Public Service International where they said health is not for sale.

    “Very soon, we will be launching that programme after conferring with other unions in the health sector. I want to say that the issue of no work, no pay, if not addressed, where an employer will violate an agreement and where you have met all the conditions will take it as a mark of intimidation, to intimidate workers across the country simply means that they have taken from us, the right to protest and the reintroduction of slave Labour.

    “In other words, they are saying we are slave and cannot complain. I want tell the highest Labour body in the country that it is not the way to go and you should help free us from that problem so that Nigerians will have the right to protest or say no to bad policies and bad governance”.

  • Nigerians no longer happy with NLC – Wike

    Nigerians no longer happy with NLC – Wike

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, said on Friday that Nigerians are no longer happy with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) because of the infiltration of the congress by political forces.

    The governor said the political infiltration has made the NLC ineffective and unable to positively respond on issues that affect less privileged Nigerians.

    Wike, who spoke at the Government House in Port Harcourt, when he granted audience to the president of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said the Congress is no longer as strong as it used to be because of division within its ranks.

    He said: “Nigerians are not happy with the NLC. With due respect, you people are now politicians.  You are no longer as strong as you used to be.

    “I remember when Jonathan was President; you wanted to pull heaven down just for the slight removal of petroleum subsidy.  Now they have removed everything and nothing has happened.

    He regretted that the NLC has fallen to the level where it calls for strike and records failure.

    “You have allowed politicians to penetrate your ranks and you now have two factions. Factionalization is not the best. I urge you to work for the union to be strong as this is in the interest of the nation,” the governor said.

    While pledging his support for the NLC, he urged the Congress to stand firm and work for the protection of Nigerians and the country’s democracy.

    “Look at what is happening in the country today and nobody is talking.  Nobody wants to go to jail. If you talk, EFCC will come after you. If you don’t want EFCC to trouble you, defect to the other party. There was this ED Finance of the NDDC, who was a member of the PDP. EFCC was after him, when he defected to the other party, they dropped the charges,” he said.

    He said the country should practice true federalism in all areas including the salary structures of the respective states.

    The governor added: “If the new salary structure is agreed, if Rivers State can pay, can Ebonyi State pay? There should not be a uniformed condition of service.  In Nigeria, you are paid same amount of money in Lagos as in Kogi State. That is why we cannot get it right.”

  • Confusion over attempt to stop NLC chief from addressing workers

    There was confusion yesterday at Rivers State Secretariat over what looked like a political order to stop the President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, from addressing Rivers State workers.

    The workers assembled for Wabba only for them to discover that the security men prevented the number one worker from entering the secretariat.

    The workers, who were amazed about the development, became angry and decided to look for the security officer who locked the main entrance of the secretariat gate.

    Our correspondent, who was at the secretariat  when the drama was unfolding, gathered that the private security men guarding the main entrance of the secretariat acted on the “order from above” after the head of service, Rufus N. Godwin  led the team that dismantled the rostrum.

    When the NLC President discovered that his stay at the secretariat’s gate could cause uproar, he greeted the angry workers and urged them to meet him at the state secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ).

    One of the workers said: “When the head of service dismantled the rostrum already fixed for NLC President to address the workers, it was then that we realised that there is fire on the mountain. All the workers came out to see what was going to happen and when the President finally came the security man locked the gate and ran away.

    “It is all about politics, we have a lot of issues to address but they don’t want the man to meet us.”

    Wabba said the first priority of any government in the world is security of life and welfare of the citizens.

    Wabba said:  “I want to salute your courage and tenacity to come out here to listen to me and you have also remained committed despite the challenges.  We are working together to address these problems. All through the history there is nothing that the workers have gotten.

    “But before the time we started fighting for our minimum wage, worker work without condition of   service, there is no maternity leave, minimum wage, gratuity, safety allowance etc so it was still our collective struggle from our first bearers that these rights were fought and won. That was why I said workers in this state should not worry we are going to fight and we will continue to fight because an injury to one is an injury to all. That was why the issue of collective struggle is very important.

    “ I am aware that we have challenges and we know what  the state chairman is going through. We are also aware of the issue of the contributory pension which had amounted to billions. It is also very unfortunate situation that these things are happening.”

  • Workers welfare not properly captured in budget, says NLC

    Workers welfare not properly captured in budget, says NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has alleged that workers’ welfare is not properly captured in the 2017 national budget.

    Its President Ayuba Wabba spoke with reporters yesterday in Abuja.

    “Our budget system is not transparent enough, if you look at the estimate of this year budget, a lot of issues have arisen, especially the allocations for capital and current expenditure.

    “But importantly, the fact also is that a lot of issues pertaining to the welfare of workers have not been properly captured.

    “On the issue of pension, we are very certain and convinced because there is a liability presently of over N300 billion that is supposed to be accommodated in the budget for the payment of pensions.

    “Especially the contributory pension scheme which actually we have interfaced with the leadership of the National Assembly to try to see how this can be accommodated.

    “And we are all aware that this has not been captured adequately. There are also some earned allowances which also have not being earned but a portion of it has being provided in the budget.

    “So, in terms of how the budget directly affects the workers, I think some of the issues certainly have not being captured very effectively,” he said.

    On the overall performance of the 2017 budget, Wabba noted that time was of essence.

    He, however, decried the late implementation of the budget, saying that substantial time has been lost in the preparation that ought to have taken effect.

    “Therefore our position is whatever needs to be done, needs to be done properly.

    “Especially, the capital projects that have to do with putting in place our very importantly critical infrastructure need to receive the most desired attention.

    “So that those issues can then kick start the economy and then stimulate the economy and create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.

    “Because, one, we are not producing and ones those critical sectors are not working then we will remain in pathetic situation that we will not be able to get out of it,” the NLC president said.

    Wabba added that the process and the manner of implementation of the national budget has certainly not being encouraging to Nigerians.

    He noted that a study of the figures in the budget shows that, major priorities were given to areas that do not address the fundamental issues that Nigerians are passing through.

    “I think there is a need for a transparent budget process where it would start very early and it will be open for public scrutiny and also the input can be made into the process.

    “This will be able to address the very critical issues of our development, because if you look at some aspects of the budget, the overhead seems to be much more than the capital budget.

    “I think that is not good for us, that is not good for our system and that is why we are in this situation,’’ according to Wabba.

  • Nigeria needs transparent budgeting system – NLC

    Nigeria needs transparent budgeting system – NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said on Tuesday the 2017 budget failed to address basic welfare needs of Nigerian workers.

    The president of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said the country’s budgeting process was not transparent enough, adding for purpose of integrity, Nigeria needs a very transparent budgeting system that would take suggestions from all segments of the society.

    He said the 2017 budget did not properly capture the welfare of workers, stressing that the over N300 billion pension arrears owed pensioners, especially those involved in the contributory pension scheme were not captured in the budget.

    Wabba said: “We have made the issue severally that our budget process is not transparent enough. If you look at the estimate of this year’s budget, you will discover that a lot of issues that has to do with the welfare of workers have not been captured very well.

    “One example is the issue of pension. There is a liability of over N300 billion that ought to be accommodated in the budget for the payment of pension, particularly the contributory pension scheme. We have interfaced with the leadership of the National Assembly to see how we can accommodate it. But this has not been accommodated.

    “There are also allowances which have not been earned but a portion of it had been provided in the budget. So, in terms of how the budget directly affects the workers, I think some of the issues certainly have not being captured very effectively.”

    Wabba also condemned the late implementation of the budget, saying substantial time had been lost on the matter.

    “Our position is that whatever needs to be done, should to be done properly, especially the capital projects that has to do with critical infrastructures.

    “These issues can kick start the economy and then stimulate the economy and create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the country. As it stands now, we are not producing and when those critical sectors are not working, we will remain in a pathetic situation that we will not be able to get out from.”

    “I think there is a need for a transparent budget process so that it would start very early and be open for public scrutiny and also input can be made into the process. This will address the very critical issues of our development. This is because if you look at some aspect of the budget, the overhead seems to be much more than the capital budget,” the NLC president stated.

     

  • NLC, TUC: we’re for one Nigeria

    NLC, TUC: we’re for one Nigeria

    Labour yesterday warned that the ongoing agitations across the country could lead to disintegration.

    It called on leaders to arrest the drift to anarchy and pledged its support for a united Nigeria.

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), at a joint news conference in Abuja, declared that the clamour by the youths for secession and the quit notice,  symbolised “the intensity of greed, the implacable arrogance and desperation of the elite”, some of who it accused of funding or sponsoring the hate campaigns.

    NLC President Ayuba Wabba and TUC President Bobboi Kaigama said while the country could not run away from the fact that there were contentious issues which needed to be resolved, resorting to threats  would only amount to abdicating responsibility.

    Wabba, who read the text of the briefing, said most of the issues could be resolved through good governance, sustainable and transparent fight against corruption and addressing inequities and injustice in the system.

    He said: “Retreating into our tribal or ethnic enclaves without first addressing these issues, for us, amounts to abdication of collective responsibility and no more than making a bad case worse. This is why we speak to the ordinary Nigerians and Nigerians of good conscience to stand up and fight the evil in the system instead of attempting to destroy the whole nation.”

    “You have been witnesses to the degeneration of the national conversation into threats and counter-threats; of pulling down the federation by disparate and desperate forces, all of which were conveyed in vile and base language.

    “Obviously, these persistent hot exchanges and attacks tend to threaten the very foundation and integrity of our sovereignty and unity; and therefore do not represent the true feelings of patriotic Nigerians for one another. Rather, they symbolise the intensity of greed, the implacable arrogance and desperation of the elites, some of whom have been funding or sponsoring the hate campaigns that can only lead to the disintegration of our dear nation.

    “We speak out today as a pan-Nigeria organisation that believes in the sovereignty and indissolubility of ONE NIGERIA. We speak out because we are not persuaded by the base arguments that a fragmented Nigeria best suits any of our members.

    “We speak out because a physical conflict will hurt us all; most particularly workers, Pensioners and their families who will be the most direct and immediate casualties. We speak out because dialogue remains the most tested and result-oriented form of conflict resolution mechanism and should be given full rein.

    “Thus, those fanning the embers of disunity need to be discouraged and schooled on the realities of war. In the same vein, we appeal to all parts of Nigeria, and indeed, all Nigerians not to fall cheaply for the glamorisation of conflict or war, as a solution to our self-inflicted crisis.”

  • NLC accuses multinationals, rich Nigerians of tax evasion

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday accused multinational companies operating in Nigeria and wealthy citizens of evading tax.

    Its President Comrade Ayuba Wabba spoke at the opening of a workshop on “Tax Justice and Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs)” organised by the congress.

    It was organised in collaboration with the Public Service International, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Abuja.

    He said halting illicit financial flows, non-payment of taxes, corruption and,in their place, instituting responsive governance would tame poverty and inequality.

    Wabba said: “In the context of Nigeria, the burden of payment of tax is squarely on the workers and they call it ‘pay as you earn’. Before you are paid, the tax is already removed and therefore, the rich and the powerful feast on our commonwealth, which is the tax we contribute.

    “In other spheres, it is the other way round. The rich subsidises for the poor so that we can have a decent society and have social justice. This is the whole essence of this campaign, which I think is our campaign as workers. We must continue to advocate for social justice and ensure that the rich pay appropriate tax. The most important aspect is that multinationals and bigger businesses evade payment of tax. Infact, they don’t pay tax at all.

    “We are aware that these individuals that evade tax are very powerful. I am sure that when we pull our forces together as citizens that are concerned, we are going to overcome them.”

    He explained that in 2016, the congress led a protest campaign to the office of the Minister of Finance, demanding that the issue of IFFs must receive urgent attention.

    He said: “I wish to state that our effort has elicited some positive response from government and the Federal Government has taken some steps towards ensuring that those negative trends that allowIFFs out of Nigeria are checked and the trend halted.

    “We are aware that government has set up a presidential committee on IFFs and there are some activities around the review of the tax laws and treaties with a view to promote tax justice.”

    He hailed the “initiative to support Trade Unions in Nigeria to develop, deploy and sustain their tax justice campaign to contribute to the national agenda and end IFFs from the country and contribute to the global demand, where fair taxation reigns.

    “We have affirmed that ending illicit financial flows, corruption and engineering imaginative and responsive governance are some of the ways to tame poverty and inequality. Given that financing is critical to the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We need alternative resource mobilisation possibilities that ending IFFs and corruption can provide.”