Tag: rally

The Joe Ajaero-led faction of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has distanced itself from the planned anti-corruption protest in collaboration with the National Assembly, which already has the nod of the Ayuba Wabba-led faction.

The Ajaero group, which faulted the planned protest, said among others, that for  workers, the most pressing issue was the unpaid salaries and allowances as well as pension arrears of pensioners by state governments and some federal agencies.

Comrade Ajaero, who spoke with The Nation in Lagos, during the weekend, was reacting to a report credited to Wabba that the NLC would collaborate with members of the House of Representatives over its planned anti-corruption protest in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war slated for September 10.

But Ajaero said in the spirit of the reconciliation  anchored by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and NLC veterans led by Alhaji Hassan Sumonu, both parties ought to have met to iron out certain fundamental issues and do some in-house cleansing before taking such action.

He said while the labour movement supports the on-going war against corruption, it would amount to hypocrisy to work with the legislators who had refused to reduce their outrageous pay and allowances in line with the mood of the nation.

“To collaborate with the National Assembly to protest against corruption when they have not allowed their salaries to fall in line with the minimum wage is wrong. If we do that, that is hypocrisy at its highest level. I am saying this without mincing words, the NLC two factions can still meet and agree on a date to protest in support of anti corruption moves of President Buhari but not to be hypocritical about it,” he said.

He further pointed out that before this could be done, there is need for the NLC to cleanse its house making sure that the allegations over the Kriston-Lally Housing issue, the labour city transport issue, and the NLC election, among others, are sorted out. “He that goes to equity must do so with clean hands,” the labour unionist insisted.

Ajaero explained that part of the issues that Governor Oshiomhole and others looked into and which the labour movement agreed to was the need to respect the ethics of the movement, its rule of law and procedures in handling issues. “If we have not gone into all these ones and we want to play to the gallery that we are protesting in support of the anti-graft war, I think the public will mock us and that is not the kind of NLC some of us want to see,” he said.

He further said that the Wabba faction did not consult his group before taking decisions in the spirit of reconciliation. did not consult with his group us. “No party was supposed to fix a date to take an action without the two factions rubbing minds. But if one party goes out and takes a decision, it may be a good decision, but that may not be in line with the ideals of the other faction. We just read it in the papers and definitely we have to respond to it that we are not a party to a rally with the National Assembly,” he said.

Ajaero insisted that he has never seen where this collaboration worked before especially when NLC is planning to picket the National Assembly on the jumbo pay.

“At what point did we drop that idea of picketing the National Assembly over furniture and wardrobe allowances and when workers salaries have not been paid,” he added.

 

While insisting that such collaboration cannot stand, he said it was based on deceit rather than on the ideals of labour. “The nature of the reconciliation and the committee that was set up is not such that removes the powers from the factions. Factions are still independent until the committee decides on the framework to operate with.

“That is why they are free to make those comments and we are free to make the comments we are making. But ordinarily, if we are to go with the spirit of the reconciliation, we should have rubbed minds and by now all these fears would have been factored in,” he told The Nation.

Asked the way forward, Ajaero said: “One thing we have all accepted is the need for a united and strong NLC. That one is clear.” Waxing philosophical, he added that, “In the choice of leaders of NLC, apart from the strength of the union, the brain of the individuals comes in.

“A man may be leading a union with less than 20 members, but he is one of the best brains, you can’t do without him. The man may not be too intelligent, but he leads a union that when they cough, the country catches cold, you look for him.”

He, however, said there is need for the two groups to accept where they started getting it wrong. He said, for instance, that when the late Musa Yar’ Adua came into power, he admitted that the election that brought him in was grossly faulty, but that didn’t stop him from performing as president. “But you rigged the election and you say you want to rule with impunity, then good luck. But I know that when we are together we will be stronger,” he said.