We must add value to our economy –NLC President
The election that brought you to power was contested by other candidates within the NLC. It is now one year that you assume office, has the dust raised by the election settled down eventually?
Several efforts have been made by the veterans to ensure that everybody is on the same page concerning the outcome of the election. What happened during the election was not knew and we have internal mechanisms to address whatever issue that arise within our folds and we have been employing that. Basically, we have done that in good faith, our veterans have worked assiduously. We have addressed all issues. What it remains is to present the outcome of the reconciliatory moves to the National Executive Council. However, let me restate that the position is that, the election that brought me to the office cannot be controverted. That is the position of the elders and it is documented. I am committed to that. While that is ongoing, we cannot sit down and fold our arms. Problems are meant to be solved. If we had been docile, the issue of lack of payment of salaries in some states would have been a monumental issue. The first thing I did on assumption of office was to go give an order to the state councils to commence indefinite strikes in the states where workers salaries were not paid. And they complied. May I also emphasize that part of the mandates of the NLC is to protect, defend and promote the right and wellbeing of the Nigerian workers. And to also ensure a Nigerian state that is transparent, where policies and programmes of government are tailored towards wellbeing of Nigerians. This is our broad mandate and we cannot allow internal bickering to dissuade us from doing that. I am happy that Nigerian workers know there leaders. When we call them, they respond. When others call, you see nobody. They know we represent their interest and they know we have all that it takes to pilot the affairs of the union and that is why we are not finding things difficult. You can be in the comfort of your home and claim to be a leader, but you can only lead members of your family, not the people you need their mandate to exercise power.
One year in office, how has been your experiences, challenges and holding power?
Don’’t forget that I had led one of the biggest unions in the country before becoming NLC President. By records, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, is the biggest affiliation to the NLC and for the 10 years that I presided over the affairs of the union, it prospered from what level to another. Before I left, my union was one of the most organised unions in the country. In terms of affiliation, we paid N527million within four years and that has impacted on the union. When I came in, the number of our delegates is 9, from there 75 and to above 100. During the last congress, we had over 500 delegates. We achieve this feat through diligent organisation. I was also the Treasurer of NLC for eight years. Although, it may be a different office, I believe the issues are the same. Issues pertaining to workers are the same, the challenges are the same. The only difference is that we came at a critical stage in the nation’’s history, when economy is seriously in a bad shape. This places extra responsibility on us. Before now, the monthly payment of workers salary was not an issue. Now, you have to struggle. There are also competing interest to be met, especially by politicians who want to recoup what they had invested. Private and public employees are coming up with new devices to undermine the interest of workers and that entails more work for the labour movement in Nigeria. We need to intensify our engagement and come up with new strategies. For instance, the idea behind our bi-monthly policy discourse was conceived to enable us tackle specific issues and proffer alternative winning methods. We have since had two of such. The first one was on high cost good governance and the second one, which took place in Lagos, was on the issue of electricity tariff and subsidy. We are going to look at the issues of economy and insecurity next. We have come up with this initiative so that our members can be well informed and so that we can be ahead of the issues to make strong defence for the Nigerian workers.
Your agitation in Imo State led to the recall of over 3,000 workers whose employments were unlawfully terminated. Are you planning to have such intervention in other states where workers are being treated with disdain in breach of relevant labour laws?
We did not only intervene in Imo, we did in other states where we had challenges. As I’’m talking now, workers in Ogun State are on industrial action. We are looking at how to engage the process. You are aware of that of Osun State. Whereas the employers have different tendencies, there are some that go into the extreme to ensure that the welfare of workers is not even given any attention. Those are the places we would insist our laws must be respected. We would also clampdown on states where workers are disengaged without due process, like that of Imo State. Even the bailout that was given to states was a product intervention which came up as a result of agitations we made that workers should not be made to suffer the challenges in the economy. In most states, it was judiciously utilized. In the few states where it has not been well utilized, we have also risen up to the challenge, including requesting that investigations should be conducted. You are aware that recently, the antigraft agency arrested some key officials in Imo State. All employers of labour now realise we will not take the issue of undermining the interest of workers lightly. We are also beaming our searchlight on the private sector. Recall we were in Lagos during the World Industrialisation Day and World Decent Work Day where we visited some factories and liberated a lot of workers. We visited Chinese and Indian companies that have also enslaved Nigerian workers. All of these are taking place concurrently so that workers can have a new lease of life.
Would the intervention include making demands for the review of the N18,000 minimum wage?
We have never made any pretense about that. The law envisages a five year circle within which the minimum wage is due for a review. Not only that, the inflationary trend in the country makes the review more compelling. I will not disclose any figure now until we tidy up things with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria(TUC). They have submitted their own proposal, we have submitted our and one committee is working on it. Once work is done on it, we will make it public.
Do you think the present administration would be favourably disposed to wage increase in the face of the present economic challenges?
The fact is that until you make a demand, nobody gives you your right on the platter of gold. All through history, wages of workers have always been gotten through a process of collective bargaining. Which means, a worker must make a valid demand, putting the facts to justify his demand on the table. And a process of negotiation takes place through which negotiating parties strike a balance. That is why convention 87 and 98 provide the right of a trade union to represent the interest of workers through the process of collective bargaining. The first increment we got in 1999, was not given to us by Obasanjo on a platter of gold. Demands were made, issues x-rayed and we then negotiated the figure we got, same in 2000. What we are doing is not a new thing. We are aware of the challenge of the economy. However, we have instances where the best way to get the economy moving is to ensure there is production and that people have purchasing power. If you produce and no one to buy, the economy will still be in a standstill.
Apart from dwindling pump price and fall in the value of the Naira, another disease that has eaten deep into the Nigeria’’s fabric is the endemic corruption in virtually all our national lives. Do you see this administration succeeding in confronting the menace?
The fact is that Nigeria has never been a poor country. In fact, the nation is one of the most endowed countries in the world in terms of natural resources. It is also blessed in terms of what it takes to drive development. We ought not to be where we are today, if the right thing has been done. Basically, our fundamental problem is corruption. Some days ago, one of the managing directors in the construction sector told me that in the past years, any road contract awarded in Nigeria, 40 per cent of the contract sum was being shared by those managing the process. You can draw from that scenario that our basic problem is lack of good governance brought about by high level corruption. It has assumed alarming proportion that all you hear this day is billions and trillions. As part of the efforts to fight the menace, the first thing we did when we came in was to orgainse a national rally for good governance and anti-corruption. The rally took place across the country to sensitize Nigerians. From $2.1m arms deal to N3.3trillion that has not been remitted to the nation’’s money, the nation bleeds under the weight of blind looting. Imagine what this huge amount would have been able to do if deployed to infrastructure development. Also look at the almighty power scam where over $40bn was said to have been committed to rejuvenate the power sector, yet we have continued to live in darkness. The investigation into it has not been completed till date. This justifies our call for the introduction of capital punishment for the looters of our treasury. If stringent punishment is not put in place to serve as a deterrent, Nigeria may not survive it.
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