Intrigues as workers elect new NLC president

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), this week, will chart a new path for the labour move­ment in the country as it elects new executives to steer the affairs of the Congress for another four years. This month, and most importantly, this week would have been crucial to Nigeria as the country would have gone to the poll on February 14 to elect another president for another four-term, but for the recent shift of the poll to March 28 by the Indepen­dent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The electoral body, on Saturday had bowed to security concern in the coun­try to announce the postponement of the February 2015 elections to March 28 and April 11 respectively. The Chairman of the commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, while addressing journalists in Abuja at the INEC head office, said that though the body was ready for the election, there are critical things that fell outside the purview of INEC and there issues critical to elections like security which are not under the control of INEC.
The commission’s boss while stating that INEC is an electoral management body and not a security agency, added that security agencies at the meeting on Thursday had reiterated that they would concentrate their attention on insurgen­cy and may not be able to play its tradi­tional role in providing security during the elections. He said that INEC ould not guarantee security of its staff and observers in such circumstance, it had to give in to the pressure.
Professor Attairu Jega, however, called on Nigerians to accept the postponement in good faith to deepen democracy in the country.
Meanwhile, NLC election which holds on Wednesday, February 11, initially preceded the presidential elec­tion earlier fixed for February. Unlike the national election which has been bedeviled with security reports aimed at stalling it, the NLC election is certain to hold this week.
This does not mean that the Congress does not have its challenges in the build up to the election. There had been many underground politickings and ploys which no doubt would have stalled the election, but for the Congress’ steadfast­ness to holding the election.
Only last week, two members of the Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWUN) were reported to have initiated an order of interim injunction restraining one of the presidential candi­dates, who is an incumbent president of the union from contesting the election. But, the secretariat of the union denied any such order from the National Indus­trial Court, noting that it was just a ploy by one of the contestants to distract and discredit its candidate.
According to the General Secre­tary of MHWUN, Comrade Marcus Omokhuale, the court could not have given any verdict, without hearing from the two sides.
“It was in the past that such could have happened, this day, the court cannot give such injunction without hearing from the two sides. It was not substantial and just a plot by one of the contestants to push our candidate out, we know the truth and we are going ahead with the election”, he stated.
Also before the NLC came with the
final list of all the contestants in some of the nation’s daily publications last month, there have been several groups formed to streamline the process. There were, the private sector, the public sec­tor and the unity forums. The target of each was to align and produce a sole candidate for the election, which would have made the process less stressful.
The groups held several meetings at different stages and at one stage, an insider told The Sun that the groups came to an agreement that the private sector should produce a candidate, as the outgoing who has had two terms is from the public sector. Though the pub­lic sector sole candidate conceded to the plan, the two candidates in the private sector could not reach a con-census, hence it went back to status quo.
A member of one of the groups said, “It was unfortunate that it has to go this way, because our plan was to push more strains and pressures off the election by having a con-census candidate that would be accepted by the broad based Nigerian workers. But some candidates felt other wise, then it was decided that all of them should go and test their popularity at the poll. It is democracy and it is left for the workers to decide now.”
The List of the candidates
According to the list by the NLC, three candidates, Comrade Joseph Ajaero, the General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employ­ees (NUEE), Comrade Igwe Achese, the National President of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and Comrade Ayuba Wabba, National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MH­WUN), are contesting for the top post in the Congress.
For the three Deputy Presidents, Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), who has been out of the Congress due to the crisis that rocked the labour centre to its foundation after the last election, is pre­senting its General Secretary, Comrade Peter Adeyemi, the General Secretary of the National Union of Textiles, Com­rade Issa Aremu and the National Presi­dent of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Comrade Kiri Mohammed.
The four position available for the Vice Presidents have contesting, Comrade Solomon Adelegan of the Amalgamated union, Comrade Amechi Asuguni of the Construction union, Comrade Dutsinma Lawal of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Comrade Lateef Oyelekan, National President of the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE).
Others include, Treasurer, Comrade Khaleel Ibrahim, from Local govern­ment Union; Financial Secretary, Com­rade Safiyanu Mohammed, Air Trans­port Union; Trustee, Comrade Boniface Isok, National President, National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Mettalic Union and Comrade Otu Kelechi, Metal Products Senior Staff Association.
The auditors, with only three open­ings, have eight contestants, Comrade Sunday Alhassan, National President, National Union of Post and Telecom­munications; Comrade Danjuma Papa, National Union of Printing; Comrade Leke Success, National Union of Hotels and Personal Services; Comrade Anchaver Simon, Agric and Allied Employees, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, National President, National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees (NUSDE); Comrade Okoro, National Union of Railywaymen; Comrade Yemisi Bamgbose, National President of Radio and Television and Theatre Workers Union and Comrade Yahaya Yasin, Nigeria Union of Civil Service Secretariat. While Comrade Danesi Amina of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institution (ASSBIFI) is contesting for the position of the Ex-Officio.
Expectation at the election
No doubt, Nigerian workers have high expectations from the executives that would emerge from this week’s elec­tion. It is true that labour leaders have different styles of leadership. Likewise, an average labour leader would be quick to defend the disposition of labour in the present sphere. But many Nigerians have expressed that labour has lost the firebrand and activism that it used to be associated with in the previous years.
Reacting to this, Comrade Peter Adeyemi, the General Secretary, of the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), believed that the organized labour has not failed Nigerian workers and the masses, most especially at the affiliate levels. He however agreed that the orga­nized labour at the turn of this election must re-enact the ideal that the move­ment stand for.
“My expectation of the election is that the Congress would be able to produce visionary, effective, functional leadership that will restore the lost glory of the number one labour centre. An executive that would rekindle the hope of the workers in the NLC.”
Comrade Igwe Achese, the National President of NUPENG in his submis­sion on the election, expressed that if the election is conducted on the foundation of fairness and equity basis, which is the ideal of the movement, the workers would have been able to set an unbeatable record for the national politics.