For the timely intervention meeting championed by the National security adviser Mallam Nuhu RIbadu, the leadership of the Nigeria labour congress and his- counterpart in the Trade union congress Comrade Joe Ajero and Comrade Festus Osifo through the mechanism of the alternative dispute resolution, it would have been another suffering for innocent Nigerians who has always been at the receiving end in the past.
Nigerians woke up on Tuesday this week to another strike declared by the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress over the attack on the NLC president Joe Ajaero on the 1st of November by perceived thugs in Owerri Imo State.
Schools were shut and the economy was brought to its knees. Opinions amongst Nigerians were divided. Some supported the strike action saying that Government action was so high handed. Others saw no need for the strike action claiming that what happened in Owerri should not affect the whole country. Former Labour leader now a Senator in the National Assembly HE, Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole CON, told the media that the organized Labour had lost its way. However, the official press statement issued by the joint organise labour calling off the strike as stated below.
Sequel to the emergency of the joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the NLC and TUC on Wednesday the 15th day of November, 2023 in which a thorough review of the offers presented by the federal government through the National Security Adviser during its earlier meeting with the leadership of both centres was made, a resolution was reached to suspend the ongoing nationwide strike, which commenced on the 14th November,2023.
This suspension is intended to facilitate further discussions after the federal government had met our crucial demands to address the distressing abduction and brutalization of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and others. These incidents is alleged to have occurred at the hands of the Police and Governor Hope Uzodimma’s thugs in Owerri, Imo state, on the 1st day of November, 2023.
An apology was tendered on behalf of the government by The NSA, who promised to coordinate the investigation. Some of the perpetrators have been arrested, and we were given High assurances that all others will be fished out and prosecuted.
High-powered investigation is currently being carried out and the leadership of the labour centres will be briefed continuously as progress is being made.
We extend our commendation and salute to all affiliates and state councils for their unwavering commitment and tenacity, which contributed to the success of the nationwide strike.
Therefore, all affiliates and State councils of both the NLC and TUC are hereby directed to demobilize, cease any further escalation of the indefinite strike action, and fully resume work a day after which was, Thursday, the 16th day of November, 2023.
Once again, we convey our appreciation for your cooperation, resilience, and determination in ensuring the success of the indefinite nationwide strike. We encourage you to remain vigilant as we await the fulfilment of the remaining agreements which was the present position of the authorities of the organised trade union congress as a result of the unfortunate incidence that occurred in Owerri prior to the last off- circle elections in lmo state as schedule my the independent national electoral commission INEC as one of the three states that was earlier scheduled to participate in the governorship elections jointly signed by the authorities of the general secretaries of the NLC in Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja Esq. mni and Comrade Nuhu Toro of the TUC respectively.
If the truth must be said there are questions to be asked from what was normal and abnormal in this unfortunate incidence however the parties should rededicate themselves to discuss this pending issues on the round table mindful on the sensitive matter not to further inflict pains on the generality of the Nigeria community hence the primary objective of the labour force was to attain a better working condition for the ordinary labour force in general.
Not debatable that both parties have in the recent past not been able to achieve a common front that was acceptable to shift ground either from the government and labour angle but the best form of peace resolution on the round table discussion in the interest of achieving a lasting solution which may not be amicably resolved considering the manner that government is continually struggling with grey areas of a signed agreement maybe inconclusive as a result of changes of some principal government officials who may not be preview to the decisions reached to respect religiously the pending dictate earlier arrived at by the previous government as transitions in government is inevitable like in the case of the present political dispensation though on papers with the miss-believe that government policies should be a continually process.
Yes the pains inflicted to the person of the representative of the Nigeria labour congress is highly condemnable in all its ramification as a matter of an attempt to dimicify the office of the organise labour that was harmless demanding for the right of the common right alleged to have deprived those persons that was envisaged to be undermined in his fundamental human rights by the government not respecting the common demand as provided as an agreement over a peaceful protest after a gentle man agreement which was mutually accepted signed and sealed between the government authorities and the principal officers of the organised labour forces.
In the assurances of the national security adviser under the watch of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu who has chosen an amicable solution to apply the highly diplomatic platform through the alternative dispute resolution to plead with the organise labour to embrace a peaceful resolutions instead of placing the frustrations of not been able to achieve solutions from the previous methods of gimmick to display on the pages of the electronic and print media the unsuccessful solutions which nobody knows the actual positions of government in the reasons of not able to religiously respect the pending agreement reached and finding it difficult to respect a simple responses to the labour authorities beliving that silence was golden.
The government structure has its rule of engagement and things of procedure can’t be compromised to defy a process hence at any point in time the relevant authorities will refer to such relevant observation at the appropriate time hence the bulk eventually stops on the table of Mr President.
If you ask me of my opinion on the entire cenereon l may not be preview to the relevant information aside the once that are extracted from the electronic and print media which may sometime be compromised and one sided that government representative may always sometime be economical with the truth. The fact remain that the bulk of the matter arising passes through tables of authorities unlike the organised labour congress that usually prefer to speak openly to the media on the entire matter and the end point that was expected as a press home demand for the government to either consider their demand rightly to a hundred percent respecter of the dictate from the organise labour congress.
Otherwise, it has always be seen as a default in the part of government and the options to press home their grievances is always to down tool through strikes that has always distablelized the entire nation as if throwing away the baby with the bath water was the only option when the present intervention was not available, despite the pending delay was in the part of government known to the deaf and blind not been able to respect the dictate of the signed agreements that government has never been a respecter of gentleman agreement as alleged.
However, the known fact has been that government structures will never be compromised as an institution that is ever retained for the rule of law which can also be casted like a rock usually the difference’s has been the principal officers that has occupied the various offices who may always be economical with the basic truth to call a spade what a spade was in the table of negotiations.
Obviously not sure if it was normal to assault the personality of the President of the Nigeria labour congress in such a manner that he was hijacked in a public function and bungled in an organised crime from an instruction that was not known to law not to have been dehumanised like a criminal which was un acceptable in a civilized country like ours which is highly condemned able in its entirety.
It may also be viewed in the point of law that words like trade caution has always be undermined when the Nigeria government through the constitution was well spelt that at the federal level the President remain the chief security officer of the entire nation same as in the state that the state governors derive powers as the chief security officer in his state down the local government which the chairman assume the position of being in charge at that level, even if by peradventure Mr NLC and his entourage has a good intention to so pursue any mission that may have his good intention may be achieved without permission if the various authorities do not perceive any ulterior motive to distablelized peace in his domain.
The million question is to actually know if the mission of the President of the Nigeria labour congress had its motive to undermine the authorities of a state that is permanently in distress known to the deaf as one of the eastern states struggling in the past years to maintain peace, law and order fighting the incessant invasion of the entire state with records of killing, kidnapping, assassinations including the operations of the un known soldiers to be curtailed.
You will agree with me that so long the intention of the President of the NLC was for the interests of the lmo state labour force but it was detrimental to the sensitive nature of the state and the political programmes which was regarded as intruding into the state government political activities allege to have been taking side with one of the political parties with the intention to politically distablelized the structure of the incumbent governors to seek re-elections in his second and last bid to win his elections in office as it was achieved against all odds recently.
It was never going to be timely despite the good intention which was going to be a successful mission and the result was the case as per the difficulty to achieve the mission of liberating the good people of lmo state. The public opinion was that it was also wrongly timed without conviction if it was devoured of political insinuations as perceived, that the mission was an arrangement to discredit the incumbent government of HE, Senator Hope Uzodima not to achieve his re-election bid which was also a make believe that it was originally planned to give an undue advantage to one of the contending political parties contesting the governorship elections in the course of the just concluded off-circle governorship elections which was a huge success which some aggrieved parties who felt disenfranchised possibly heading to achieve a legal window to contest it in the law court that will eventually terminate in the Apex court.
In some quarters it was assumed that the predicament of the NLC was that of the story of the man that throw stones into the market place including the glass house which the implications was his present predicament that he was confronted with in his home front that the perpetrators saw it as an intention of the story of another was to protect an empire that was invaded by a passive enemy of the state coincidentally our esteem NLC President was in his home state of Imo.
Hence the political situations in the state has assume a position of this magnitude the public opinion has been for His Excellency , executive governor of Imo state to intensify his strategy to re strategies his plans to ensure total peace to the good people of lmo state that has repose absolute confidence in his government through the pool that he was massively re-elected to continue his giant stride to sustain the positive programmes that he will sustain in the next political dispensation and avoid this violence that is alleged to be politically motivated and ensure peace of live and properties in lmo state.
May l also use this rear privilege to appreciate Mr President in his numerous appointment made to implement his policies including others in less than a year in office that has proved competency in governance like Mallam Nuhu Ribadu who was a retired astute police officer with impactible value of note and a victim of Nigeria in tricks, mainlined who also survival name calling was able to intervene into this NLC,TUC strike was highly commendable and a plus to your government amongst those that could think outside the box to profile solutions at a times like this case would have distablelized the entire country.
A lesson they say is enough for the wise that it will always end on a round table that issues are best resolve not through war of words neither war of weapons with numerous examples to explain to the extent the magic behind ADR deployed by the national security adviser who was highly criticised of alleged incompetency by the usual spell to discredit his appointment in a position that he presently occupied that has radiated peace in the Nigeria security architecture in this present political dispensation.
In the Public opinion amongst Nigerians were divided. Some supported the strike action saying that Government action was so high handed. Others saw no need for the strike action claiming that what happened in Owerri should not affect the whole country. Former Labour leader now a Senator in the National Assembly Comrade Adams Oshiomhole told the media that organized Labour had lost its way.
The question being asked by Nigerians is- what have been the effect of the strike? Can a struggling economy like ours continue to bear such strike actions?
There is an urgent need for organized labour to look for better ways to pass their messages, strike should be the last resort. Hence, the Present government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCON is yet to find his bearing which has made the economy too fragile to be faced with constant strike actions instead it should be aimed at improving the welfare of the common man.
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