The Northern Obidients Youth Assembly (NOYA) has warned the Joe Ajaero-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to desist from threatening the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and other officials of the Ministry after they were cautioned from meddling into political parties affairs.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Director/Registrar of Trade Unions, Falonipe Amos, had, on behalf of the Minister of State Labour and Employment, cautioned the NLC from meddling in the affairs of the Labour Party and other political parties and abide strictly by the Act that established the duo.
Miffed by this development, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC, in a communiqué issued at the end of its last meeting last Wednesday, called on the federal government to caution the Minister of Labour and ministry officials to desist from interfering in their right to political participation.
The Communiqué reads in part: “The NEC—in—session calls on the federal government to restrain its officials, especially the Minister of Labour and the Registrar of Trade Unions, from colluding with retrogressive political elements seeking to abridge our rights as workers and trade unions to political participation.
“We demand the immediate withdrawal of that intrusive and misplaced unsolicited advice from the Registrar of Trade Unions to avert industrial crisis as the Congress and its affiliates will stop recognising and relating with him”.
However, in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Hussaini Murkhtar, NOYA warned the NLC to refrain from threatening and distracting the Minister of State for Labour and Employment and the Ministry’s officials and obey the laws of the land.
He advised the Ajaero-led NLC to emulate the exemplary leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which has conducted itself professionally and productively.
The Youth Assembly wondered why supposed respectable organisations like the NLC would be comfortable operating outside the Act that established them and also chose to be defiant when they are being corrected.
“I think at this point, the NLC should focus on obeying the laws of the land and acting in line with the Act that set them up instead of threatening a serving ministry.
“This is an act of hooliganism and thuggery and should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians. The NLC has the mandate of protecting the welfare of workers, but in recent times, they have lost focus and become more interested in politics.
“No wonder Nigerian workers have been impoverished in the recent past because the Ajaero-led NLC now spend more time meddling in the affairs of political parties than negotiating with the government for better welfare for workers”, Murkhtar said.
The NOYA coordinator also said they would resist any attempt by political jobbers to use the NLC to destabilise any political party in Nigeria, especially the Labour Party.
Mukhtar noted the NLC have shown that they are willing to be used as a tool to silence opposition parties in Nigeria and pave the way for a one-party state.
“We will not allow the NLC to be used as a tool to truncate democracy and foster a one-party state. This will not be acceptable; we will mobilise Nigerians to resist this evil agenda.
“The NLC should allow the Minister of State for Labour and Employment and any other government agencies to do the job the President appointed them. We encourage NLC to learn from the exemplary leadership of the TUC and to act within the country’s laws and the Act establishing them”, Murkhtar said.
However, he called on Nigerians to be vigilant and ensure that evil politicians use no group or person to truncate the country’s democracy and push for an unconditional change of government.
