The Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Thursday, picketed the Labour Party’s (LP) Secretariat in Benin City, over alleged financial rascality and contempt of the union by the party’s National Chairman, Barr. Julius Abure.
NLC Vice Chairman in the state, Comrade Suleiman Abubakar, attributed the exercise to what he described as Abure’s running of the party like his personal business.
Comrade Abubakar argued that Labour party belong to NLC and therefore NLC should be carried along in every decision as he warned that the labour union will not allow Abure to impose any candidate on them as the national chairman.
“We were directed across the 36 states of the Federation to picket the Labour Party offices across the states. We ought to have done the picketing on Wednesday as directed by the political commission of NLC, but because we were unable to mobilize our members.
“The reason is that the National Chairman, Bar Julius Abure is running the party like his personal property. Everybody should be carried along. He has announced the national convention and wants to hand-pick and impose a candidate on us. This not the time to hand-pick and impose anybody,” Abubakarsaid.
On the way forward, the Edo NLC leader labour charged Abure to resolve his difference with the national body of the union.
“He must learn to play by the rule of the game. We are not being sponsored, nobody is sponsoring us.” he said.
The Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party in the State, Comrade Sam Uropka however disagreed with the decision, asserting that the NLC has abandoned its primary responsibility to Nigerian workers to now chasing shadows while workers are dying of hunger and other challenges facing workers.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress has left their primary responsibility. They are supposed to be fighting for the interest of workers for a better living. They have left all these things and they are fighting political party that is not in government. Workers are suffering. Look at the current minimum wage, the cost of food stuff.
“Today a lot of persons cannot pay transport to their places of work. The NLC is not looking into that, but they are fighting political party. How many of them are card-carrying members of the Labour Party?,” he queried.
LEADERSHIP recalls that a circular signed by Comrades Titus Amba and Chris Uyot, Chairperson and Secretary of the NLC Political Commission respectively and dated March 19, 2024 had directed all Labour Party state secretariats to be picketed.
The circular reads, “We bring you fraternal greetings from the Nigeria Labour Congress. Sequel to a meeting of the NLC National Political Commission and the leadership of the NLC State Councils and State Political Committees which took place virtually on the 19th of March 2024, it was resolved as follows:
“That given the intransigence of the National Chairman of the Labour Party to unilaterally hold a National Convention of the Labour Party, financial rascality and contempt for the leadership of the NLC, the NLC State Councils and State Political Committees should mobilize workers to picket all the State Secretariat of the Labour Party, scheduled for Wednesday, 20th of March 2024.
“In view of the soon-to-be-held all-inclusive national convention of the Labour Party, the NLC State Councils and the NLC Political Committees should immediately embark on a statewide mobilisation of workers to join the NLC Political Commission and the Labour Party,” the circular read.
It further directed NLC State Council and State Political Committees to work with its civil society allies, students, traders and professionals to ensure that the picketing and mobilisation are successfully executed.
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