By GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

This is the concluding part of edition Labour Vanguard interview with Comrade Didi Adodo, Edo State Commissioner for Establishment and Special Duties. The first part was published on Thursday, October 9, 2014. Excerpts

Edo line workers have been protesting that government owes them salaries. What is your take on this?

It is not true because they are not direct employees of the government. They are employees of Edo Line. It is like Bendel Breweries . They have to work for the money and pay themselves. They have a different condition of service from the civil service.

At what point did you realize that Oshiomhole would be good for the state as a governor that made you to support him?

As a member of the Central Working Committee of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and National Executive Council, NEC, we discovered one thing and that was; we would go to fight, negotiate and with one stroke of the pen, everything we fought for became zero either through funny government policy or otherwise. We later asked if governance was a difficult thing.

Why can’t we go into government and see what we can do to rescue the country. People felt we were born to be agitating and others to be in government. Who were those in government? Contractors, military retirees and others were those in government.

They mismanaged and ruined the economy while we kept struggling and going to prison. We decided to use a state as a example of what we could do about governance. We asked one of our best brains, Oshiomhole, to go for presidency but he debated it and decided to go for governor.

We both come from Edo State and decided to take the plunge. We knew that Oshiomhole was a good product the Nigerian people would not reject. He is our brand as a labour. We fought to make sure he became governor. We campaigned telling people what we could do. Many villages we entered, the people said they would vote for us only for a different result to be announced.

Oshiomhole remained a brand of NLC. When we came in to campaign, people asked us who your father was. Who was your leader? He said God is my father, the Nigeria workers are my fathers and they are the ones who have sent him.

They spoke in arrogant manners offering senatorial seats but we said governorship. We decided to take them on. We have lost battles, we have won many. In losing battles, we are never ashamed. You can see that if the governor makes a wrong policy, he reverses it and apologizes to the people.

In labour, we never felt that we knew it all. Out of the fact that you are turning the wheel, you are going to crush anything that will impede you progress. Oshiomhole has succeeded and he is now on reality chair.

 With all these, why do Edo workers go on strike?

When you are sitting on the reality chair, you have to balance different things. Oba of Benin asked Oshiomhole once if he would not give all Edo money to the workers, Oshiomhole said he would do his best to balance things. Coming into government, we saw that there was nothing on ground either capital or human development.

What do we do? We decided to do capital development and faced the roads, schools and general infrastructure. In doing that, we had the support of the workers and they supported us for a second term. If he had failed, we would not have been able to talk anywhere. They would have laughed at us.

The reason you now see strikes and protests are because the workers asked to be taken care of since we have performed. The reality chair is about balancing. Oshiomhole has said he will do more for the workers. He has been able to allow children of the poor to aspire for any position.

To contest elections before, you have to look for one godfather, join secret cult but now a child of the poor can now say I want to be this. Oshiomhole has created the atmosphere. In our labour days, when people see your sticker they would hail us and say greet Oshiomhole for us.

There was a time if you put NLC sticker on your car, police would beat you on the road. What we now have is that many of our comrades are contesting and now winning. Many governors come to ask Oshiomhole how he made it. Oshiomhole has something he wants to live for.

People are cross carpeting because water is finding its level. People thought when Oshiomhole comes in it will be business as usual. It is not business as usual. We have to work to make sure the people are happy. We go out today and see that everybody is a comrade. People now know that comrades are achievers and we have achieved.

I attended University of Benin where we fought for the students. I had to graduate through the court because as students’ union leaders, we fought for students. I was a member of the league of patriotic students. I was the only member of student solidarity for Southern Africa.

That time, Zimbabwe and others were under oppression and we needed to fight for them. From here we were sending relief materials to South Africa. We have to confront people like Professor Grace Alele Williams. We had league of Vice Chancellors that were irresponsible.

I was a NANS zonal leader and clerk of parliament of UNIBEN. When the chips were down, they choose some of us to be expelled. Those they called ring leaders in huge struggle for UNIBEN. Then, I came across people like Festus Iyayi,, Osagie Obayuwana, and Professor Julius Ihonvbere even though he was in UNIPORT.

Their humility and humble ways made some of us to be endeared to their own beliefs. They believe that there is enough for everybody needs but not enough for everybody’s greed. If you want to serve the greedy few, there will not be enough for the people. There is this Iyayi Macaulay that had a bank. Late Iyayi scheduled an interview and gave me a note to go for me to work in the bank. I told him I don’t have a suit, tie and transportation money. Iyayi provided them for me.

He told me to stay in Macauley’s house. When I got to Lagos, I saw my Comrade, Tony Iyare going to National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Employees, NUBIFIE. There was a problem there and I decided to join them. I did not go for the interview and did not go to Macaulay’s house. After one week, I came back and told late Iyayi that I was not taken but he said I did not get there.

I told him I could not wear tie and suit every day. He gave me other notes but as my mentor he knew I was not interested in those jobs. I later worked with him at Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, when he was president. From there I joined the labour movement.

So you have not really worked outside trade union movement?

That was the question they asked me when I was being screened. I have never believed that capitalism can help anybody. Companies used to come to UNIBEN for recruitments. Two of my friends were recruited by John Holt and UAC but I declined because I read How Europe Underdeveloped Africa and saw that the two companies were named in the book.

We have some idealistic things at that time. As a young man, there was nothing to worry and nothing to fear. Later, I started meeting people like Adams and we always debated, argued and settled. I mentored people like late Olaitan. Olaitan’s father gave him a note to go and work in Guardian newspaper instead he came to me and started working in trade unions. He told his father he had no job in Lagos. Today he is celebrated even in death.

At earlier stage, you were at parallel lines with Governor Oshiomhole during your labour days. When was the meeting point that you became friends?

I have done great adverts against Governor Adams Oshiomhole before. We have fought in the past . We were not the best of friends. We fought in labour and in the press, I will take him to the cleaners but he never fought back. There was a time my members in Delta State had a problem and he was invited to settle the matter. When he came and I told him Bola Ige had left, he said to me ‘Didi what did I do to you. You beat me and hit me to the ground, but I did not answer.

You know I have the capability of hitting you back at the press but if I do that our enemies would enter the matter. It would no longer be our fight, but different people fighting using the two of us’. I realized that immediately.

I don’t speak better English and not as eloquent as him and I later saw him more mature than me. We resolved the issues we were fighting over. We became friendly as par work. It was my decision to follow Oshiomhole to Edo State. I know Adams would be a good governor.

I did not come to work here. I left the day he won and I was surprised when he called me back to say my name is among those listed as commissioners. For me a General Secretary is bigger than a commissioner.

I have never worked in a state and said what I would be doing in a state. Oshiomhole said, ‘Didi we promised a lot of people. We would work together and rescue this state. If I fail you would a need plastic surgery because I am carrying the destiny of the working people.’