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* Strike not best means of achieving goals for workers

* NLC left ASUU unguarded for too long

By Olayinka Ajayi

Comrade Adebayo Ajayi is the governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, in Lagos. In this interview, the Trade Union expert speaks among others on the need for Lagosians to vote in people-oriented candidates in the 2023 general polls, and his plans for Lagos.

What actually compelled you to contest?

The exact problem that troubles me is how Lagosians are living. I have been in Lagos for about three decades. I saw life those days compared to what we are seeing now. I feel things should have been better now but walking through the streets of Lagos today, you will notice people are not happy, looking as if life has ended. And coming from a humble background, I know where the shoe pinches, and it ought not to be like that. Since these people have been managing Lagos for the past two decades, nothing has changed. People like us are somewhere and we believe we can do it better. We believe this is not the way they ought to do it. We believe we can do it better. We can inject some brilliance into the system. So why are we staying aloof irrespective of our background? That is why I am coming in.

Considering the population of Lagos and with your background do you think you have the capacity to govern Lagos?

I have the capacity. Where there is no will, there’s no way. I have a strong will and I have people. One thing that is eminent is that we should let people begin to see the difference between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

In what capacity have you managed human or capital resources that qualify you for the governorship post?

You don’t need to look at the number of people I have managed because Lagos is over seventeen million people. Whosoever can manage a small crowd successfully should be able to manage a large crowd depending on his policies and beliefs. For instance, I am a trade union expert and trade union experts manage people; we manage workers, we manage aggression and conflicts of people. I was the chairman of a trade union congress for about eight years in a very big state like Oyo. There was no crisis, there were no conflicts, and the relationship between workers and government was so cordial to the extent that I was given an award. Who owns the state, are they not workers? Workers are the people that propel the mechanism of governance. So, if you can manage workers for two consecutive terms without a problem, you shouldn’t have a problem running a state. All you need is to bring people of like minds to run the government with you.

As a trade unionist what is your view about the solidarity strike by Nigeria Labour Congress for the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU?

They are just trying to show solidarity with ASUU, but this ought to have come before now. This is the fifth month that ASUU has been on strike, and NLC is just waking up on this. It is good to show solidarity but how long will it go? What effect will solidarity bring at the end of the day? With my experience on the field, what they should have done is to make sure that the Central Working Committee, CWC, of the NLC ought to have met the leadership of ASUU because strike is not the ultimate means of achieving goals for workers. There are other approaches to drive home whatever grudges you have with your employers. One of the approaches is that you can be at work and still remain aloof and be getting your salary!

What about the no work, no pay rule set by the government?

Then the workers will engage no pay, no work! That means the problem is still subsisting. But for them to solve the problem, the CWC ought to have met with ASUU, sat them down, and met with the government. ASUU has been fighting the government alone. ASUU is more or less an independent body despite the fact that they are affiliated to NLC. Let me be sincere with you, there’s no other union that can dare what ASUU is doing. Not even NULGE with their numerical strength. Not even NASU. Not even the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, SCSN. No other union can do what ASUU is doing because they are more or less independent because they are affiliated to NLC doesn’t mean they cannot fight a battle on their own. But this issue would not have been prolonged to this extent if NLC had done what it’s supposed to do early enough. NLC can still guide them on the way forward. They have left them unguided for too long, that is why we are where we are today. But with this current situation, NLC has shown a sign to the government that ASUU is part of NLC.

But the essence of the strike is for better tertiary institutions for youths. What is YPP going to do on this?

I am hopeful that come 2023, YPP will wrestle the governance of Nigeria with APC. If we get hold of the power, a lot of differences will begin to emanate. We are putting up structures and mechanisms. In a few weeks from now, you will start seeing the presence of YPP everywhere. Most of the candidates of YPP across Nigeria are young people and they have queues of young people behind them. We are spreading across the country and across all states. We have started awareness, telling people that they are on the wrong path, fielding old sets of people all the time. We are ready to bend because we feel the pain of people. We are bending to bring the poor out of their sufferings.

How do you intend to address the infrastructural deficit of Lagos, if elected?

You are only concerned with the infrastructural deficit, what about malnutrition everywhere? That is our major concern- the unemployment rate, underemployment, and excessive taxation everywhere. If YPP gets to power, in Lagos, the downtrodden will start to rise again.