By Victor AhiumaYoung 

ONCE a vibrant and promising industrial union affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees, NUSDE, has been reduced to rubbles by successive leaders in recent times.

NUSDE under the late indefatigable Comrade Bright Anokwuru, built a national secretariat and met up with all its obligations to staff, NLC among others is today a wreck even as power supply to its National Secretariat on Olu Osifeso close, off 2nd Gate UNILAG, Yaba, has been in darkness for over a year over the unpaid accumulated bills.

The protracted leadership tussle  rocking the union since 2018 came to a head in 2022 when a National Industrial Court, NIC, sitting in Lagos declared its national delegates’ conference illegal.

All efforts by the NLC and employers body under the aegis of the umbrella of the Shop & Distributive Employers Association, S& DTEAN, have been to no avail.

To worsen the matter, President of NLC, Joe Ajaero personally intervened, met both sides, and mid-wifed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed by both parties. 

Part of the MoU was “That the National Administrative Committee be expanded to accommodate all interested parties, the General Secretary should proceed on retirement after serving the union for 44 years, organs of the union be convened immediately and all parties must embrace peace.” 

Unfortunately, the MoU that was signed last year was not respected by those accused of foisting themselves and ruining the union.

Sorry state of union

At a briefing yesterday, the Chairman of Concerned members of NUSDE, Timothy Agbola, detailed the genesis of the crisis and efforts by stakeholders including NLC and S& DTEAN to find lasting solutions was to no avail 

According to him, “Since this unfortunate turn of events, we have embarked on consultation and lengthy discussion with our rank and file members and other stakeholders of the union. No doubt, the union is in bad shape, occasioned by the “I don’t care” attitude of these elements who just want to hold the union down since they don’t have anything at stake. 

From one factory to another, our members are really suffering; Our Secretariat Staff are not left out. The Junior Staff are being owed more than 13 months of unpaid salary while the Senior Staff have 15 months of salary backlog. Our Secretariat building is almost collapsed while the electricity supply to the building has been cut largely as a result of accumulated debt. We have no place among the affiliates of the NLC. We owe heavily on NLC affiliation fees. It is very shameful. Nothing works in the union except corruption and misappropriations of the hard-earned union dues. Therefore, it is high time we moved beyond the fog of the crisis that has dogged our union from the past till the present time. We have come a long way. NUSDE must survive beyond individual self-serving interest.”

Way forward

He said the concerned members of the union have taken a step to rescue the union from imminent collapse and have set up a Nine-man  National Interim Committee, NIC, to run the affairs of NUSDE for six months within which to organise Special Delegates Conference, SDC, and conduct a credible election to bring about a substantive leadership for the union.

Among others, Agbola said “On Monday, March 11, 2024, we withdrew our case out of court intending to find a lasting solution to the lingering crisis rocking the union as we cannot continue to watch from afar while our members are experiencing needless and untold hardship as a result of leadership ineptitude. 

“To this end, we have paid six months of the backlog of salary being owed to all our secretariate staff. For effective running of the union, we are going to put in a Nine–man National Interim Committee who will organize a Special Delegates Conference and conduct a credible election within six months.” 

Members of the National Interim Committee of our great union were selected with the mandate to reposition the union within the shortest possible period- They are  Aminu Megbotowon ( Acting National President),  Ejike NnmaniBethran ( Acting National Deputy President), Philip Damisah (Acting National Vice President) Tony Kwemtua (Acting National Vice President), Michael  Efrunu (Acting National Vice President), Lamina Taiwo (Acting National Treasurer), Freedom   Chinedu (Acting National Signing Trustee, WasilatPopoola (Acting National Auditor) and Augustine Nnwakolam (Acting General Secretary), while his appointment will be confirmed or otherwise by the National Executive Council, NEC.

EFCC may probe union finances 

In his acceptance speech, Acting President, Megbotowon, among others, said “We shall look at the past accounts details and also check finances of the union; if need be, we shall invite the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to help in recovering our money from those who defrauded the union to serve as a deterrent to others who may likely wish to follow same line in the future; we must come out clean.

“We have come a long way; it is our duty and responsibility to protect the sanctity of the union.”