By VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
THE intrigue in the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, that started ahead of the March 1 to 3, 2011 National Delegates Conference, NDC,  that culminated to the forced retirement of Comrade John Odah as the General Secretary, has remained unabated.

The latest of the intrigues is the National Administrative Council, NAC, decision to be rotating the position of the Acting General Secretary among the departmental heads in NLC for six months each pending the appointment of a substantive General secretary.

Labour Vanguard gathered that consequently, the current Acting General Secretary, Comrade Owei Lakemfa, who has been acting since the exit of Odah, will hand over to Comrade Chris Uyot, the Head of Information and Public Relations unit on June 17. But because 17 is a Sunday, the hand over is possibly taking place on Monday, which is 18.

*Abdulwaheed Omar, NLC President

Uyot is expected to act till December before handing over to another departmental head.

From Labour Vanguard investigations, there are about six of such departments with each headed by a senior Assistant General Secretary.

Labour Vanguard gathered that the rotation system which is not new at Congress as it was done for about three months during the presidency of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, will be in place pending the advertisement and appointment of a substantive General Secretary from either within or outside the NLC depending on the assessment of the performance of the senior Assistant General Secretaries.

Looming implosion

The decision to start rotating the position was informed by the desire to avert a looming implosion of the secretariat. It was argued that the secretariat has become less functional and more fictionalized than noticed before the last NDC. The factions were not only plotting on how to outwith others, but also working at cross purposes.

In the midst of all this, it was alleged that the acting general secretariat instead of being a rallying point for the secretariat, became very individualistic and took critical unilateral decisions without recourse to the President or NAC.

Unilateral actions

The Acting Secretary was among others, alleged to have nominated himself as Labour representative to the board of the National Pension Commission, PenCom without recourse to the NAC. Another of such unilateral actions being cited was the statement issued on May 13, 2012 accusing government of plans to break NLC and register a perceived pro-government labour centre.

No matter the veracity or otherwise of the claim, it was alleged that the secretary did not consult with the President or the NAC before issuing the statement.

The claim which though elicited government denial, prompted a reaction from the Group of Industrial Unions, formed by aggrieved members of congress as a result of the fallout of the 2011 NDC.

NLC in a statement by its President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, after the NAC meeting while calling for unity among its affiliates, said “the NLC reaffirms the unity and indivisibility of the Congress and salutes the solidarity of all its affiliates in the face of the current challenges facing workers.

Congress, regrettably noted the recent media statement credited to the General Secretary of the Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Related Associations, NASU, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, and the President of the National Union of Hotels and Personal Services Workers, NUHPSW, Comrade Leke Success, purported to be a reaction to a similar regrettable statement purportedly issued by the Congress.

Congress noted that at no time was there a decision to engage any of the affiliate unions  of the NLC,  including great unions like NASU and (NUHPSW) in unnecessary media exchanges and war of attrition over issues that are purely internal and clearly surmountable.”

As a democratic organisation, internal contestations are inevitable. Indeed debates and divergent views are part of the great democratic heritage of the NLC. Therefore, recent discordant voices of some unionists after the last Delegates’ Conference of the NLC are not unusual.

It has happened in the past and the NLC has emerged even stronger and better positioned for the defence of workers’ rights. NLC therefore wishes to call all its affiliates to service its unity through its time tested internal democratic structures.

Congress notes that there is no divided labour family as all grievances are surmountable. Accordingly, NAC urges the leaders of the aggrieved unions in the interest of the Nigerian workers to utilise the conflict resolution mechanism in the Congress and join the Congress in the great indivisible task of defence of workers’ rights.”

Plots, counter plots: It was gathered that NAC meeting was hurriedly held in Abuja instead of an earlier joint NAC and National Executive Council, NEC, meeting scheduled for Lokoja for May 21 and 22, with a clandestine motive to force confirmation of some appointments in the congress. But the meeting had to be called off at the last minute when it became obvious that there were some counter and formidable plots to cause some removals.

Labour Vanguard was informed that a day before the NAC, the Acting General Secretary told the NAC members that he wanted to retire and it was gathered that members of NAC told him, that there was no problem.

However, the following day, Comrade Lakemfa was said to have apologized to NAC that he was no longer retiring.

Efforts to speak with Owei were abortive as he was said to be out of the country.

For those who were at Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde’s burial at Ede, Osun State, they saw how the NLC President was humiliated. It was alleged that the humiliation suffered by Omar during burial, when sachets of pure water were hurled at him by some students and was almost prevented from delivering his speech before the arrival of Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was instigated from within the NLC with active connivance by some entrenched interest in the civil society.

Before the hurl of the sachets of pure water, the NLC President and leaders of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, were openly accused of betraying the Nigerian workers and masses in the January anti-fuel price hike protest.

Some have argued and perhaps, rightly  too, that the NLC’s secretariat needs complete overhauling and restructuring to give the congress the needed force to effectively service  members and Nigerian masses.

There is a general consensus that congress as it stands today has performed below expectations in its primary responsibilities of protecting and defending workers’ rights in the midst of increasing unfair labour practices and rights denials by employers.