By Augustine Tanko

For some time now, the anti-NLC posture of Vanguard newspaper has become too apparent to be ignored and we all need to ask if the newspaper, especially its Labour page handlers have extant motives to destroy the Nigeria Labour Congress under Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar.

The paper’s recent report, with the headline, NLC Appoints Secretary General, published at Page 60 of Sunday Vanguard, August 10, 2014 edition is full of mischief and obviously aimed at causing disaffection and dissonance in the labour movement.

The report, written by Victor Ahiuma-Young, while reviewing the background of contenders already interviewed for the office of Congress General Secretary, decided to run down two of the contenders while promoting the other.

That showed bad journalism and obvious prejudice that compromised objectivity. It also gave up the report as having been influenced by egocentric considerations.

The maligning part of the report, which exposed the candidate of the writer as a lazy, greedy and false expert who was a staff of Congress as a Research Officer but abandoned congress at its most difficult times and had, since leaving congress become the most virulent blackmailer of the staff, organs and structures of Congress now wish to bludgeon himself back to Congress having run down his union; shortchanging members whose factories were closed down; and disorienting secretariat staff of the union through intimidation and harassment leading to resignation of some of the union’s most effective staff.

Throughout the period John Odah was General Secretary of the NLC, Issa Aremu never spared any opportunity to run him down, causing unnecessary friction between him and then President of NLC, Adams Oshiomhole.

He indeed, proposed a constitutional amendment to the last delegates’ conference of NLC to have the position of Congress General Secretary become elective, so he can contest for it. He had to withdraw the motion because it lacked popularity.

If Congress needs an effective General Secretary, it’s certainly not an egoist, and surely not one that will not only destroy the secretariat but cause friction among the political leadership as had been done during the immediate past leadership of the Textile Union, led by Comrade Agulana.

The fact that the position of General Secretary of the NLC was advertised within the movement speaks no volumes about the effectiveness and qualities of the current Acting General Secretary of the NLC.

It is a decision of the relevant organs of Congress to fill the positions of Deputy General Secretaries and General Secretary at once, rather than have a General Secretary without deputies as it had been for quite some time.

Indeed, this is not the first time interviews for the position of General Secretary of NLC will include those acting in that office.

Before John Odah became General Secretary, he was interviewed along with Comrades like Sola Iji who was then General Secretary of the Food Senior Staff Union, FOBTOB. That didn’t imply John was incompetent, it was simply a process that must be followed to ensure Congress gets the most desirable.

The truth is that under the leadership of Chris Uyot, the secretariat has become united and effective. Staff morale has been boosted while issues relating to unions are handled with despatch.

The Secretariat has intervened in all strikes and grievances involving its affiliates such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and other education-based unions’ strikes; judicial workers strike etc; including resolving internal leadership disputes in some affiliates.

It is therefore irresponsible and unprofessional for the writer to claim that the current Acting General Secretary is ineffective.

If he is, a man who does not sit in his office but chooses to junket from one government house to the other, issuing statements to please politicians is certainly not a replacement.

This man lacks discipline and has no respect for organs and structures of the movement as evident in his conduct at the Textile Union where he has been busy trading workers welfare for personal aggrandizement.

In contrast, Chris Uyot respects the leadership and affiliates and has been able to make staff commit themselves to Congress and the movement, in contrast to the bullying style used to send out committed staff of his union out of the secretariat.

Chris Uyot has been head of the NLC Industrial Relations Department for years. The department relates with affiliates on industrial relations and rights violations. The uninformed assertion that he does not understand the unions and their struggles is therefore laughable.

If there is anyone that has contributed largely to Congress policy directions, that person is Dr. Peter Ozo- Eson. His researches and papers are not meant for a Victor Young. They are intellectual inputs to Congress works. His works have been very helpful in our reactions to government policies, especially privatization, deregulation and indeed the economy in general.

Peter’s experience in the movement transcends one Issa Aremu, a man whose stock-in-trade is to link up with people in government for personal benefits.

Dr. Ozo-Eson has been an active and prominent mobilizer in the Academic Staff Union of Universities and his quality intellectual output has been to the benefit of Nigerian workers, including Issa Aremu. It would be insulting to his person to start comparing him with Isa.

The General Secretary NLC requires is not an opportunistic, egoistic, anti workers, divisive element like Isa.

In conclusion, it is sad to note that after several years on the labour beat for Vanguard newspapers, Victor Young will descend so low to the level of being fed with falsehood, publishing what others write under his own byline. It is indeed, a shame of an obvious backward journalism.