By Victor Ahiuma-Young

IF there is any organization  within and outside Nigeria that has remained unrivalled in the empowerment of workers especially in the area of education and social justice, it is Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, FES.

Little wonder labour leaders, civil society activists, academics among other stakeholders at the 40 years anniversary of FES operation in Nigeria, reeled out how the foundation impacted positively on the lives of the citizens.

Among the guests were former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, factional President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Mr. Kurt Beck, President of FES.

Political role of trade unions

Officials of NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria, FIWON, United Action for Democracy, UAD, among others were also in attendance.

FES began its works in Nigeria in 1976 and has been collaborating with human rights and pro-democracy groups, the labour movement, researchers and many civil society organizations, parliamentarians, among others.  It cooperates with and supports the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC.

While labour rights issues are central to this project area the political role of trade unions and the labour movement in Nigeria are also addressed.

Welcoming guests, Michael roll, Resident Representative, FES Nigeria, recalled the history of FES in Nigeria and the achievements, and assured that the oganisation would continue to impact positively on Nigeria

On his part, President of FES, Kurt Beck, recalled the peace award presented to President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1996, when he was in prison during the military dictatorship and expressed happiness over the level of democracy that Nigeria had attained, saying it was worth celebration.

ANNIVERSARY: Mr. Kurt Beck, President of FES, Michael roll, Resident Representative, FES Nigeria, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, at the event.

Nigeria, German relationship: According to him, “Nigeria has become very important not because of her over 160 million population, but because she is strategically located in Africa”, stressing that the success of 2015 general elections in Nigeria was not a small achievement.

He called for expansion of the diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Germany for the growth and development of both countries, saying FES was ready to assist Nigeria to fight the current recession, adding that FES would continue to fight for the poor, the elderly and other vulnerable members of the society.

Speaking, Steinmeier, declared that Nigeria had a lot to celebrate for including her youths, but insisted that she had a long way to go in terms of development, saying “FES has been doing its best to assist Nigeria. FES has impacted on Nigeria positively including Trade Unions.”

According to him, there were many Nigerians living in Germany, stressing that Nigeria and Germany needed to collaborate and work together to address the challenges of migration.

The Minister equally noted that Nigeria was Germany’s  most trading partner in Africa and adding that both countries needed cooperation at all levels including civil societies, not only at government levels.

Golden interaction: On his part, Chief Obasanjo who was the guest of honour, while congratulating FES for its 40 years of golden and successful activities and interaction of FES in Nigeria, said the relationship between Nigeria and Germany had gone on since the independence of Nigeria and had gone very well in the interest of both countries, noting that Nigerians felt extremely  proud  of her relationship with Germany.

Obasanjo said: “For me and my family, we will be eternally grateful to FES. When for doing nothing wrong, I was arrested and put in jail. I would have been forgotten in jail if not for organizations like FES who maintained their campaigns for my release from jail.

Support for workers’ education

What FES did was that while I was in jail, I was awarded the prize of the FES of Human Right and my late wife went to receive that prize on my behalf. It of course made an impact because as a result of such activities that I was able to be released from prison.”

He added that his relationship with friends and colleagues in Germany has gone many years through his life including his friendship with former German Chancellor Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt who he shared many years of friendship, saying that “relationship that we have developed between Nigeria and Germany, between  FES and Nigeria, between  individual organisations, corporate organizations and Nigeria, between individual Germans and individual Nigerians  must continue to be cherished  and to be expanded.”

 Speaking to Vanguard on the activities of FES in Nigeria during the past 40 years, Wabba said: “It has done extremely well especially in terms of workers education. If you know the history of FES, it is about a worker who later became the President of Germany through diligent and hard work. You can see the passion where FES priority is how educate workers and citizens about issues social justice, politics and how issues of inclusiveness will be able to drive the process of development.

For me and for labour movement, it is one opportunity that we must continue to celebrate how FES has supported the working class and also provided funds to educate our rank and file. You are aware that part of the successes of Harmattan and Rain Schools is based on the support from FES and we have also have a lot of programmes together that FES has provided support.

“But I think that the social dimension of its support is what is important because in most other supports coming from other countries, they try to tie those supports to their issues and interests. In the case of FES, it is open ended where you drive the process, FES provides the fund and at the end of the day, what it wants is to ensure that the objective is achieved. So, for me, I think that is quite different from what we see as foreign grant from other countries. We must continue to celebrate FES and continue to encourage it because it has done extremely well and we congratulate the foundation on its 40th anniversary.