No fewer than 23,482 employers have keyed into the Employees Compensation Scheme, ECS, regarded as a major step towards implementation of social insurance aimed at, among others, rehabilitation of workers who sustain injuries at work and payment of compensation for permanent disability or death.

Comrade Williams Akporeha is Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Delta State Council, National Treasurer of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, as well as the NUPENG Mandate Coordinator for Comrade Igwe Achese, for NLC President 2015. He spoke with Sunday Vanguard on the botched delegates conference, why Achese stepped down and the prospects for a successful election on March 12, 2015. Excerpts:

NON-ACADEMIC Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has warned that rising cases of non-remittance of deducted funds remains the greatest danger to the survival of the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS.

Since inception of CPS following the Pension Reform Act, PRA, 2004 as amended, issue of non-remittance has been the greatest challenge facing the scheme.

NIGERIA Union of Pensioners, NUP, has expressed concern over non-unionisation of pensioners of the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS.

The 11th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference, NDC, of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, which ended yesterday in Abuja, was not just about the election of a new set of leaders to lead NLC for the next four years among others, it also provided a unique opportunity for politicians in the two leading political parties in Nigeria; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its All Progressives Congress, APC, counterpart, to out do each other and woo the over 3200 delegates from across the country, their families, friends and other guests including veterans unionists, ahead of the general election. They used their thoughts on the socio-economic and political situations in the country to try to sway delegates and others at the conference with special focus on jobs creation and similar issues.