By Victor Ahiuma-Young & Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA—LESS than 24 hours after the Conference Credential Committee, CCC, for next month’s National Delegates Conference, NDC, Elections of Nigeria Labour Congress, released list of contestants dully cleared for the election, the congress has now been enmeshed in a crisis that is threatening to tear it apart.
Some leaders of the private sectors unions are accusing the public sector union of betrayal and fielding candidate for NLC presidency instead of leaving it for the private sector unions to slug it out in line with the norms.
Already allegation of external influence to ensure certain candidates are elected is spreading like wide fire.
In fact, the presidency is being accused of working with some officials of NLC to influence the election by ensuring that its preferred candidate succeeds the outgoing President, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar.
But the General Secretary of NLC, Mr Peter Ozo-Esor denied the allegations of external influence, stressing that the present leadership of NLC was not aware of any government preference.
However, some Private sector unions told Vanguard that under normal circumstances, the out-going NLC President who came from the public sector would hand over to somebody from the private sector as had been the case.
According to them, “Even though it is not written, it is a general norm that once a private sector union president serves two terms of four years each, the public sector will be elected president for eight years.”
It was gathered that this understanding had been on for a long time which made the outgoing president Omar, from the public sector to succeed Adams Oshiomhole from the private sector.
According to the aggrieved private sector unions, “When Oshiomhole was leaving, Abdulwaheed Omar from the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, contested with Fidelix Edeh of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, NCSU. It was not that there were no qualified private sector unions, but because it was the norm.”
The aggrieved private sector unions are threatening fire and brimstone over the alleged plot to hand over the presidency of NLC to another member of the public sector union, warning that “such move would weaken NLC solidarity.”
It is being insinuated that a private sector union leader would be difficult for government to control.
Vanguard gathered that some of the aggrieved unions are threatening not to cooperate with NLC should the plot to replace Omar with another private sector union succeed.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ozo-Eson insisted that “we have no division; we act as one unlike many other organizations. We never considered whether one is from South, East, West or North. There is no cleavage, people indicate interest, our duty is to facilitate the process.”
Three of the candidates that have been cleared to contest the position of the president in the election are Joseph Ajaero of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Igwe Achese of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and Waba Ayuba from Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN.
NOTE: From next week, Labour Vanguard will be bringing details of the intrigues ahead of the election.
Hi. I’m a Web Developer and Graphics Designer, I enjoy blogging as part-time and I draw a lot when I’m free. Thanks for visiting my blog today and I hope you come back next time.
0 comments:
Post a Comment