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Nigeria Labour Congress elects new leadership

Issue date

Nineth National Delegates' Confence of the Nigerial Labour Congress

15-16 February 2007, International Conference Centre

Abuja, Nigeria

General

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with a population of some 131.5m(2005). It is estimated that 37% of the population live in absolute poverty. Despite being an important oil-exporting nation, Nigeria is one of the poorest countries with a per capita income of about USD 560(2005). Infant mortality is 101.4 per thousand live births. Life expectancy at birth is around 43.7 years. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is estimated at about 3.9%(2005) of the adult population aged 15-49.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, first elected in 1999, won a second term in April 2003. He has launched a poverty reduction strategy - National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), focusing on public sector reforms, privatisation and deregulation of the economy, improved access to health and education and anti-corruption drive. Nigeria has been a beneficiary of substantial debt relief, which should free up more resources for the elimination of poverty and for improvement of public services.

Nigeria Labour Congress

The Nigeria Labour Congress came into being in 1978, following a merger of four trade union organisations - Nigeria Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Labour Unity Front (LUF), United Labour Congress (ULC) and the Nigeria Workers' Congress (NWC). It is the most representative trade union body in the country, with a membership of some 4m from 38 unions affiliated to it. Military and para-military personnel and workers in civil establishments classified as essential services are barred from joining unions, as are some senior civil servants who are allowed to form associations. The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria which brings together senior staff associations claims a membership of 2.5m from 22 affiliates. The 2005 Trade Union (Amendments) Act allowed the formation of trade union federations of 12 or more to represent the interests of employees.

The NLC was dissolved on two occasions by military regimes. In 1988, General Ibrahim Babangida's regime dissolved it, following opposition from the NLC to Structural Adjustment Programmes. The NLC was dissolved in 1994 by General Sani Abacha when it joined progressive forces, demanding the restoration of democracy. The relations with military regimes have been difficult and tense. NLC leaders were arrested, their meetings disrupted, on many occasions. The relations with the current regime also have been strained, primarily due to the NLC's opposition to the rising cost of living caused by price increases of essential items and fuel. After President Olusegun Obasanjo's Government reduced subsidies and deregulated the market for fuel, the NLC organised several strikes in protest. In October 2004, President Obasanjo, in a nationwide televison broadcast during the crisis over fuel prices, accused the NLC of acting based on 'an avowed objective of bringing down a democratically eleced government.....'

The TUC has had close relations with the NLC for many years now. The TUC collaborated in development co-operation initiatives with the NLC through the Commonwealth Trade Union Council (CTUC) until the end of 2004. A two-year project funded by the Department for International Development, aimed at building the capacity of trade unions to address the concerns of women workers was successfully completed in August last year.

The NLC is affiliated to the ITUC as well as to the Africa Regional Organisation of the former ICFTU. It is also a member of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATTU) based in Accra, Ghana.

9th National Delegates' Conference

Alison Shepherd, TUC President, accompanied by Bandula Kothalawala, International Officer, attended the 9th Delegates' Conference held on 15-16 February 2007 at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. The theme of the Conference was Deepening and Defending Democracy to Guarantee Jobs, People's Welfare and National Unity. International guests included Guy Ryder, General Secretary, ITUC, Andrew Kailembo, General Secretary, AFRO-ITUC, Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary, COSATU, Kwasi Adu-Amankwah,General Secretary, Ghana TUC, Hassan Sunmonu, General Secretary, OATTU, Dan Cunniah, Deputy Director, ACTRAV, ILO, Stephen Benedict, CLC, Camilla Houeland (LO-Norway), Roper, FNV-Netherlands, Marc Bayard (ACILS), and Ernesto Freire Cazañas, CTC-Cuba. The Conference was to have been opened by President Obasanjo who was in France, attending the Franco-Africa Summit in Cannes. Dr Hassan Lawal, Minister of Labour, represented the President.

Guy Ryder, in his address to the Conference, praised the NLC on its principled stance on democracy, good governance and human and trade union rights in adversity and stressed that the founding of the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ITUC) had marked the beginning of a new trade union internationalism, characterized by mutual dependence beyond traditional frontiers. He said that the NLC was a giant in the Continent, strategising a renewal in the African trade union movement and underpinning the defence of the cause of the poor and the vulnerable in society. He added that trade unionists should be the first to bring about change and that globalization should not be allowed to paralyse trade unions at local level. Referring to the crisis in Guinea-Conakry, he said that martial law had been declared, that the ITUC had done a great deal to help the people of Guinea and hoped that the NLC and other national trade union centres would add to its voice.

Adams Oshiomhole, NLC President, in his address to the Conference dealt with a number of themes. In a reference to government, he asserted that democracy with all its imperfections was better than the most benign dictatorship. He said that under his stewardship, the NLC has become a democratic, independent, socially responsive and effective organisation that commanded the confidence of workers, trusted by the public and respected by the government and employers. He pointed out that the Federal Minimum Wage had risen from 900 NGN in 1999 to 11,000 NGN in 2007, reflecting an increase of over 300%, that the current wage, however, did not amount to a living wage and that the NLC would sustain the campaign for a living wage. He called upon the Federal Government to fully implement the Report of the Presidential Committee on the Consolidation of Allowances and requested the State Councils to put pressure on state governments to implement a 15% increase as an interim measure. He added that the country had made a breakthrough in stabilizing the price of petroleum products when the Government conceded to the principle of subsidy consistently advocated by the NLC. While acknowledging the achievement of high growth-rates, he reiterated that economic growth had not generated a commensurate increase in employment, that unemployment remained a serious problem and that this was due to the crude petroleum sector being an enclave within the national economy. He emphasized that the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) was a carry-over of the framework of the multilateral institutions that had provided the basis for economic policy since the adoption of Strategic Adjustment Programme in 1986. He criticized the current emphasis on the removal of the public sector from direct economic activities and stressed that the Government should work in partnership with the private sector on a selective basis until the private sector was fully developed and that interest rates should be reduced further. He expressed support for the war against corruption and for fiscal responsibility and transparency and said that these principles had not yet permeated other tiers of government due to the selective application of federalism by many state governments and urged legislators to expedite deliberations on Fiscal Responsibility Bill.

Referring to the crisis in the Niger Delta, he recognized the need for constitutional, political, administrative and economic measures for remedying the situation and rejected attacks on Nigerian and expatriate workers as a legitimate means of putting pressure on the Government.

He underlined the need for free and fair elections in 2007 and condemned the entrenched culture of vote rigging and resolved to work together with the rest of civil society in this regard and warned against breaches of the Electoral Act. He also underscored the role of the Nigerian civil society in promoting social justice and public welfare and the importance of collaboration with them. He also said that globalization required the building of alliances beyond borders and that the NLC had been positioned in the mainstream of the international trade union movement and urged the AFRO and OATTU be merged to advance the trade union unity in Africa.

John Odah, General Secretary, in his Report to the Conference, described the NLC as the most influential non-state actor in Nigeria and as the most prominent player in contesting the indiscriminate implementation of orthodox, neo-liberal reforms. According to the National Executive Council Report to the Conference, the political situation in Nigeria had steadily deteriorated in 2003-07 and the country has remained a democracy only in terms of the formal apparatuses of governance.

The NEC Report was highly critical of the management of the economy by the regime. According to it, the NEEDS and its sectoral components were based on the conviction that people's interests, welfare and needs could be addressed only through the private sector. The Report added that, while the NLC was not opposed to the private sector per se, it questioned the Government's fixation on the private sector as the exclusive driver of growth, social provisioning and economic development. In an analysis of socio-economic data, the Report made pertinent comparisons with Ghana and cast serious doubts about the country's ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, in a message to the Conference read out by the Minister of Labour appreciated the role played by the NLC in the enhancement of the welfare of workers, the consolidation of democracy and in the war against corruption and said that his administration had worked with the NLC 'in the spirit of cooperation, trust and mutual respect for the sustenance of the nation's peace, stability, growth and development.'

Motions

Over thirty motions were submitted to, and adopted by, the Delegates. The bulk of them related to the management of the national economy and related issues. Motion I on Labour and the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) called for an urgent review of government economic strategies while Motion IV on the Right to Potable Water Supply to All Nigerians requested that the NLC take interest in the global campaign against privatization of water. The need for 'working with other West African nations in particular and the ACP countries in general to review the Roadmap and the framework of the negotiations, with a view to suspending the negotiations for now, until a framework which emphasizes fair, rather than free trade' was highlighted in Motion VII on the Economic Partnership Agreements while in Motion VIII on the Debt and National Economy, the NLC was asked to impress upon the Government the need for review of development inputs of international financial institutions and of the desirability of continued collaboration with them.

Motion XXIX on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace urged all industrial unions to re-affirm their commitment to fight HIV/AIDS through a programme of action and requested the NLC, state councils and affiliates to launch a trust fund for proper implementation of the NLC HIV/AIDS Policy. It also required the NLC to establish care and support centres and form alliances with civil society organisations to monitor the activities of government agencies dealing with HIV/AIDS.

Motion XXXII on Democracy and Good Governance noted that corruption was widespread and that the problem could no longer be attributed to individuals but to the wholesale dysfunction of the system. It also stressed the need for popular participation in elections, for upholding the rule of just law and sustaining the anti-corruption campaign. Moreover, it urged that politics be 'refocused from persons and personage to issues of growth and development'.

Two motions on gender, while acknowledging the progress made in mainstreaming the issue, recommended a series of measures to strengthen women's structures in the NLC and affiliates. Motion XXX on Increasing and Sustaining Women Representation in the Unions and Leadership Structures, inter alia, called for measures to increase representation of women in the National Administration Council. Motion XXXI on Strengthening and Empowering Women Structures in the NLC and Unions requested, inter alia, annual gender audits. A comprehensive Report, titled Mainstreaming Gender in the Trade Unions, submitted to the Conference, set out a strategic plan of action in order to advance gender equity and outlined activities carried out by the NLC in this regard in 2003-2007. A substantial section in the Report and in the NEC Report to the Delegates was devoted to the Promoting Women's Participation in Trade Union Activities in Nigeria Project implemented in collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), funded by the Department for International Development in 2004-2006. The Project has enabled participants to prepare for leadership challenges, develop negotiating skills, promote reproductive health as well as enhance understanding and awareness of gender issues. The significant increase from 10% in 2003 to 30% in 2007 in the representation of women at the Conference was indicative of the success of NLC policies on gender equity, promoted through the Project. However, no women trade unionists were elected to any key position in the NLC leadership structure.

Outgoing President

Speaker after speaker paid tribute to Adams Oshiomhole, outgoing President of the NLC, for his wise, dynamic and visionary leadership in the past eight years, which enhanced the profile of the organisation and made a significant contribution to the restoration and consolidation of democracy in Nigeria. Adams Oshiomhole is expected to contest the Governorship of the Edo State in Southern Nigeria as candidate of a multiparty alliance that includes the Labour Party and Action Congress.

Elections

Abdul Waheed I Omar, then Deputy President, from the Nigeria Union of Teachers, was elected President with a very significant majority while two Deputy Presidents were elected without a contest.

The new leadership of the NLC is as follows:

President Abdul Waheed I Omar

Deputy President Peter A Adeyemi

Deputy President O Irabor

Vice President Abdullahi D Bungudu

Vice President Kinsley Ogba JP

Vice President Issa Aremu, mni

Vice President John Onyenemere

Treasurer Ayuba P Wabba

Deputy National Treasurer Alh. Gidado Hamman

National Trustee Akpatason O Peter, mni

Internal Auditor Abubakar Bashi Sadiq

Internal Auditor Samuel Adeoye

Ex-Officio Members Corretta Balogun

Lovina Okoro

Promise Kanayo Adewusi, LL.B

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