Re: Comrades Ajaero, Aremu and their ‘NLC’, by Onah Iduh

After my telephone conversations and clarifications with him, I found it quite interesting that my friend, Onah Iduh, chose to further legitimize the gross distortions contained in his on-line article. At the last count Sunday Trust’s (Sunday, March 29) version of the printed distortions, featured my name 20 times in an article ostensibly meant to throw light on issues thrown up at the 11th Delegates Conference of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). With this “vainglorious misinformation” (his words!) about me, I wonder how my friend beat Sunday Trust’s gate keeper! Onah raised a false hysteria and painted a picture of some warrior-comrades. Haba! Bjorn Beckman is a Swedish activist political economist and development scholar. Unlike arm-chair occasional poor writers like him, Beckman has published extensive original works on trade union performance (one of them a seminal book on textile union;) Beckman shows that “expressing dissent, organising alternative opinions, challenging those in power, and contesting for office are all central features of a democratic process.” We should not equate “organizing alternative opinions” within an indivisible NLC for being “aggrieved”! NLC is not in factions. There is neither “their NLC” nor “Our NLC”. There is only one NLC with its motto: Labour creates Wealth. Certainly, genuine comrades are not at war! They have enough troubles with Naira devaluation, delayed and nonpayments of salaries, casualization, collapse of factories etc. Onah’s 1000

warm plus repetitive misinformation was an unnecessary “busybody” friendlyfire. He is neither a candidate, nor a delegate. He cannot be holier than the Pope. He is not an appointtee nor elected officer either. He is not even electable in NLC! His write-up is divisive at the time comrades seek for some windows of reconccilliation in line with the mood of the nation. My friend cannot act another hired agent provocateur. NLC does not need “a Fani-Kayode”, certainly not after the Fani-Kayodes have since reconciled with the new political reality of cooperation.

NLC Delegates’ Conference features more than some elections of some “ambitious” comrades outwitting each other. Precisely because he was neither a delegate nor due-paying member of NLC, Onah might have found it difficult to appreciate that election is the last item on the agenda of NLC conferences. For one, before idle non-delegates hijacked the NLC electoral process, the 11th Delegates’ Conference was NOT “dominated by fractious contestations from the onset”. On the contrary as a delegate I bear witness (I dare to “plagiarize” myself again!) that despite all its televised shortcomings with respect to elections, the 11th Delegates Conference was still remarkably successful covering the three stages of opening ceremony, business sessions featuring critical labour issues, such as reports by conference committees, debates on motions and National Executive Council (NEC).

Secondly, the 11th NLC Conference with respect to business session featured 30 motions on labour market issues, 12 of which came from our union; National Union of Textile and Garment Workers’ union of Nigeria!

Thirdly, NLC had achieved the remarkable democratic successes in the past because it strictly adhered to its constitutional provisions with water-tight rules. The failed election aspect of the 11th Delegates Conference is a fallout product of a departure from time honored rules and conventions. The casualization of rules guiding elections and openended self serving interpretation of the Constitution is totally alien to the NLC. NLC has inaugurated 10-elected executive leaderships in the past 37 years of its formation (NLC came into being in 1978!). Past Congress delegates’ conferences were adjudged as the most democratic in international labour movement.

Fourthly, NLC Constitution provides time-limit for two critical issues in relation to the Delegates Conference namely: Cut-off date for dues payment for the purposes of computation of delegates (Article 6) and Nomination for Election of National Officers of the Congress (Article 29(1). The list of contestants duly cleared for NLC Delegates Conference Elections had been published in major national dailies signed by the Conference Credentials Committee chairman, Dr. Nasir Fagge Isa, who is also President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Of course there were legitimate appeals by some unions whose candidates were disqualified by the Credentials Committee for noncompliance with Article 29(1) of the NLC Constitution dealing with nominations for elective offices. The pros and cons were debated by the NLC organs, namely NAC, CWC, and NEC and conclusively found untenable. Reopening nominations during Congress-in-Session, fuelled suspicion about foul play as uncleared names already featured on ballot papers (clearly insider’s dirty jobs!). Strangely new ballot papers for new entrants resulted in sharp practices corrupting the entire process. If INEC had done this, what would be NLC’s reaction?.

The rescheduled conference in March was no less scandalous. It took three days to count little over 3000 votes! Many thanks to INEC under Professor Jega that counted almost 30 million votes in record time. While Professor Jega stood his ground and commendably resisted political manipulation of votes after voting thus giving our great country another opportunity for democratic renewal, NLC electoral committee was shamelessly hijacked by non-members with partisan preferences. The results were true to the script. Devil is in the details as the process was again casualized! I have suggested that the INEC Act be amended for it to conduct elections at local government levels and for civil society organizations like NLC. We often beam the searchlight at the imperfections of the state. It’s time we focused on the corruption of rules and serial impunites in nonstate institutions.

NLC must obey its own rules! Workers ordinarily are victims of casualization of terms of employment by dubious employers. We cannot in turn afford the luxury of casualizing our own rules for electoral advantage. Certainly not from the biggest labour centre in Africa.!

Comrade Issa Aremu is a chieftain of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)