The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has challenged former President Olusegun Obasanjo to name the union leaders he claimed were paid to remain silent.
President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero said this in a statement on Tuesday.
TheFact Daily gathered that Obasanjo, in chapter 17 of his book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’, accused labour leaders of betraying workers by prioritising personal interests over collective welfare.
“Rather than negotiate in the interest of the workers, they do sabre-rattling and they are called into the room and money in large amounts is stuffed into their hands and they keep quiet”, he wrote.
In response, the NLC president accused Obasanjo of lacking the moral standing to question the strength of trade unions, given his past actions against the labour movement.
Addressing the claim that union leaders were bribed to remain silent, Ajaero demanded evidence.
“Do you still arrest or beat up people after paying them to keep quiet? There is something amiss here. This ‘senior government official close to the President’ who made this statement should be questioned more closely. In the alternative, he should name names,” he said.
He quoted Obasanjo as saying, “The minimum wage does not even cover transportation costs for some workers, let alone food, housing, and family upkeep.”
Ajaero explained that this was precisely why the NLC demanded a minimum wage of N610,000, which it had broken down to reflect workers’ basic needs.
However, the government and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) countered with an offer of N50,000, without any justification for how it would sustain a worker’s livelihood.
He said the deadlock in negotiations led to a nationwide strike, which was only suspended after President Bola Tinubu personally intervened and offered N70,000 just slightly higher than the amount recommended by the Minimum Wage Committee.
Ajaero further revealed that the NLC had proposed N250,000 as a final compromise, but the government linked its acceptance to an increase in fuel price to N2,500 per litre.
“Torn between foisting additional hardship on the citizenry and taking the N70,000, we opted for the latter even when we knew it was inadequate”, he said.
He noted that the decision was aimed at minimizing the suffering of workers, adding that there were incentives attached, including a reduction of the minimum wage cycle from five years to three and the provision of CNG buses and free conversion kits for workers.
The NLC President dismissed Obasanjo’s assertion that workers “have become victims of those meant to protect their interests,” insisting that governments and exploitative employers, not union leaders, are responsible for workers’ suffering.
“It is important to point out that it is malevolent governments and predatory employers that deny workers these rights and not union leaders,” he stated.
Ajaero also took issue with Obasanjo’s claim that union leaders today are ineffective compared to the founding fathers.
“Which founding fathers is he talking about? The ones the colonial masters harassed or the ones he either banned or detained?” he queried, accusing Obasanjo of historically undermining the trade unions.
According to him, Obasanjo’s presidency was characterized by repression of union activities, including arrests, detention, and even killings of protesting workers.
He recalled how Obasanjo once sought to proscribe the NLC but, when that failed, created a parallel labour centre to weaken the union.
On the allegation that a trade union leader was negotiating for a gubernatorial ticket while in office, Ajaero reminded Obasanjo that political participation is a constitutional right, adding that the NLC has produced three governors straight from office, the first of whom emerged during Obasanjo’s tenure.
He however, urged governments to stop undermining the unions for selfish interests, stating that workers’ rights and welfare should be prioritized rather than politicized.
“Given this historical fact, it is uncharitable of Chief Obasanjo to turn on the unions. But then, we respect our elders here,” he said.
