The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, stated this in a New Year message he signed on Sunday and tagged, “2024 can be better if…”
Ajaero noted that the government has failed to deliver on its promises to Nigerians on the N35,000 national minimum wage as agreed by the Federal Government and the NLC.
He said during the year under review, Nigerians have faced uncertainties, overcome obstacles, and witnessed moments that may have left them feeling disheartened.
“In 2023, we witnessed two major agreements signed between the federal government and NLC and TUC. The June 5th and October 2nd Agreements. Whether these have been faithfully implemented or not is open for every discerning Nigerian to see.
“Nigerians will judge that by our actions thus far, we have demonstrated enormous patience with this government and have been accused and labelled as having been settled by the government but we recognize that this is part of the burden of leadership which we are prepared to bear to ensure that we do not only take the right actions but that they yield the expected results keeping our nation surviving as an entity and avoiding fifth columnists from taking advantage of the situation to destroy our nation.
“In all of these, this government has shown enormous unfaithfulness in keeping to agreements; the N35,000 Wage Award has not been faithfully implemented, the PH refinery has not come on stream as projected while the National Minimum Wage Negotiation Council has not been inaugurated as agreed, the CNG has been distorted by agents of government for the benefit of a few.
“Divisions along our various primordial fault lines rather than heal became exacerbated this year mainly as a result of the unfortunate activities of Politicians who played them up in their bid to win elections. Our nation has therefore become more divided than ever with growing suspicion and increasing trust deficits along those lines.
“Citizens’ confidence in the government is therefore deeply wounded causing a further disconnect between the people and governments as the government continues with policies that negate the welfare of citizens. We observe only a few pockets of progress in governance in some states but largely, the instruments of governance are mainly deployed for the sole benefit of those who believe they have captured the instruments of governance and thus use them for their sole benefit.
“2023 is also a year where we have seen the increasing use of violence and unrivalled propaganda as tools of engagement in the nation’s industrial relations sphere. The boundary between the tools used in electioneering and in actual governance seems to have been ruptured as the same mindless violence and crudity witnessed during the last election cycle is now being used by those in government as a weapon in managing workplace relations in Nigeria. We have witnessed the government’s interference in the internal affairs of trade unions all in a bid to capture the levers of power in these unions and use them to seek to hold the civic space in our nation hostage and thwart citizens’ efforts at holding the government accountable.”
The Congress also lamented the recent attack on the President of the Congress and the stoppage of the implementation of the wage award as agreed in the October, 2nd MOU between the federal government and Organised Labour.
“Such coincidence is ominous and raises a lot of questions in our hearts further justifying strongly our belief that the conspiracies to mete out violence against trade union leaders including the President of Congress in Owerri go to the very top.
“It is in furtherance of these efforts by the government that the November 1st bestial abduction and brutalization of the President of Congress; comrade Joe Ajaero and others by the Government and the Police in Owerri Imo state happened.
“We believe that Nigerians need to be reminded that the Imo state Government under Hope Uzodimma remains an ongoing haven for the abuse and violation of the rights and interests of workers. Many workers are still being owed years in arrears of salaries, Gratuities are in arrears, Pension is in arrears, and thousands of workers are still being declared as ghost workers while the NLC secretariat vandalized and stripped by the state government remains desolate. Some of those hitherto declared ghost workers whose names were re-inserted into the payroll as of November 2023 in an effort by the state government to cover its sins are still being owed huge arrears in salaries.
“It was in our effort at liberating the workers in the state from the pernicious hands of the state that the National Executive Council (NEC) of our Congress decided that we converge on Owerri to demand that the government obeys agreements that it had reached with us in an engagement that started from 2021 and continued at the beginning of this year until November. As usual, the propaganda machinery of the government oiled by the hijack of our collective resources was deployed in trying to hoodwink and mislead members of the public as to the reason for the Imo state protest. Thankfully, Nigerians refused to be misled.
“We therefore while once again condemning in strong terms that cowardly and brutal action by the Police and Imo state government, appreciate all Nigerian workers and masses including our civil society allies who trooped out in their numbers across the nation to take part in the ensuing nationwide strike that shut down the nation to protest the primitive use of violence and brigandage by the government against mass-based organisations and their leadership.
The success of that strike demonstrated the determination of Nigerians and workers to continue to act together to hold the government accountable at all times. We are encouraged and salute you all and assure you that we remain committed to our pledge to work for a better Nigeria where the interests of Nigerians especially the workforce will be projected and protected always.”
Ajaero also described 2023 as a turbulent year both for workers and Nigerian people as “the negative Economic policies of Government begin to bite harder on poor Nigerians as predicted. Workers continue to grapple with the worst forms of deprivations thus unable to meet their basic needs while transportation to work continues to be a nightmare. Nigerian masses have experienced the worst form of angst and suffering as access to basic nutrition has become more difficult while Education and basic social utilities have become the sole purview of the rich. This year’s festive season has been made so difficult for the masses that the usual joy associated with the season was replaced with worries and anxiety all over the nation.
“The government’s half-hearted attempts at providing succour were largely mere propaganda and never had any impact on the high cost of transportation across the nation. Our Naira continues in its free fall in all markets while Governments both federal and states continue in their reckless borrowing and spending in the name of governance.
We are worried at the haste with which those in government rush to eat the future of Nigerians by borrowing and frittering them away putting the future of our unborn generation in jeopardy. As it stands today, Nigeria needs about 12% more than our annual revenue to service our debt stock meaning that we have to borrow to ever be able to service our debts. Another debt trap has been unleashed on the population. Governments should act more responsibly in its debt activities.”
On cash scarcity, the NLC President said, “We are witnessing once again, Cash scarcity in our Economy. This time, the CBN tells us that it is because we are hoarding cash – a very sad excuse. We know that with our meagre incomes, we don’t have any leftover cash to hoard and so, if by any stretch of imagination, CBN’s excuse is real, we know those who are hoarding cash.
However, we do not see any sensible person who will hoard the Naira as a store of value at this time when the Naira is receiving its greatest bashing. The CBN should immediately inject cash into the economy to stop the exploitation of the Nigerian masses thus reducing the hardship. If CBN does not realize it, Nigerians as it stands today pay at least 5% of their money to free their money which it has held hostage.”
On the spate of attacks across the country, Ajaero added, “The wanton destruction of lives and properties continues unabated in 2023. The recent killings in Plateau and Taraba states during this yuletide are heart-rending and mind-boggling. That the blood of Nigerians flowed in the streets without any outrage across the nation shows that we may have lost our collective feeling of revulsion.
That our leaders chose this occasion to clink glasses and junket to pay homages instead of being in a sober mood to reflect on the degree of their failure to protect the lives of those who elected them into offices is utterly repugnant and smacks of the highest level of insensitivity. We are aghast at whether our leaders understand what their responsibilities are at all.
It is these combined forces of negative government policies that have created the worst form of social anomie in our nation. Nigerians have become more fearful of the future now more than ever before and are truly having their expectations dashed and their hopes betrayed by the ruling elite. It is in this dire mood that we end the year 2023 and in this condition that we move into the new year 2024.”
The NLC however, assured Nigerians that it will, in the New Year, be committed to the welfare of Nigerians and continue to fight for their cause from the government at all levels.
“NLC will be committed in 2024 towards ensuring that a living wage becomes possible for all Nigerian workers by working with others to secure a National Minimum Wage that approximates the dictates of the various parameters that make incomes humane and grants access to necessities of life for the average worker.
“We will recommit to building workplaces that guarantee the rights and privileges of workers while building the basis for continuous wealth creation for our nation. All actions that will therefore ensure that Decent work gaps are reduced to their barest minimum will be encouraged. We will therefore strengthen our collaboration with the federal Ministry of Labour, NECA and the TUC using the tripartite process to regulate the Industrial Relations space and ensure that the reviewed labour administration laws are forwarded to the National Assembly for passage into Law.
From every indication, 2024 will be an interesting year. Interesting because it will witness a period where all that has been taken away from workers will be restored. Any Private sector employer or Agency of Government that is therefore owing any Nigerian worker anywhere should be ready to pay up in 2024.
We will work in collaboration with our civil society partners to generate frameworks that will build stronger and more robust civic space which ensures that our voices are heard at all times and used to check and assist the government in taking the right actions that will make governance more effective and beneficial for the majority of the citizenry”, Ajaero said.
