The leadership crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) deepened on Thursday as factional leaders emerged in some state chapters.
At the 11th Delegates’ Conferences in Benin, the Edo State capital, two factions held parallel congresses.
Consequently, two leaders emerged in the state chapter with Emmanuel Ademokun, returned unopposed from the Ayuba Wabba faction while Eddy Ossai was elected Chairman for the Joe Ajaero faction.
The faction loyal to Ajaero held its conference at the Royal Marble Hotel while the faction loyal to Ayuba Waba conducted its conference at the Da Civic Centre on Airport Road, Benin.
The national leadership of NLC had on February 11, held a botched conference that resulted in the emergence of factional executives on March 12.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State was represented at the Ayuba Wabba faction by the Commissioner for Labour and Establishment, Didi Adodo, while the governor’s delegation shunned that of Ajaero’s faction.
Speaking at the NLC conference loyal to Wabba, Adodo urged the labour movement to elect leaders that could represent workers’ interests.
There was shouting match between Adodo and some workers when Adodo said the State Government did not owe workers.
Workers of the state-owned tertiary institutions and local government employees shouted down the commissioner and insisted that they were being owed several months.
Adodo explained that allocations from the Federal Government had dropped and that local government workers were not employees of the state government.
He said workers of the tertiary institutions were not paid directly from the state government coffers but from subvention paid to management of various institutions.
According to him, “tertiary institution workers are employed by the governing council of the institutions. Oshiomhole has released money to the institutions.
“If your management still owes you, your union leaders should bring the matter up. It is the lot of Oshiomhole to see that you are happy.”
Ademokun later told newsmen that only three unions were loyal to Ajaero’s faction in the state.
Ademokun said 31 out of 34 unions were present at the Ayuba faction in the state. He said the other faction would fizzle out after the May Day celebration.
Speaking at the inauguration of Ajaero faction executives, Kelly Ogbaloi urged the new executives to fight against casualisation and work towards moving the NLC forward.
The Chairman of Ajaero faction, Ossai, said 16 affiliate unions were present at the conference and urged the state government to be neutral in the NLC crisis.
He said, “Oshiomhole is our father. He should be a father to all groups. He taught us how to deal with issues with or without government’s support. Government will not throw us out. They must listen to us.’’
It was the same scenario in Kwara State where two State Executive councils were elected at different locations.
The two factional conferences were supervised by their respective national leaders.
At the State Banquet Hall, opposite the Government House, Ilorin, the Wabba-led NLC produced Alhaji Yekinni Agunbiade as Chairman while Bamidele Okogbe emerged as the Kwara Chairman of Joe Ajaero’s faction.
Mr Issa Aremu, General Secretary of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers’ Union, supervised the election as the newly-elected Deputy President of the faction.
He blamed the immediate past NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, for the crisis rocking the congress.
He wondered why NLC, under Omar, could organise an election involving only 3,000 delegates and could not collate and declare results for three days.
Aremu warned workers against leaders of the congress who romance with external powers to mortgage the general interests and the fight for the rights of Nigerian workers.
He announced that his faction of NLC would hold its Workers’ Day in Lagos on May 1.
“NLC is not Abuja Labour Congress; therefore we can hold May Day Rally anywhere in Nigeria.’’
At the Wabba faction, the outgoing Chairman, Umar Farouq, gave his executive and himself a pass mark in office.
He commended the State Government for a good working relationship with workers.
Farouq appealed to workers in the state to give necessary support to the incoming executives.
The Ajaero faction’s conference held at the Tobacco Company Hall elected Bamidele Okogbe as Chairman.
Suleiman Ajape emerged as Vice Chairman 1 while Tajudeen Balogun emerged Vice Chairman II.
Others included Mumuni Wara, Auditor 1, Saliu Shuaib Auditor II and Abdulateef Kolawole as Treasurer.
Tiamiyu Taofik was elected Ex-Officio 1while Obafemi Agbabiaka became Ex-Officio II and Adeyeye Adebiyi, Organising /Acting Secretary.
The crisis also affected the conference in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital as two leaders emerged.
Representatives of the state government attended the two conferences in Ibadan.
While a faction, headed by the Chairman of the council in Oyo State, Dr. Bashiru Olanrewaju, held its conference at the Lekan Salami Stadium Ibadan where Oyo State Head of Service, Mr. Soji Eweade, represented the state government, another group loyal to the Ajaero-led faction conducted its own at the National Museum Hall, Alesinloye, Ibadan with the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Labour matters, Mr. Akinola Lawal, representing his boss.
