Comrade David Kayode Ehindero is the Executive Director/ Lead Strategist of the Nigerians Workforce Strategy and Enlightenment Centre (NIWOSEC). In this interview with TOPE SUNDAY AND KEHINDE OSASONA, the treasurer, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kwara state council, unveils his organisation’s plans to fight for workers and restore their dignity.
What NIWOSEC represents NIWOSEC is a non-governmental organisation that is devoted to promoting cooperation and integration of Nigerian work force for national development.
It came into existence following the discovery that people working in Nigeria have issues with work culture and dignity of labour, which we are using one of our programmes called: “Work na Work” to correct. We also discovered that the working environment and the work itself are not properly channelled in Nigeria. So, NIWOSEC came to provide solution to the proper organisation and promotion of decent work culture in Nigeria in addition to building value-adding workforce. We want to promote dignity of labour and contribute substantially to the national development. We want Nigerian workers to work well; not just to work for themselves alone but for the development of Nigeria.
People in Nigeria have been working for themselves alone, but we want to look at a situation whereby they work to develop Nigeria. So, as long as you are working for yourself, we want everyone to bear in mind that the work you are doing is towards the general development of our country.
Members of NIWOSEC If you are a worker in the public or private sector or an artisan or self-employed, you are an automatic beneficiary of the services of the Nigerian Workforce Development Center (NIWOSEC) and you can also be registered as a member to get our activities together. We are planning to achieve this through the Nigerian Workers Group. Nigerian Workers Group is the membership arm of the Nigerian Workforce and Enlightenment Center.
It is the elite group of the entire workers in Nigeria to ensure that Nigerian workers are properly groomed for national development. It is not a labour union, but a neo-labour group where activities will be done by this group to project, develop and render services to workers in Nigeria. Workers are dominated by a lot of workers here and there. So, this group will provide social, welfare and developmental services for workers to enjoy. The arm was established to provide the services required by the Nigerian workers to enhance their working environment.
Funding The Nigerian Workers group will enable Nigerian workers to subscribe into it by paying a token of one thousand naira per year. This amount will enable you to benefit from the services of NIWOSEC. It is also another means to contribute your own quota to developing the programmes and projects that NIWOSEC is poised to offer.
Apart from that, we also depend on grants and support from partners. Is this a third labour centre? We don’t want to see it as a third force. It is a complementary force because government cannot do everything, and that’s why we have non- governmental organisations. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) cannot do everything. So, we proffer certain scientific solutions to bring Nigerian workers together and render services to them. NLC and TUC are watchdogs or pressure groups of the government. NIWOSEC is a service group and more scientific and not competing with NLC or TUC. Some of us are members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
I am the Chairman of the Agriculture and Allied Employees’ Union of Nigeria (AAEUN), Kwara state Council, and the Treasurer of NLC in the state. So we are complementary. We want to see a situation where we relate with them (NLC and TUC) more, rather than being seen as a third force.
Future clash with NLC and TUC If anybody is sincere, desirous of rendering service, then our objective is achieved. We are not into unionism. We are into coordinating the working class, the working environment and the workers themselves. That is our major aim: to solve problems with the working class. We are not competing with any group.
Wooing Nigerian workers We are just starting. We registered our activities formally in 2017 and the first programme we tried to initiate is the Nigerian workers conference. We want to redefine the working environment in Nigeria and ensure that people work right. For instance, Nigerian government sees workers as rendering social service.
They see employing people as giving social service to them. They are not using them properly for the purpose in which they are to serve. They are not enjoying their work satisfactorily, so there’s need for us to work and reschedule the work ethics and concept. We must believe in the resourcefulness of the Nigerian workers. We must believe they have something to offer the society. Most of government parastatals believe more in giving jobs to consultants and contractors. Nigerian government doesn’t believe in the ability of Nigerian workers. We are trying to change this.
We want Nigerian workers to work patriotically with the mindset to build Nigeria. If we have patriotic Nigerians, we will ensure that corruption will be brought down to the barest minimum. We are planning the Nigerian workers conference to galvanise all their affairs to contribute to the national development. We are planning it as a post workers’ event. Another programme we have is ‘Work no Work’ which we want to use to encourage blue collar jobs. In Nigeria, we divide jobs into class that we see others as less workers, which is not supposed to be in a decent environment. We appreciate dignity of labour. Workers in Nigeria must be appreciated socially and they must have something to show for it economically. We are starting with Kwara state artisan congress. We have fixed a date for that, to promote the dignity of labour among the so called blue collar workers.
Bringing workers together We also have the Nigerian worker data bank. We are planning to bring all the Nigerian workers together in a data through our website. Those who register will have the opportunity to be automatically recognised as members of the Nigerian workers group. They will also have the opportunity to vote from time to time so that we can be appraising participation in governance, a situation where a Nigerian worker will have direct participation in governance and opinion poll. These are the projects that government should be interested in supporting. We also have a lot of other programmes for Nigerian workers to create funds. We also have a scheme that enlists elites into agriculture so that as you are working, you also have agriculture to augment their earnings.
NIWOSEC not a political tool for the 2019 general elections I wish politicians should support us. We are not politicians or affiliated with political parties nor gender or religious biased. We have our mandate to promote the integration of Nigerian workers for national unity and development. We are not funded. We can appreciate sponsorship but won’t be coerced into political activities. There is nowhere in the world where a nation is built by government. Nations are built by workers. We are alive to our duties and must ensure that we build this nation. We need a situation where government will reciprocate by providing an enabling environment for Nigerian workers to thrive. We should be ready to build Nigeria to greatness like in Japan. We have it in great places in the world where people have built their nations together. So in Nigeria, we are to build Nigeria and not anybody from outside.
