By Tope Musowo
Lagos
Despite efforts being made by veteran labour leaders in the country to mend fences between the two factional presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero and Ayuba Wabba, there seems to be no end in sight to the crisis as Ajaero last week wrote Wabba a letter warning him against destabilising the labour union.
In a letter dated, 26th of October, 2016, titled: “ Insidious Attempt At Destabilising The Labour Movement : An Urgent Call to Stop,” addressed to Comrade Ayuba Wabba, Ajaero warned him against what he described as his “clandestine moves to create internal schisms amongst major trade unions in the country.”
He accused Wabba of sponsoring illegal groups in many Union with the aim of using them to undermine their leadership which rather negates the spirit of the movement.
Ajaero also warned that the extent to which “Wabba is pursuing his interests has dangerously elevated the character and dynamics of engagements within the nation’s Industrial Relations sphere will not augur well for Nigerian workers and masses who he is pursuing to lead at all cost.”
Ajaero’s letter noted that: “A true leader should be worried about the state of Nigerian workers and deeply concerned about the increasing cries of deprivations and humongous suffering amongst the masses that truly look up to them for leadership out of their present quagmire, but unfortunately, Ayuba seems not to fall into this category of very concerned and proactive leaders. Instead, his time has been more vested in pursuing his personal agenda.
“Inviting the EFCC or other Security agencies through proxies as a leverage to hunt labour leaders in Nigeria will not work. Pursuing the appropriation of
state powers for the purposes of resolving purely Industrial Relations issues is at best self-defeating and we can say very destructive.”
