Why we are protesting against bad governance – Wabba

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, has disclosed that Labour is to hold a rally for good governance tomorrow, MOSES JOHN brings the details.

Why is the organised labour planning rally for February 9, 2017?
Our rally will be particularly on the issue of the condition of Nigerian workers and pensioners, we thought also that we must canvass for the issue of good governance because of the fact that despite the Paris Club refund to some of the states, some of the states have not done well in making sure that workers interest is actually given the priority it deserve.
Whereas some of the state have actually done their best to ensure that the liability of salary and pension is being paid as at when due, example being Jigawa state, Bauchi state where there are little or no liabilities of pensions, gratuity and salary arrears.

Actually, gratuity in most of the states are seriously building up. Gratuity is an important component of the benefit of workers. In many states, we have liability of gratuity ranging between 7 months and 77 months. And worst case scenario is Imo State where we have liability of gratuity of 77 months and pensions. In fact, the Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, had contemplated pensioners who have not earn their pension for 77months will be paid in percentage. He proposed 60% which the pensioners have rejected. So, we are trying to propose to Imo State and assist these pensioners, but importantly, is the working class and their families who had being at the receiving end. These portray a lot of danger and challenges basically because in some of those strategies they don’t look at the issue of payment of salary as a priority.

I remember that one of the governors said that he has not been elected to actually pay salary but he also knew that his predecessor lost election to him because he could not pay salary. And at the time he took over, he has the liability of about 3 months but now it’s going to 6 months.
So, these are the challenges that we think we most also situate all of these things in the campaign for good governance and also to try to see how our political elites get their priorities right.
So, it is on the contest of these that both NLC and TUC will come out for second around campaign for good governance and fight against corruption. Because we realised from the data we have that it’s. Is not about how much those states are earning, but about how transparent the process is in those states. Some states actually receive less but yet they don’t have liability of salaries and pensions, while some states receive much but are not given priority to payment of salary, pensions and gratuity of the poor workers.

How about the issue of the new Minimum wage?
So, side by side for our request is for a review of minimum wage, it is very important for us to engage a process and get the people on the same page on the issue of campaign for good governance and fighting corruption. Because basically whether we like it or not, corruption will continue to fight back.
And except we the working class and our allies wage a serious war, it will not be easy for us to defeat the forces that have been our problem for many years. So, essentially, that is why we going ahead with that campaign and we are supposed to carry out the campaign precisely on February 9, 2017.
And these campaign is principally on the issue of good governance, because most of the problem we are facing in this country is not about resources but about getting out priorities right.

Is the rally going to hold only in Abuja and Lagos?
We are going to have a visit to some of these chronic states, especially states that defiled every solution to try to see reasons to address this issues, especially where workers have been so impoverished that they can’t even take care of their immediate family. Is a sad situation and we have prioritized those dates and so we are trying to accommodate all these challenges and ensure that workers are given voice.
We are also able to serialised our engagement both at the national and state levels. But importantly, is the fact that we need to continue to engage those issues with our political elites so that priorities would be given to those issues. Of recent we have heard of states that are owing but dedicated part of the Paris Club payment to even pay pension and gratuity, some of these states pay gratuity for 20 to 22 months. But others despite the fact that they have collected this money, they vow not to pay. One of the Governor said his priority is not to pay salaries so those are the issues.  Is about priorities and therefore we must also get our engagement right and know those groups that we need to engage.

What is the Labour point of view on the ongoing anti and pro-government protest by Nigerians?
Like I have said earlier, every citizen has a right under the law to protest, if he feels issues regarding him are not being address, that is allow by law and therefore such processes are normal in democracy. In democracy, there will be contestation and people will be allowed to aired their views and not only that, they can be allow to canvass for policies change and options.
So, what is happening is a normal process. We have done that before, you are aware that we have done more than five campaign across the country. So, if citizens feel those issues need to be canvass, I think is normal in democracy and they don’t even require permit to do that and therefore citizens must be allow to exercise that right and freedom that the constitution guaranteed. Protesting for and against has reasons why they are doing that and therefore every citizen must have that at the back of their minds.
Secondly, on the issue of president extending his vacation, well, all of us are human and people can get ill and so I don’t think it is an issue that need to be stressed. I think if is an issue that has to do with ill health, consideration should be given, since  all of us can fall ill anytime, so I think that should be respected and as well be allow to have those medical attention that is require, if it is communicated properly so there is nothing we can do about sickness I know that such issue use to generate interest but I think we need to do is to pray for the well-being of our president,  and his quick recovery so that he can return and continue to pilot the affairs of this country since the mandate had been given to him.

What is Labour doing on the hardship face by Nigerians, considering the fact that the exchange rate is eroding the purchasing power of workers?
That is why we call you to give you our own perspective, we should be leading and not the other way around.
Our perspective is that we must be clear on where we are going and know what are demands are. And these are clearly, that we must have good governance in place across all our structures. We have discovered that why we have not make progress and such things are re-occurring is because there is the lack of good governance. Most of the resources that is hitherto used to address these challenges have been taken away by few, but as Nigerians instead of responding to the issues, most of us trivialise the issues.

But as an organisation that are well  is well informed and a mass organisation, we must situated our arguments and contestation within the demands of our members and also within the demands of the larger public. That is why we said we are not going to join anybody, because we have already planned our activities with our allies. If you remember I talk about the high cost of goods are services, Nigerians are having difficulties in affording one meal per day, talk more of someone who is working but have not been pay for over six months. But in our contestation like stated earlier must be situated on the lack of good governance and also know that corruption is really fighting back.

If you look at the scenarios playing out, it is obvious that corruption is really fighting back.  And therefore, if we don’t fight back to defend workers and the generality of Nigerians, is the same political elites that would come back and repeat such scenario. So, for me is a contestation for all of us, both the organised labour and the civil society allies, we must situate our contestation in a very clear approach that we then bring solution not to compound the issue.
Also, Nigeria is rated as one of the corrupt countries in the world, that cannot be taken away, even the current report has also shown that and with what is happening, is like that those resources that is be use to fight back so we must have clarity of where we are going and what our demands are and not to be join on the back wagon that is why we itemised what will be our approach, our demands.

Recently you held protest at the Ministry of Health, what is the update?
The update is that this woman that was charge officially on 18 count charges for corruption by the EFCC, is still holding sway as the MD of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, this is because I was told that if she is allow to go, then many heads will roll but the public service rules is explicit, once you are charge to Court on such matter, she ought to have vacate the office.
We have told the unions there to sustain the protest until the right thing is done.

This is what we are talking about, in some cases before you are taken to court, they will ask you to vacate the office, but this is a case where the woman has been charge to Court on 18 count charges, she went back to office, those workers that are supposed to serve as witness on the case are being denied salary so is a contradiction that is why we said if care is not taken those who are deep in corruption will fight back and before you know it all us will be in the receiving end.

However, the case is still receiving attention, we are aware that the Permanent Secretary has put a very good memo and she is expecting the Minister of State for Health who supervise Federal Medical Centres to approve of it in-line with the public service Rule. She is still using public fund to hire a senior advocate of Nigeria to defend her, a case between her and the federal government so is a contradiction and therefore we have ask them to go back to trenches and ensure that the protest continue until she get out of the office.