INTERVIEW: Why We’re Protesting Against Gov Hope Uzodinma-NLC

Emmanuel Ugboaja, the Secretary General of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in this interview with THE WHISTLER, explains why it is protesting in Imo State.

Excerpts…

How Many Pensioners Are Being Owed?

I cannot you give a specific number so that we don’t run into trouble, but the numbers are huge, same is the amount. We have text messages of people who have been owed for 43 months and then suddenly got paid one month to confirm that they are real people, these are people that are declared ghost workers.

We got our information from the president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Imo State, Richard Ezeh, who sadly is one of the apologists of Gov Hope Uzodimma. He said that pensioners across 27 local Government Areas of the state are been owed. But when he realized that we’re coming to Owerri, he got his clowns to issue statements against our coming.

The list of unpaid workers was submitted to us by the NULGE president, we didn’t manufacture the item working in Imo state. We act on complaints brought to us. But they came back here and said the man
(Uzodimma) had intimidated them, that they cannot handle him themselves, so we should intervened. This is because we kept quiet and people accused our silence as been bought over. So, we asked for the
list, but in the press statement, he was trying to deny what he had told us.

But because truth is constant, he (Ezeh) said “it is on record that our worker -friendly governor is paying salaries as at when due, even those with salary issues will have their salaries restored in this October salary payment”. When you say you will restore them in October payment. What does that mean?

When my attention was drawn to this, I forwarded it to the National Leadership of NULGE, and I said, how can we be going to Imo state and your person is writing this?

His response was, “I issued these press releases to counter various publications with voice messages being sent out by some dissident members who were playing politics with the issue of unpaid workers using themselves to cause confusion with a motive to hijack the leadership of the humans in this state”.

He wrote in the press statement he was using to deceive people, that the man pays salaries and pensions as at when due, but in his response to his union, where he had complained earlier, and he knows the truth, he’s admitting it. But he’s claiming that these people are now being restored to be paid in October.

What Step Has The Union Taken To Sanction Him On The Alleged Deceit?

That’s the point I’m making to you. These guys have been held hostage by this man (Uzodimma), either by the gun or by money. I don’t know which. I don’t know which he is using to hold this guy hostage, but these were the guys who reported to us.

So, we know for a fact that workers are being owed. We know that for a fact. So, if you compromise a Labour leader, it’s not going to change that fact. And we’re not going to pretend that because you have bought over a labour leader, then suddenly Imo workers have been paid, that would be crazy, that would be evil.

NLC Had Alleged That Uzodimma Has Refused To Meet NLC Delegation. Has The President Intervened In The Matter?

We have written to everybody. It’s before the Minister of Labour. We have taken it up at the presidential negotiation on subsidy palliative when they claimed that he (Uzodimma) would lead the governor’s forum palliative team. And we said a guy that has a terrible record with workers can’t lead governors to discuss with workers, it doesn’t make sense,and that’s why he was not chosen. So, everybody is aware. Our going to Imo, we wrote to the Inspector General of Police, Department of State Service, National Security Advisor, the President and Minister of Labor.

It’s before them. What we have not done is carrying guns to defend ourselves. We had an agreement in May with Uzodimma, and when we went to court and he was questioned why has not implemented his agreement with the union, they said they had not implemented the agreements with us due to the exigency of time. So, they don’t have time to implement.

We don’t carry guns. So, we said, okay, let’s go to Imo and protest, and let workers know that we’ve not been bought over, that we hear their cries. Let’s sit in the open, let the poor worker see us live, and hear the narrative of what we have done. It’s trade union action, that’s all we know, that’s all we can do. We withdraw our services and picket.

But in the end, we were assaulted, reason why the indefinite strike action in Imo state.

How Are You Ensuring Strict Compliance By All Institutions In Imo State? We Understand That IMSU Has Not Join The Strike.

To disobey the organization there will be consequences. We are not military that reacts immediately. As you have done diligently, we are
going to get reports across to know those who carried out directives and those who did not. Every union has processes for discipline. Ultimately those folks will be disciplined. ASUU is an affiliates union, we fight for ASUU, we fight for everybody.

In the course of the negotiation for palliative, we ensured that ASUU and other university union issues were still brought to the fore. We expect everybody to be his brother’s keeper, so if they go against legitimate agreed resolutions, there will be consequences.

What Is The Status Of The NLC President Joe Ajaero?

Well, he is recuperating, his right eye is now open. Although he is in terrible pain and bad shape, I have seen him and can confidently tell you that he can see with the affected eye.

What Is The Status of Investigation Into The Attack On Ajaero’s Hometown? Has Any Arrest Been Made?

Nobody does any arrests in Imo state. People do stuff, and then the police will confidently say they’re unknown gunmen, or IPOB, and ESN. Imo state is a place where anything goes.

People commit all manner of heinous crimes and go unpunished. If a member of Nigerian security agencies happens to be a victim, then they will go level the community where such an act happens. But if it’s a citizen, then it is termed unknown gunmen, therefore the citizen is not entitled to any succour, justice or nothing.

One has never seen a lawless state anywhere in the world where people still pretends that things are normal. it’s wishful thinking to imagine that anything will happen, you know, the guys have showed that they are above the law. So, we take what happens and life goes on.

In the case of Ajaero, despite police admission that he was attacked by hoodlums, they still couldn’t arrest at least one thug. So, It’s like they gently shook the intruder from the ladder. So, the police gently collected Ajaero from the hoodlums and walked away. In Imo state, you can’t get justice

In 2020, he destroyed and vandalized our sectariat. By 2021 January, we went to meet with him. The current Governor of Kebbi State led that team, I was in that team. We have always had hope that he would turn a new live.

We met with him to the point of signing an agreement. Till date not one demand was implemented. It was on the strength of that that we still agitated. You need to implement this agreement. Until the Ayuba Wabba administration was over. Then Ajaero took over.

Ajaero took over an already existing problem, not one created by him. The decision to go to Imo was a standing decision that was taken by the National Executive Council under Ayuba and carried over.

All we did was receive more punches From Gov Uzodinma.

By February 2023, he disrupted our union elections in the state and have the people beat to pulp and our materials destroyed. Till date, the police haven’t arrested anybody. We wrote to the police for protection to hold our conferences. They attended and then said they were requested to pull out from the government house, they pulled out and few minutes later our people got beat to pulp. You did no arrest, no persecution.

Has The Federal Government Contacted The Union Over The Planned November 14 Nationwide Indefinite Strike?

Knowing them, they will believe there is enough time, but by 2:00pm Monday November 13 they will announce a meeting to be held by 4:00pm. And when we meet, they will claim no time to discuss, and ask that we shelve the strike.

Do You Think This Time Will Be Different?

Most times we reach an agreement and they sign a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) which we expect them to respect and implement. And if we refuse the MOU, they accuse us of trying to sabotage the economy.

Head or tail, we are blamed. Trade unionism is not about the destruction of society, we build, we create the world.