The growing practice of state governors leaving their states to live permanently in Abuja, leaving their citizens to struggle economically, has alarmed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
At a town hall meeting with employees at the NLC Secretariat in Lokoja, Kogi State, NLC President Joe Ajaero announced this.
The discussion took place during the NLC leadership’s visit to commission ten compressed natural gas (CNG) buses that were given to the state’s workers to help with their transportation needs.
Workers had a chance to voice their complaints during the occasion, and Ajaero promised to relay them to the state governor.
But he bemoaned the lack of governors in the five zones he has visited thus far.
Absence of Governors Impacting Governance
“But there is a problem we are having in trends because most governors are now living in Abuja permanently,” said Ajaero, criticizing the state of affairs. Kogi is roughly in the fifth of the five zones we have now shifted to. Only one state’s governors have met us. They are in Abuja every time you visit, and this has an impact on governance.
He emphasized that leaders need to be reachable by the people if democracy is to have any real meaning. “In my opinion, we ought to be able to run the center and the units so that people can communicate with their leaders and feel the benefits of democracy.”
Ajaero added that the NLC would make an effort to provide the governor with the needs of the workers.
He did, however, add: “So, if we record all of these things, the information you provide us will be contingent upon the governor’s presence. We will provide him your information if he is present. We pass it to him if he is not present, anyone he chooses to send.
The Strategic Value of Kogi to NLC
The NLC President underlined that because both Governor Usman Ododo and his deputy had union experience, Kogi State has particular meaning for the labor movement.
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The deputy governor was formerly a member of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and Ododo was formerly a member of the NLC in Niger State.
“We want to hold a town hall meeting to hear what you have done and what hasn’t been done correctly, so we take it to them,” he said.
“To us, it is like homecoming,” Ajaero said, adding that the visit was also a chance to evaluate the government’s work. To find out if they are engaging in the behaviors we are criticizing others for, we would like to visit and engage with them.
Kogi’s Illegal Labor Union Prohibition
Ajaero responded by declaring it unconstitutional the previous administration of Governor Yahaya Bello’s ban on labor unions at state-owned tertiary institutions.
He maintained that since labor issues are under the purview of the Exclusive Legislative List, state governments are powerless to outlaw unions.
Let me clarify that union practices are covered by the Constitution’s Exclusive Legislative List. No governor has the authority to outlaw them; you can’t outlaw something over which you have no control.
The registrar of trade unions registers unions around the country. They may decide to open branches in states for administrative convenience, so what are you now prohibiting?” he said.
Workers at the meeting told Ajaero that the state’s Colleges of Education, Technology, and Nursing, as well as Kogi State Polytechnic and Kogi State University, had prohibited labor unions for more than ten years.
Demands of Workers
Workers encouraged the NLC to address a number of urgent issues, including:
The failure to enact yearly pay raises
Insufficient housing options for employees
There is a severe teacher shortage in elementary and junior high schools.
Ajaero encouraged workers to continue fighting for their rights, promising that their complaints will be addressed by the authorities.
