By Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
Stakeholders have advocated better collaboration and synergy between organised labour and student leaders to effectively raise a future generation of workers with patriotic values.
This is even as the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC), has been charged to ensure that issues relating to the ongoing strike in the universities are concluded before the 2023 election.
Reflecting on the lingering industrial action in universities and the disposition of students towards the strike and other national challenges, participants at a two-day meeting of labour-student leaders organised by the Organization of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA), with support from Solidarity Center West Africa, held last week in Lagos, declared that the leaders of the trade unions have failed in their responsibility of mentoring the next generation of leaders.
Coordinator of the programme from the Solidarity Centre, Bashman Mohammed, said the aim of the meeting was to identify issues of common interest and agree on a priority for a joint advocacy campaign.
“At the end of the meeting, participants will develop a position statement and a strategic advocacy campaign plan reflecting a map of key decision-makers,” he said.
He said the efforts was in a bid to revive and strengthen labour unions’ ties with student-youth organizations, and CSOs with the aim of promoting democratic values and pursuing people-oriented policies.
Executive secretary of OTUWA, John Odah, recalled how the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) used to work in synergy during his student days.
“The NLC 1981 Charter of demands was what we as the students used the following year as our charter of demand,” he said.
He noted that most of the student activists on the campus were also employed by the NLC because of what they stood for and what they had to offer in terms of advocacy.
He warned the leadership of the APC-led government against incurring the wrath of the citizenry at the polls, should the present ASUU strike linger on.
General secretary, Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON), Gbenga Komolafe, lamented that the absence of students’ advocacy on issues of national concern, especially in the education sector, could be attributed for the prolonged strike.
“We have to see what we can do differently. NANS in those days was about economy because how economy is being managed and capacity to fund education is inter-related.
“ASUU is now fighting what NANS used to demand for, need for adequate funding, democratization, active participation, etc. Today, that ASUU is now fighting for students is out of it,” he said.
Secretary general, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nuhu Toro, noting that there’s need to rejig and impart ideological knowledge on the students, promised that the congress will strive to work it out.
“Labour has responsibility to mentor the student and we are taking full responsibility that we have failed our younger generation.
“We believe that students are workers tomorrow, and as workers it’s our responsibility to support them. Workers are also parents, hence we should support ASUU to ensure that our university are well funded,” he said.
Abiodun Aremu, in his own submission said Nigeria is not broke as being propagated by the government, but rather the money is looted through Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), privatisation and the money are in individual hands.
“Students are workers in training, wealth looted are the ones from production which is the sweat of the workers. The battle on now is the battle for the students, not ASUU, NASU. The right to education is not negotiable,” he stressed.
In a communique released at the end of the workshop and jointly signed by
John Odah, Executive-Secretary of OTUWA, Nuhu Toro, Secretary General, TUC, Gbenga Komolafe, General Secretary, FIWON and Sunday Asefon, President, National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), participants which cut across key labour leaders, student union leaders, human right activists, and members of the press resolved that it is of great importance to forge a transformed Labour-Student Coalition with capacity to better defend workers and students’ rights/interest towards a more economically just society.
The participants also recommended that a Joint Action Committee of Labour and Student organizations should be constituted to revive democratic consciousness among organizations across campuses as well as foster greater collaboration on pressing issues.
Part of the recommendations include organizing town hall meeting for students and labour leaders in the six geopolitical zones.