By Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
Affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will have to build stronger unions to stand the test of time and remain relevant. President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, speaking at the inauguration of a house built by the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) for its founding president, Stephen Osidipe, said it was in the interest of the trade union movement in Nigeria to build stronger unions.
“It is in our own interest to build stronger unions, so that employers will not capitalize on our weaknesses, especially in the private sector,” he said.
Lamenting that some members of the unions were only after what they could get from the unions, Wabba charged organised labour in Nigeria to learn from other formidable labour organisations outside the country, such as in America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Kenya.
“Many people don’t know how a union is run. We have different models all over the world, but in all accountability is the key and unions take their instructions only from the members,” he said.
Commending the leadership of NUFBTE, led by its president, Lateef Oyelekan, the NLC boss said it was an achievement that would go down in history, that when leaders serve an organization well, they will be rewarded.
He said, “We are in an era when labour leaders sell out and I say this without mincing words, in the morning, they will say a different thing. In the evening, they will be dining and whining, and they will collect money, they will build houses, they don’t even want anybody to see the house.
“We are not part of such bandwagons, we should learn how to do good things, if you are part of those who do that it will not last, infact sickness will take it away from you.”
He noted that Osidipe deserved the reward having laid a good foundation for the union to build on without expecting any gratification or steal from the union.
He reasoned that while his contemporaries around the time were counting houses, and counting cars, the founding president of NUFBTE preferred to serve, adding that God rewarded him with good health at over 80 years while lives of those who stole from their unions have been a desert, because it was the sweat and blood of members that they used to enrich themselves.
He stated, “As I said, I actually chose to be here personally, because to me, it is very emotional, it is historic. But also it speaks volumes of lesson to many trade union leaders that will be coming on.
“As a trade union leader, if you have something that you cannot account for, then question yourself, I’ve seen many, they are richer than the union. The union is getting poorer, but they are becoming much, much more richer. That is not how to build stronger unions. The reasons you see people fighting is because the union have been made to be good. Everybody wants to come in, if you notice, but everybody will have to learn the process.”
He stated that the leadership of the union have same resemblance with what he did while he was at the leadership of his union, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), where when he took over had nothing but left over N300 million, six storey secretariat building, two hotels at his exit as well as fully rewarded all the past leadership whose entitlements were hanging.
Charging members of the union not give chance to anybody that is destructive, as they will not be able to take care of the welfare of members, he advised that next administration should equally build on the achievement of the present leadership.
Earlier, president of the union, Oyelekan, said the union decided to build the house for his first president to show appreciation to him for his service to the union which others are now enjoying.
“He deserved it. He’s the only President that worked for the union since 1978, bought the lands where we have our secretariat. After him no other achievement until the Lord brought us,” he said.
He said he often saw the past presidents coming to the secretariat while he was a deputy president on a motorcycle and equally living in a rented apartment, whereas he could have had everything if he was greedy.
“We sincerely apologize to our founding President, we would have completed the building in 2019, but disrupted by COVID-19, but thank God we completed it and handing it over eventually. God’s time is the best,” he said.
Oyelekan said the NLC President has always been a role model and quite supportive to the union in the struggle against several anti workers policies.
Appreciating the union for the well furnished building and other supports rendering to him by the Oyelekan led administration, Osidipe charged members of the union to cooperate with the leadership to have a seamless transition.
“Don’t know what to say but I thank God for preserving my life to witness it. I nearly collapsed when I entered and saw the structure, I was not expecting anything like this. The lesson here is that when you do good, good things will follow you,” he said.