The President, Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba has called on workers and pensioners to get actively involve in the 2023 electioneering process and work to elect only leaders with committment to uplift their economic situations in the next four years.
Comrade Wabba made the call while addressing participants at the ongoing 2022 NLC Harmattan School taking place at Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Ilorin Kwara State.
According to the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, whatever workers and pensioners may experience tomorrow in terms of welfare is a direct result of policies that would be made and the decisions that would be taken by the elected officials.
He, therefore, charged workers to rise to the occasion and engage the process fully for the emergence of labour friendly leaders at the states and national levels.
Comrade Wabba said the organised labour would soon commenced political town-hall meetings across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to broaden discuss on the various issues affecting workers and their charter of demands.
The Governor of Kwara State, Mr Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq who expressed his readiness to sustain a close working relationship with workers, enjoined the leadership of NLC and TUC to begin dialoguing with the Federal Government on the lingering issues of fuel subsidy removal.
The Director-General, Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS Ilorin Kwara State, Comrade Isah Aremu commended NLC for making the institute a training ground for Nigerian workers and told participants of the commitment of the institute management under him continue to make MINILS a most conducive environment for labour education in West Africa.
The Country Director, International Labour Organisation, ILO, Miss Vannissa Phalla, represented by ILO Senior Technical Specialist, Violata Chinyangarara described the training as timely and urged workers to unite.
On his part, the representative of the American Labour Centre Solidarity Centre, Mr Sonny Ogbuehi encouraged workers particularly in the informal sector to organise themselves to be able to improve their economic conditions.
The theme of the 2022 NLC Harmattan School, is “Expanding Nigeria’s Democratic Space for Trade Union Organising in the World of Work.