NLC wades into NASS crisis, says confab report is the way out

By Ezugwu Obinna

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has intervened in the current leadership squabbles going on in both houses of the National Assembly. The congress called for reconciliation between the two warring groups in the interest of Nigeria, while noting that the only way of solving problem at stake permanently was to implement the report of the recently concluded National Conference.

One of the Deputy Presidents of the union and the Secretary General of Textile and Garment Workers Union, Comrade Issa Aremu made this call in a press statement made available to Hallmark. He explained that the current challenges that the National Assembly is facing had been addressed in the National Conference and opined that the issues of independence of the legislature, carpet-crossing and party supremacy were at stake in the crisis.

“The unfortunate controversies trailing the recent controversial elections of the principal officers of the Senate and House of Representatives of the 8th National Assembly call for an immediate implementation of some of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference report with respect to the naughty twin-issues of management of political parties and electoral matters and politics and governance in Nigeria,” the statement read.

“At stake in this unhealthy development are the critical success factors of consensus building, independence of the National Assembly, party ideologies, inclusiveness and vote-counting, shared values, party supremacy and  carpet-crossing among others.”

“These issues are recurring specters hunting Nigeria’s democracy since 1999. Happily these issues have been addressed in 2014 National Conference with robust recommendations begging for implementations. It’s time we worked the national talk which lasted almost a year with enormous human and financial national resources.”

“Labour therefore calls on the legislators that it is neither triumphalism nor despair but genuine reconciliation and sober reflections. Simple electoral process involving 109 senators and 360-member House of Representatives should not be characterized by so much tension, doubt and acrimonies.”

The congress however, insisted that such resolution must be done in the interest of Nigerians while regretting that the crisis is coming after an election that was generally applauded as credible.

“Labour demands that the resolution of the current crisis of leadership of the National Assembly must be in favour of Nigeria and strengthening of Nigeria’s democracy and nothing less.”

“The current crisis of election of leadership in the Assembly comes too soon after the nation has gained considerable political mileage in consensus building following the March 28 2015 presidential elections. This negative development raises the dangerous reminder of the past political wars of attrition.”

The NLC further described as “unacceptable” the running cost of maintaining the National assembly which it said was way above global average even in the face of the country’s economic challenges which had impoverished Nigerian workers. Just as it lamented that the law governing the petroleum sector in Nigeria was the same out of date 1969 Petroleum Act.

“The costs of running our National Assembly are unacceptably above global average of running costs of parliaments. Worse too, there is a disconnect between the money spent and the benefits of legislative process to the nation with the growing gap between the increasingly accumulative owning political class on one hand and impoverished working men and women in formal and informal sectors as well the millions of unemployed without social security on the other hand.”

“It is a legislative scandal of the 21st century that the law regulating the petroleum sector in Nigeria is the same obsolete – 1969 Petroleum Act. Despite the crisis of criminal importation in place of domestic beneficiation through domestic refining crude, crude oil theft, products’ hoarding and petroleum products’ price robbery, 7 assemblies in quick successions in Nigeria could not pass the Petroleum industry bill (PIB) making it to gather dust since 2000.”

“Labour looks forward to progressive legislative legislations for development, productivity and protection of domestic industry, ensuring dignity of labour, improved new minimum wage, occupational health and safety, wealth generation, employment and freedom of association  in the new National Assembly.”

”Lastly labour looks forward to a sensitive National Assembly whose members would reduce their existing prohibitive pay largely informed by greed not their need. They should emulate President Muhammed Buhari and few governors who had demonstrated national sensitivity in recent time, promised to free resources for development and not their self-helps.”