Labour leaders have failed to demand good governance for Nigerians – Amaechi

PORT HARCOURT -  GOVERNOR Chibuike Amaechi Thursday lashed at labour unions in the country for seemingly doing noting to fight for a better Nigeria.

The governor who spoke at a May Day rally in Port Harcourt said labour unions knew the problems confronting the country but were running away from the solution.

Cross section of Nigerian workers, during the 2014 Workers day commemoration, THEME: Building Enduring Peace and Unity, Panacea for Sustainable National Development, at Onikan, Stadium, Lagos Island. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

“The Chairman of TUC took me back to my school days. He was able to analyse the problems of Nigeria.

It was typical of TUC and NLC in Nigeria; they know the problem,  the solution, but they don’t want to go for the solution. I don’t know why and I don’t know if they have compromised.”, he said.

Continuing, he said in the past labour unions were actively involved in the struggle to consolidate the nation’s democracy, adding that the present crop of labour leaders had failed to demand good governance for Nigerians.

“The fact that a few people are stealing the money in itself is social, economic and political violence.

From the speech made by the state TUC chairman, I asked if TUC and NLC knew all these, what have they done? If it is true that you heard that $20 billion was missing from our purse or $49.8 billion, either way, if you know how many hospitals, how many schools we would build, if you how many workers we would employ with N8 trillion, then by now, both students and labour unions will be on the street.

I remember when I was a student leader; you cannot arrest a student union leader without schools closing all over Nigeria. You cannot steal that kind of money that is being stolen in Nigeria without all the universities going demonstration and schools all over the country will be closed. You cannot do that without labour union coming out to the streets.

Today all of us who are labour leaders are junketing and enjoying with politicians. So, the poor masses are suffering because they have nobody to speak for them. They (poor masses) are voiceless and there is no leader to lead the voiceless. They are hungry and there is nobody to address their hunger.

You as labour leaders have not asked of what we need to do to get this democracy working? Why is there impunity? Why are policemen being used against Nigerians? Why should Nigeria lose 200 children and nobody is talking? It could be your turn.”, Amaechi said.

BY JIMTOTA ONOYUME

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