Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Dr. Lukman Salihu, has criticised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over its seeming inaction on the food blockade to the southern part of the country.
Salihu, in a statement yesterday, wondered why the NLC failed to live up to Nigerians’ expectations during the recent food crisis in the southern part of the country caused by ethnic clashes between the Hausa/Fulani and the Yoruba.
In the statement entitled ‘True Federalism and Labour Issues’, he accused the NLC officials of working to satisfy their selfish interests to the detriment of Nigerians.
He was peeved that the union was resisting moves to remove issues relating to taking wages and salaries from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list in the constitution.
He said: “NLC prides itself, being part of organised labour, as ‘about the only truly pan-Nigerian organisation with diverse membership that cuts across ethnic and religious affiliations, which has continued to speak and champion for the rights of Nigerians, regardless of creed and breed.’
“With all these claims, why is the NLC unable to speak or intervene in the issue of blockade of supply of food items from the north to the south by Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN)? With AUFCDN being an affiliate of NLC, which at the time of the NLC National Executive Council meeting (March 2), was going through very difficult times with Nigerians, is it that the issue of blockade of food supply to the south is not an important matter requiring the attention of the NLC and perhaps a resolution in the communiqué of its March 2 NEC meeting?”
According to Salihu, it is not only on the issue of minimum wage that NLC should demonstrate its nationalist credentials, as citizens want to see a pan-Nigerian NLC actively providing a united rallying point for the resolutions all our divisive challenges.
“It is important we recognise that our current challenges as a nation require a complete overhaul of existing frameworks. Whether in relation to minimum wage or other issues affecting all sectors of our national economy, we are faced with a reality that questions all the existing frameworks,” he added.
