… passes confidence vote on his leadership
The Leadership of various unions in Kogi State have condemned the malicious attack on the State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) Comrade Onuh Edoka by an online medium over alleged plans to deduct workers monthly salaries for the purpose of building the Labour House.
The leaders in their separate interviews, on Friday distanced Kogi Workers in the said publication, pointing out that at no time did they threaten to go on strike over fears in the deduction of the monthly salaries to build labour house.
The union leaders in their separate remarks expressed dismay in what they described as deliberate and wicked attempt by enemies of Kogi Workers to cause confusion in the state, noting that, the publication with the headline, “Kogi Workers May Down Tools Over Plans By NLC To Deduct Their Salaries”, was misleading.
The Labour Leaders attributed the mischievous report as fraudulently sponsored to gain pecuniary interest, cheap popularity, which will never come to pass.
According to the Kogi State Chairman, Trade Union Congress, (TUC), Comrade Ranti Ojo, the write up was a figment of imagination, totally laced with concocted and unsubstantiated lies to malign the person of Comrade Edoka who has been agitating for better welfare for workers in Kogi State.
“It was a shock to all of us. There is no letter to the Government of Kogi State to help us deduct any amount. Secondly, We can not even do that without getting the authority from our members. Without the consent of the workers we still have to seek the approval of Labour unions at the National Secretariat.
“It is after all this protocols that we can write to government to do this. When I saw that write up yesterday, in fact I was embarrassed. I called the owner of the platform to ask what was his source of information. If the author was truly privy to such information, he would have called us to authenticate his story rather than writing from his imagination of being sponsored by some criminal element who want to tarnish the image of the NLC Chairman who has worked tirelessly for the interest of workers in Kogi State.
” The writer claimed he asked workers. Which worker did he asked that threatened strike action. Those names are ghost and not Kogi Workers. They are all fake. Is the organized labour deducting money to go and build houses for themselves”
He however revealed that NLC and TUC does not have workers as members, adding that, they only have affiliate members.
“When you are asking what they are using the check up due for. Is anybody paying check up dues to NLC or TUC. They are paying check up dues to their respective union. I belong to Academic Staff Union of Secondary School, (ASUSS). What ever they are deducting in the name of my union goes to ASUSS. Not for ASUSS in Kogi, but National.
“Take for instance, if the check up due for (ASUSS) in Kogi is N1,000000 per month, the 1,000,000 goes to the National. The National will now give Kogi (ASUSS) 20% of the N1,000000 which is N200,000. Then out of this N200,000 that comes to (ASUSS), (ASUSS) will now pay 10 percent of it to TUC Kogi. 10% of N200,000 is N20,000. Is that the money that we want to use to build house. This is applicable to other union.
“They have gotten it wrong from the on set. What I want the public to know is that if workers want labour leaders to represent them well. One of the way they will achieve this is having a good and comfortable accommodation.
“For over 30 years that this state has been created, NLC and TUC does not after an apartment of their own. They have been on a rented apartment. My own rented apartment in Lokoja once housed NLC in Kogi State under Comrade E.E Omata.
“There was a time under a former NLC chairman that NLC was thrown out of their apartment because of their inability to pay rent. There was a day a former governor visited organized labour and lamented that is this where NLC secretariat is. He promised to assist us in getting a secretariat, but that did not see the light of the day.
“When Comrade Edoka became Chairman of NLC, he was using Medical and Health Workers office as NLC secretariat. When he finished his tenure as Medical and Health Chairman, he have to vacate that office for the new Chairman. Because of our ingenuity and many more, we said we can’t blame our predecessor for not having Labour house on their own”.
Explaining further he said,
In other state, State Government built labour house for workers but later intimidate them. Less I forget, in River State, the State Government built labour house, when the good relationship became strained, the government locked the place up since they used their money to build it, simply because labour was demanding for workers welfare. Is it not better for workers to be proud of their own house.
“Out of our own ingenuity we want to leave a legacy. That is what Edoka and other labour leadership is doing. Labour under Edoka and myself have built labour house which is about 90 percent completed without collecting a dime from workers. It is called labour house and not Edoka house. It is a pride to every union in this state. The sponsor of the write up is ignorant of the whole scenario”.
He challenged the writer to produce the letter and evidence that they want to deduct workers money on monthly basis. ” He quoted a labour leader but failed to mention the person. This shows the write up is greeted with deceit and is aimed at instigating workers against Comrade Edoka and other Labour leaders in Kogi State. We can charge him to court to produce those acclaimed workers he interviewed. As we speak, there is nothing like that” he added.
He commended Edoka for his doggedness in the labour movement stressing that, the writer who made reference to Edoka’s political ambition goes to show how desperate, like a plague, wanted at all course to pull down the NLC Chairman despite his numerous achievements for the workers of Kogi State.
Also speaking, the Kogi State President, National Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE) Comrade Tade Adeyemi disassociated Local Government Workers from the said publication described the author as one seeking for cheap attention.
He said Comrade Edoka and his team should be commended for his sacrifices in championing the course of Civil Servant in Kogi State. Adeyemi, however, passed a vote of confidence on Edoka adding that Workers in Kogi State are solidly behind him towards the realization of a beautiful edifice that will be called their own.
Lending his voice, the Kogi State Chairman, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Gabriel Amari while condemning the publication also called for legal action against the publisher and the author saying they did the publication out of envy and ignorance.
Amari said the publication defamed the personality and Character of Comrade Edoka who according to Kogi Workers has been adjudged as one of the most incorruptable, faithful, discipline and performing labour leader in the history of Kogi State.
According to him, the publication was also aimed to stage a coup against the good work of labour leaders, by fanning the embers of war, pitching workers against their leaders at the both State and Local level.
” The half baked, watery write up accusing our leader Comarade Onuh Edoka of being corrupt and that he has allegedly lost focus in the helm of running the affairs of NLC is satanic and should be condemned in its entirety. Let me set the record straight. The author and his sponsors got it wrong completely. Our NLC Chairman has never been found wanting since his administration came on board. Moreover, he never introduced any business such as laptop, motor cycle and many more for workers.
“He has been running the affairs of labour with transparency. Where is all this frivolous allegations coming from? We won’t rest until justice is done. We demand that the publisher of the publication write a retraction, which should be publish on at list two national dailies. If not, we will be investigating a suit against the online medium for character assassination and many more. On behalf of my union members, we pass a vote of confidence on our performing leader Comrade Onuh Edoka.