Workers in Kogi State, under the aegis of Concerned Workers, said they have uncovered plots by some mischief makers who made fruitless efforts to malign the person and integrity of Comr. Onuh Edoka, Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
The Group in a press statement signed by Comr. Ayodele Obagayi, cautioned the mischief makers from making unsubstantiated allegations of corruption against the NLC Chairman, maintained that the writer and the write up was a figment of imagination, totally laced with concocted and unsubstantiated lies to malign the person of the NLC Chairman in Kogi State and who has been in the vanguard agitating for workers welfare.
The Group was reacting to a publication championed by an online Newspaper with the caption “Kogi Workers May Down Tool Over Plans By NLC To Deduct Their Salaries”, regretted that the sponsors of the author of the write up got it all wrong, most especially that the NLC Chairman, without mincing words, has in the last seven years, sustained the struggle for workers welfare with integrity and without compromise.
The group said ordinarily it would have kept mute on the issues raised by the author of the said publication, but said for the discerning public who Maybe mislead with the misinformation, decided to ensure that the public is kept abreast on the frivolous allegation leveled against the NLC under the leadership of Comrade Onuh Edoka that are all lies.
The group reiterated that at no time did the workers in the State planned to down tool over alleged move to deduct their salaries for the funding of the Labour House.
Part of the statement read: ” Since Comrade Onuh Edoka took over the mantle of NLC leadership about seven years ago, the interest of both State and Local Government workers have remained his priority. We are bold to state that on assumption of office during his acceptance speech as the State NLC Chairman, he promised to uphold the confidence reposed in him by ensuring that the welfare of workers remains the top priority of his administration.
” The author in the said publication accused Edoka of being corrupt but could not pin point any fact or petition against the Chairman that found him wanting of any corrupt practice or has ever been found wanting by the relevant authorities in the fight against corruption”.
” We have checked from available records, that neither citizens, workers nor officials in Kogi State or beyond have written to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offence, (ICPC), have petitioned the agency that Edoka is corrupt as widely said in the write up”.
” It is on record that he sacrificed all entreaties and overture, stood in discomfort without accepting offers to mortgage the interest of Kogi workers”
” On the purported plans to deduct N3000.00 from salaries of civil servants in three instalments of N1000.00 effective from July, 2022 to build Labour House. We make bold to state that at no time was any meeting, memo seeking the consent of workers to the effect that any deduction would be carried out from their salaries was communicated to the State Head of Service.
” It is no longer news that since the creation of Kogi State in 1991. The NLC has no residence of their own. They have always rented apartments to pilot the affairs of the labour Union for over 30 years.
” We must however commend Comr. Edoka who as Chairman, decided to change the narratives. The Labour House which is open for investigation with pictorial evidence attached, has reached 98 percent completion in the project without the NLC Chairman seeking workers contribution”.
” It is important to state that if the NLC own a property that it can call it own, rather than commendation that the building would outlive the Comr. Edoka’s leadership and for other NLC Leadership to use, we are surprised that mischief makers would choose to dessipate energy on frivolity and what is not in existence.
” Surprisingly, Kogi State, remains one State the NLC does not own a building housing it office, yet, we make bold to say that against all odds, the leadership of Comr. Edoka has stood in the gap for a struggle for better welfare for Kogi workers, without compromise.
” We wish to State that in an attempt to malign the integrity of Comr Edoka, names of non existent Civil Servants mentioned in the said report that spoke to the online medium we have discovered are not workers in the Kogi State Civil Service but mentioned to achieve the devilish intention of the author, which to our satisfaction, the write up was disregarded by the entire Kogi workers as neither here nor there.
We therefore call on the author of Kogi Flame and sponsored by some disgruntled element who wanted to score cheap points, aimed at destroying the image of NLC under the leadership of Onuh Edoka to within the next 48 hours through a retraction, tender an unreserved apology, or face legal action.
Let it be placed on record that it was our encouragement and calls for the NLC Chairman contest the National Assembly election. Unfortunately, all our efforts failed as he failed to harken to our call even though he possesses all the prerequisites to serve in the National Assembly. That the writer was on a mission to tarnish a reputation built over the years was not in doubt, unfortunately, his antics failed flat like a pack of card and his attempt at achieving a selfish interest for percuniary gains for a quality he is well known for could not be realized.
We wish to State that the write up against Comr Edoka was concocted to pitch workers against the leadership of NLC who over the years has fought tirelessly towards the actualization and the implementation of new minimum wage, cash backing of promotion arrears among others.
While we urge the Workers of Kogi State to discard the write up as published by the online medium as totally laced with concocted lies, it should be discarded in the trash bin, as it is as worthless a piece, with intention to bring to disrepute the good name of a labour leader who by all intent and purposes made Kogi State Workers proud in the last seven years.
While on the scale of balance, we can convincingly say that amidst all the challenges, the NLC Chairman has scored an excellent mark in ensuring that Kogi workers get what is due to them in the present circumstance.