Labour Party National Transition Committee Expresses Solidarity With Organised Labour On Struggle For National Minimum Wage

… Says Workers’ Struggle Has Revealed Abure’s Paymasters

The National Transition Committee (NTC) of the Labour Party has stated that it stands in solidarity with Nigerian workers in their quest for a decent national minimum wage.

In a statement jointly signed by NTC Chairman and labour veteran, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, and the Secretary of the committee, Engr. Nnawuihe Nwauwa, the NTC officials also noted that by their action in “denouncing” the spirited efforts of organised labour through a nationwide strike which was a response to the nonchalant attitude of the current government to workers’ welfare, Julius Abure platoon of ragtag sycophants had revealed who their real paymasters are. 

The National Transition Committee of Labour Party stated that the party also “unequivocally supports” the nationwide strike action by organised labour, which was well received by Nigerian workers with high level of voluntary compliance.

The statement noted that as the entire country rallied behind the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress on the current struggle by Organised Labour for a decent national minimum wage for Nigerian workers, “the political wannabes recruited by one Mr. Julius Abure” released a puerile statement condemning the efforts of Labour for Nigerian workers.

The statement further stated that the latest infantile effort by Abure and his suspended dissidents to ingratiate themselves to the insensitive Federal Government led by President Tinubu and treacherously disparage organised labour in Nigeria has once again revealed to whom Abure and his ostracized political mob truly owe their loyalty and clarified the crass mismanagement of the Labour Party’s fortunes these past few years under the visionless and “shameless political merchants” headed by Abure, who have now in the process “inadvertently committed class suicide. Now, their ruin is complete!

The rest of the statement read as follows:

“Unfortunately, while Nigerians are applauding the NLC and TUC over a successful strike action and the principled position that workers deserve just wages, a few scoundrels masquerading as former Labour Party leaders chose this epoch of dire struggle for the survival of Nigerian workers to cast aspersion on the leadership of Organised Labour and the strike action.

“We are not surprised. The small company of journey men escorting Mr. Julius Abure to perfidy are political merchants. They have never believed in the working class ideals of Labour Party. For them, Labour Party is another “come and chop” party where nominations are sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds are squandered on ventures short on virtues. All that has changed!

“As part of the mandate given to the National Transition Committee (NT) by Labour Party Stakeholders to organise an all-inclusive and expansive National Convention of the Labour Party in tandem with the Consent judgment delivered by Justice Gabriel Kolawole and affirmed by an INEC brokered Terms of Settlement between the Nigeria Labour Congress and immediate past leadership of Labour Party, we urge all members of the Labour Party to reconcile themselves to the party’s working class ideology and ethos and to always act in its defence.

“The adornment of the badge of class consciousness, progressivism and egalitarianism is the crux of the Labour Party identity. This identity resonates with the rallying campaign message by the leader of the Labour Party and the Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, that Nigeria must move from consumption to production. A productive economy must prioritise workers by paying the working class a living national minimum wage as a buffer against poverty and indignity.

“By denouncing the spirited efforts of Organised Labour through a nationwide strike which was a response to the nonchalant attitude of the current government to workers’ welfare, the Abure ragtag platoon of sycophants reveal who their real paymasters are.

“The National Transition Committee views this anti-party posture of Mr. Julius Abure and his minions as a further supply of adrenalin to quickly perfect plans for an authentic Labour Party National Convention which would be driven from grassroots to the national level, and which would produce leadership at all levels that represent the ideology, credentials and ethos of a Labour Party.

“Once again, we convey our solidarity with Organised Labour in Nigeria in the resilient struggle for social and wage justice. We shall overcome! Morning comes!” the statement concluded.

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James Ezema is a Digital Marketing Executive, human rights campaigner, veteran journalist and political scientist.

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