Democracy: Political class overtakes Labour movement – CSO

A Civil Society Organisation, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) say labour movement in the recent democratic era has been overtaken by the political class in Nigeria.

CISLAC  Programme Manager, Mr Okeke Anya, spoke in commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day, observed on Monday in Lagos.

Anya said the labour movement no longer engaged governments as it did at the early stages of Nigeria’s democratic experience.

The NewsZenith recalls that former President, Muhammadu Buhari, in June 2018, declared June 12 as Nigeria’s democracy day instead of May 29.

The government did this in honour of the late Chief M.K.O Abiola.

Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election died in detention for alleged treason.

The declaration followed civil society groups’ years of agitations that government should immortalise Abiola.

“Increasingly, I am seeing the political class overtaking the labour in ways as not to hold the state fully accountable.

“The labour movement no longer engages governments it was engaging at the early yields of Nigeria’s democratic experience.

“Labour, at times, follow government policies without questioning them.

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“Some of those policies are not people friendly and labour allow them to run,” Anya said.

He also accused the movement of poor communication with the citizens over negotiations done with the government.

According to him, labour’s failure to interact with the people over engagements with governments is undemocratic.

“Absence of communications of what those engagements are, calls to question as to whether this is just an exercise.

“At the end, labour will say it has had agreement with the government, and we continue as we were.”

In another interview, the Secretary-General of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Mr Nuhu Toro, said Nigeria’s democracy needed to be encouraged to thrive.

“It is better anywhere than military dictatorship.

“The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, however, will not relent in defending our members and the downtrodden in Nigeria.

“We are facing harsh and anti-people policy.

“This has triggered high cost of living and suffering; we will do everything possible to defend Nigerian workers,” Toro said.