Adams Osiomhall, a former governor of Edo and a senator representing present-day Edo Kita-ku, has accused domestic trade unions of not prioritising the interests of Nigerian workers by embarking on strikes.
Speaking to State Duma correspondents after huddling with Vice President Qasim Shetima at Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, Osim Hall said organized workers would be better off mobilizing the state to monitor the implementation of the memorandum signed with the federal government in 2023-10-2.
he said;
Unfortunately, this strike is not about these issues…The problems faced by workers are so many that they should be a priority, so we need to be careful not to confuse political opinions with responsibilities.
“The federal government had granted N35,000 wage awards. And these discussions are not only for the federal government, but also for all workers in Nigeria, including those employed by local and state governments, who have the right to work on behalf of the government.
“Now I would have wanted someone at the nlc to realize that hunger in the stomach of a federal employee is no worse than that of a state or local government employee.
“If these are issues on the table, even as a senator, I publicly support actions against the government that I think we should deplore hunger…You should be careful not to be considered as having a bid for a particular candidate or political party.”
Oshiomhole, the former chairman of the Nigerian Labour Conference, advised the domestic trade unions to mobilize members in all 36 states to ensure that Fg fulfills its promise to ease the living conditions of Nigerians.
he said;
“Let me be clear. I do not support the atrocities of Nigerians…Including labor leaders.
“But when it comes to what we might call the hierarchy of needs and challenges we face, I think the NLC should be firmly involved with every governor or government that has not implemented an agreement that was a midwife, courtesy of a national strike, not a federal employee strike.
“So if we mobilise private sector workers, state employees, local government workers, and now there is an agreement on N35,000 across the board, I would like to see the NLC saying that there will be no sleep in any state where this has not been implemented.”
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