Stop Unwarranted Attacks on Ngige, Ohaneze Tells NLC President

The Federal Capital Territory chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has warned the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabbah, to desist from unwarranted and uncivilized attacks on the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.

The minister and the leadership of the NLC have been having a running battle over the issue of appointment into the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), particularly the removal of prominent labour activist, Frank Kokori, as its board chairman.

NLC had accused Ngige of deliberately frustrating the inauguration of the NSITF board so as not to allow Kokori, who is representing the labour movement to head it.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the President of Ohaneze, FCT chapter, Odozi Nwodozi, the group said  it had watched with keen interest, "the vituperations of the NLC President in the  last few weeks, culminating in the shameful and disgraceful outing at the 2019 Workers' Day rally". 

The statement said it was unfortunate that   instead of utilising the opportunity offered by the Workers' Day to appreciate the  commitment of  the  minister  to the welfare of Nigerian workers, the NLC President mischievously turned the occasion to an avenue for what it described as rogue behavior towards the minister who had demonstrated capacity in the discharge of his duties.

It said Ngige has ably piloted the affairs of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

"He has  masterfully been guiding all decisions and actions taken to reposition the nation’s workforce. We wish to put on record that without his astute administrative skills in handling labour issues, the restive workforce would have pushed  Nigeria down the road to Venezuela. Who could have managed the cascading labour strikes of 2016-2018 as Sen. Ngige has done?

“His capacity for equable negotiations, weathered the storm of intricacies surrounding the New National Minimum Wage and brought all  social partners to agreement. This is in the public domain," it said.

Ohaneze said it had earlier refrained from joining issues with the NLC leader but  it’s like Ayuba’s propaganda and Kokori’s play of victim are beclouding reasoning in the public sphere.

It further cautioned the NLC president to desist  from taking laws into his hands and re-channel his protest over the replacement of Comrade Frank Kokori at the NSITF board to the  appropriate appointing authority.

The group said it was surprised that  the NLC President chose to convert the issue of appointment into the board of the NSITF to selfish ends, even when the  Minister has said all appointments were at the behest of the President in line with the law establishing the fund. 

"We deplore the crude manners  of the NLC President to diminish the office of the Hon. Minister  even in the presence of the Vice President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as the members of the International Community.

“Does Ayuba want Ngige to break the law  in order to please him and his pay masters? We recall that he was vehemently opposed to the Administrative Panel of Inquiry into the NSITF and we ask;  what is he hiding in the NSITF and Trust  Fund Pension, its sister company ?

"What is he afraid the probe will unearth?  What indeed does Ayuba want to cover by insisting that his comrade, Frank Kokori must chair the NSITF as well as the Trust Fund? These are questions begging for answers as we have done our own investigations," it said .