IBUKUNOLUWA KING-OKUNEYE
The leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday told its members to leave their comfort zones and get permanent voter cards (PVCs) and be ready to vote out leaders who are responsible for the underdevelopment of the country in the 2023 general election.
The congress complained that Nigeria has not had huge democratic development and that obnoxious government policies and placement of people who have no business in government have destroyed the economy and depleted national treasury.
Comrade Quadri Olaleye, The TUC president, who spoke at the congress 12th Triennial National Delegates Conference 2022 in Abuja, said the union can no longer watch while the wealth of the nation which Nigerian workers labour to build is left in the hands of wrong politicians
He explained the congress has been quiet for too long and resolved to be part of the decision-making body in the next dispensation through voting.
He said, “Comrades, the mobilisation is in top gear and we charge you all to get your PVC, the Labour Party has a presidential candidate and likewise other political parties, we therefore urge Nigerians to vote wisely, we must stop agonising and start mobilising, I challenge everyone to leave their comfort zones and engage the political space now. We must ensure that our intervention this time is deliberate and must outlive the 2023 general elections.
“This is the time for us to become part of the decision makers in our own matters, the bane of Nigeria’s development is leadership and the political elites want the status-quo to remain; but we are determined to stop it.”
Speaking on the theme, “The Working Class Amidst the Challenges of National Security, Unemployment and Democratic Development”, The president warned Nigeria to be wary of neo-liberal policies of the IMF and World Bank, adding that their interventions in Nigeria’s domestic affairs have never yielded transforming results, insisting that only home-made solutions can liberate Nigeria from the bondage of economic challenges.
Also speaking on casualisation of Nigerian workers in the financial sector, he implored the federal government to give speedy approval to the proposed Employment Guidelines for Non-permanent Employees formulated to assist and regulate terms and conditions of employment of those workers.
