Delta NLC vibrant under Ofoeyeno, says Ofuonyeadi

                                                                                                                 INTERVIEW/TRIBUTE

·         Speaks on SDA, furniture allowance, Okowa administration

·         Labour to resist electricity tariff hike

(Comrade Innocent Ofuonyeadi is the Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Delta State chapter. In an interview with Chukwudi Abiandu he responded to questions on sundry issues on Labour activities in the state, and it is here presented). 

Editor's Note: Although this interview was held in April, this year, We at Banner Media Network publish this interview now as a tribute to the memory of the fallen Delta state Chairman of NLC, Late comerade David Ofoeyeno. May his soul rest in peace.  

Comrade Innocent Ofuonyeadi, Delta NLC Secretary.

As NLC secretary in Delta State, how vibrant will you say the NLC is in the state?

Ofuonyeadi: On vibrancy, well, let me say that every administration gets the quality of leadership it deserves at a particular point in time. Today the NLC in Delta State as led by Comrade David Ofoeyeno has shown a lot of character and it has shown to the workforce, and indeed, the entire state that it is ready to shoulder the knotty problems of the work force and bring them to the front burner before management or the state government as the case may be. And that is what we’ve been doing since we came on board about 11, 12 months ago. And you can see that with the economic meltdown nationwide every state has been managing its problem, both at the national level and at the state level, NLC wise. Ours is not a different case. We’ve had pockets of problems here and there, and many are still arising, the issue of pensioners, local government workers and others. But so far, so good, we have been able to understand, we’ve worked with government to understand the issues, and like the Chairman will always say to government, “now that things are down and the work force is encouraged to continue giving its best, when things pick up we hope that the same government will understand that these people have also borne this hard times with us, and when the time comes to cushion, they should be able to know what to do at the right time.”

Late Comrade Ofoeyeno

So, for me, I think the Congress in Delta is alive, very proactive and kicking. Why we don’t have pockets of strikes allover is that once issues come on board, and we hear, we try to mediate and nip it in the bud by bringing them to His Excellency. I must tell you that this government (Okowa’s government), I stand to be corrected is one that has had so robust arrangement with His Excellency. Robust in the sense that when we have issues and we call on him, in no time he avails us the opportunity to sit down and discuss. And we bring the principal characters, the principal union before him and they sort out the issues. Because I think part of the problems we usually had is that when leaders make themselves scarce from labour unions or labour leaderships, then of course, you will give them no choice but to hit the streets or hit the polity as your journalists would say. But so far so good, the current administration of Dr. Okowa has been quite, I must tell you, always available and ready to listen. He tells his own side of the story, he tells us the situation, he tells us his challenges, we listen, we hear and in most cases we give nod and say, ok, fine, let’s look for a meeting point and we leave it there, hoping that as soon as things improve, we can move further. And that is where we are today.

I asked this question because it was clear at a time that NLC in Delta state was polarized, leading to media war between the factions. What is the state of affairs now?

Ofuonyeadi: You can see that the media war is over now. You don’t see much of that again in the media. Truth will definitely hold sway over falsehood. The so-called factionalisation within the Congress in the State was an off shoot of what transpired in the last election, the 2015 election at the national level. At the national level we had a faction. But the truth is that two cannot be a fraction of three. It is not possible. That is what has played out. You say you are a faction, we said, ok, can you go ahead and run your government and let’s see how it goes. Over time they will fizzle out, and that’s what has just happened. They fizzled out because the workers know where to channel their cases to; the workers know where their bread is buttered; the workers know those who will plead their causes. And that’s what has happened naturally.

Again, you know one thing with the media is that when you write and write, we continue to write, the journalist is the happier for it. But if you write and I say I reserve the right not to respond or react; because the issues are just not there. There is nothing germane to discuss. That we are 43, then out of 43, two or three pulled out and say they have formed another branch. I don’t see it like that. So, that’s what also happened at the national level. Over time, I am sure the wounds will heal because it’s not good for us the movement. We need to come together because at the point when you have factions, of course, management will be better for it, and government will be happy, that way no body’s problem is solved. They will hide under the guise that you are a faction of this one, so let’s bring the two of you together. Of course, this is recipe for chaos; the meeting will never come to an end.

The earlier question was asked about how vibrant the Delta NLC is. The question became necessary against the backdrop of the call out of workers by NLC early this year. Now the issue of factionalization or what made the Delta NLC not to be involved when other state councils took part? Remember that it was a strike called to protest the arbitrary charges by the DISCOs who force Nigerians to pay for electricity that are not supplied. It is known that DISCOs are supposed to provide pre-paid metres free of charge to customers. Why did the Delta NLC not take part in that strike? Is it that they love the arbitrary charges of DISCOs? What happened?

Ofuonyeadi: Nothing happened. That same period, we also had an issue in Imo State. We had the National NLC also called out workers in Imo over Okorocha’s suspension of over 300 workers. We finished with that and came back. We had a meeting in Abuja, so tha issue about the piquetting of Distribution companies wasn’t too clear because, again, there is no DISCO that is operational here in Asaba, it is in Benin city. So, what we did was to call out our members to piquet the one in Benin instead of calling out people for calling out sake. Where are you going to call them to? It is the DISCO you are going to call them to, and the DISCO headquarter is in Benin city. That was what actually happened. It’s not as if we are against them. Once the national gives the directive we are bound to follow to the end, which we did.

Again, you talked about the other side not being part of the piqueting, the leader of the other faction is also the National Secretary of the Electricity Employees. So, he said after NLC at the national level, the Waba faction as it were, because I have said there is no faction. After the NLC at Abuja has given its directive that we should piquet the DISCos over the issue of tariff increase and estimated billings they send to us. They said “no”, they don’t want that. That is the union in charge of those who work in the electricity industry. They said they don’t want the issue of piqueting, rather they want total shut down of the country, mass protest. And we said it shouldn’t be. We piquet first, create awareness; do some sensitization, some enlightenment, after that we would know what next to do. That period, it was a matter for discus both at the upper and the lower chambers of the National Assembly. And even the President was also disturbed. And it has not ended; labour is still working with some interest groups, civil society groups trying to work out the next line of action because we are still going to resist that tariff increase. We are still demanding that the DISCOs give metres and collect money on what people have used; not sit down in your house and come out with estimated bills which you insist people musty pay, no!

It is unfortunate that the Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola has said that it’s unfortunate that we need to pay before the lights come; but that’s where we are now, and that what he wants us to do. It’s unfortunate that he said that Nigerians need to pay first before the lights will come instead of the light coming and we paying. He is a man I respect a great deal, but he is just trying to play his master’s voice. But in his heart of hearts, if you read between the lines, you read his lips, you will know that he is not at home with that policy. Because you should pay for what you consume. That is what is practical, that is what obtains anywhere in the world. And inside the same societies you get the light and you pay. You pay for what you consume, not pay first before you consume. But here we are paying in advance, paying for our children and for posterity.

On the issue of piqueting, will you say that it was because you joined them in Benin? Ordinarily, one would have expected the NLC in Delta State to get involved in Asaba and create the awareness. Why did Delta NLC not consider it necessary to create that awareness in the state?

Ofuonyeadi: We felt that we needed to support the Benin group because that’s where the action is. Those in Benin are the ones who dish out instructions. The DISCOs here (Asaba) just carry out the directives from their Benin office. So, doing that here will not solve any problem. Again, let me say that the Chairman of NLC in Delta State, comrade Ofoeyeno does not believe in calling out workers just to show off that we have strength or because we have the liberty to do that. It gets to a point when you begin to call out workers or you go on strike, strike for strike sake, he does not subscribe to that, and we do not subscribe to that. There is just a time you call out workers and at the end of the day people will say what is wrong with you. Some hoodlums will hijack it and say they are NLC. It cost so much to pull people out to work. It costs so, so much. Apart from the naira and kobo value that you place on that, the psychological issues are so many too. And of course, you know it’s going to distort movements in the entire state or the state capital, or where it; holding. So, we also consider the plight of the less privileged who we are supposed to protect when we go on this kind of action. Don’t bring the theatre of war into your living room, you push it far; and as much as possible that’s the principle he has adopted, and that’s the one we are following, to try as much as possible to address the issues before the bubbles will burst.

Recent developments in Delta state, especially with regard to special duty allowance (SDA) which was suspended at a time by the state government, and the other issues which the government is carrying out so as to save money because of the harsh economic and financial situation in the country. But the civil servants seem to be angry that the government is hard on them, and they are complaining that nobody is fighting for them, and that they are orphans as a result. What is your reaction to this?

Ofuonyeadi: This issue of SDA, I am quite sure it’s part of the government’s way of trying to stagger and manage funds that it gets. First and foremost, to pay salaries because in our first meeting with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, we told him that first line charge should be channeled towards the payment of salaries, which he agreed. Again, you and I know too that the revenue as it comes fluctuates. It has never been what it ought to be. But then, up to the point that even salaries are not paid even as at when due. And in all fairness, workers in the state have been quite co-operative. It shows you too to a large extent that this government was actually brought in by the mass of the people otherwise we would have expected something to the contrary in terms of followership. But again, it should not be taken for granted.

Now, the issue of the removal of furniture allowance, I think it is just a rumour. Because it can’t just happen that way. In spite of what forms the take home pay of the average worker, furniture allowance is part of what constitutes the N18,000 minimum wage as paid today in Delta. So, if you remove any of those components what you are paying as take home pay would crash. And this is recipe for open chaos. So, I believe and I know that the state government cannot on its own take that kind of decision. This government that is currently in place cannot do that kind of thing. That’s why when I heard from the rumour mill I just addressed it as mere rumour, because of what has been established on ground before now that the governor gives us a listening ear and we trash out issues with him. So, I know too that when it comes to that point he will not just go straight and say “finance, cut this and cut that”. He must bring us in; we must negotiate with him, he must negotiate with us. Because what we have there currently running as salaries for workers was negotiated. So, if he wants to go down he has to negotiate with us. The only way he would not negotiate with us is if he will not bring it up, and we have no problem with that. But if he wants to bring it down, even now we are in pains. A little of fuel sells for N200, N250. You can see that people are almost stranded. But workers are still coming to work abi? Go round the ministries, people are still there, people are still working. And that’s part of what I told you at the beginning that we told the governor that if we at this point, where there is little or nothing and we are showing commitment, willingness to push on, to carry on, when it gets better we should not be thrown away. So I continue to celebrate the Delta worker every day. They are our true champions of democracy. And any government that knows its onion, that is worth its salt should know that it should build its strength, it should build its foundation on the workforce because, truly speaking these are the people who, truly have shown that they voted for him and they are putting their mouth where there money is, ensuring that this government comes home and dry, achieving all it campaigned promises to the people.

No government can get anything better than this. Total co-operation from the workforce, and I think we deserve some level of commendation. We need not ask for it; once there is opportunity government should do it. Push it in and let the workers be happy.

How would you describe the relationship between the current NLC leadership in the State with that of the affiliate unions?

Ofuonyeadi: Very cordial; most cordial. I can say that because I work in the secretariat. You can see now that you have not seen anything untoward. Before now, it was accusation and counter accusation from Union ‘A’, Union ‘B’. Even with the TUC, there is a marriage of convenience. And that’s the only way we can also chart our course, because we are all working towards the same purpose. Working at cross purposes will give us problems. And Comrade Ofoeyeno came on board, and he understood this, and immediately brought down the lacuna between the NLC and TUC, and of course, the GNC as well. And you can see that these three organs are functioning as one, as if we are under one leadership. And that’s the way we are going; and so far, so good.

There is this general perception that the appointment of former union leaders into government political positions is having negative consequences on union activities as it is seen to be whittling down the influence of the workers’ unions. What is your take on this? 

Ofuonyeadi: I don’t think so. Again, it depends on the leadership of the Congress at a particular point in time. I said to you, every institution deserves the kind of leadership it gets at a particular point. In some arrangements, when you have a president or a leadership, a chairman who does not know his onion, he would want to go through the office of the SA (special adviser) to get access to the governor. This whole thing is about access to the governor. If for us to do 1,2,3, or solve 1,2,3 problems for the unions, we need to write first to the governor through the SA, then the governor will now direct the SA to see the unions or for the SA to reschedule a meeting; no. With just phone call, His Excellency is talking with you. Send him a text message, and it is replied. It is his proactive arrangement that has made things very easy for us. So, the office of the SA cannot in any way impinge on the activities of congress, except we are on the same page. And comrade Okeme, who is serving his second term as SA to two different administrations is one man who has also paid his dues, he knows his onion, he has never been a coward, he has never been a push over, and he has always believed in the masses. In his time, he does not believe that we will all take our battles to the streets of Asaba. No. You can sit down, talk it over and still get a better deal. That’s his style, that’s his belief. I think that is what works today.

We need to think about development. We need to look always at a bigger picture, our state. If we get it right then posterity will judge us well, if we get it wrong, we will also be answerable to posterity. I think too that we should not look at the issue as an Okowa thing. It’s a Delta thing. He is just fortunate, or unfortunate to be governor at this point in time. But at the point where he reigns as governor, we are also there as members of the labour congress. What is our role?

If we are docile, and we don’t put him on his feet, on his toes, and we don’t tell him things he needs to hear, and not what the politicians are telling him; because they tell him, “oga, everything is well. In fact, the whole of Abavo is waiting for younto come for second term.” People are preaching second term to him now, but I am sure the governor is not thinking of second term now, he is thinking of performing. Because it is with his performance that he will get his ticket and the ticket belongs to the people. PDP used to say that power belongs to the people, but today PDP is coming to understand that truly power is with the people. Today, they are talking about reorganizing their party; they are talking about the fact that it was this policy of not following due process that has led to people crossing over to other parties that has made them to lose the centre. If they in the reality of today are thinking of copying the era of impunity in governance, in party politics, then they should also understand too that in the bigger picture, whatever they do, they must act with decorum when they deal with workers, when they deal with Deltans and the civil society.