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By Paul Ajayi
The March 25, 2022 election into the office of the Director General of the International Labour Organisation(ILO) has turned a wide window into the ascendant rating of Nigeria at the international labour circle. That the country moved from the back seat few years ago, to become a toast of all the member nations, whose nationals are queued up for the election, speaks volume of the millage Nigeria has covered in international labour diplomacy.
As an information officer, who spent over a decade covering and reporting labour till retirement in 2019, at no recent time had Nigeria enjoyed such a golden era as it presently does.
However, what appears a race to Abuja, for endorsement, by all the candidates vying to replace Mr. Guy Ryder, the outgoing Director General of the ILO, has its roots in the list of feats Nigeria scored in the last six years in the world labour body. Before I discuss some of these feats, let me recreate here, how diplomats from different countries turned the Ministry of Labour and Employment into a Mecca of sorts, in quest for victory at the ILO election.
Muriel Penicaud is a consummate labour diplomat and France candidate for the Office of the Director General of the ILO. On February 10, 2022, he was led by his country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuel Blatmann, to present his manifesto to the Nigeria’s tripartite community. He was unmistaken about Nigeria glowing status. Muriel , a veteran Labour administrator who has spent over two decades across the leadership strata of the ILO, said visiting Nigeria was a top priority in his election schedule. She was elaborate in her manifesto . She has seen it all but quite interesting was her emphasis on the strategic role Nigeria would play in her action plan if elected, in order to “show the world that something is changing for the best.” When the French diplomat spoke about bringing about a new “tripartism of multi-country inclusion” so as to “bring the ILO close to the ground, and change life for the people,” she spoke to the heart of Nigeria , as its competent authority and Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, had successfully championed with the mandate of other African Ministers, the democratization of ILO for equality and inclusivity. Ngige took out time to draw out what Africa expects from whoever emerges as the next Director General. “You must help fight poverty which is at the base of social disruptions in Africa. So far, the ILO has done too little. The ILO can mobilize donor agencies and institutions for drastic intervention at the root of the prevailing social upheavals on the continent,” he said. In audience from the tripartite that day was the Secretary General of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) Emmanuel Ugboaja as well as representatives from the Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Employers Consultative Assembly(NECA)
But before the French mission, was the Australian candidate, Greg Vines who is equally spending his ninth year as the incumbent Deputy Director General of the ILO. Vines came with the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, John Donnelly as well as the Secretary of the High Commission, Annabelle Simpson. He said his inside-out knowledge of the ILO, would enable him reform its workings especially as relates to social dialogue, labour standards and gender equality. Again, the Australian diplomat emphasized the central role of Nigeria in the election as well as its pivotal position to the success of his programmes when elected. Vines was very confident Nigeria would support him, having in his company, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) Ayuba Wabba. Ngige however assured that Nigeria’s labour tripartite would vote for the best candidate.
It did not quite take long in days, when the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea , Mr. Kim Young-Chae also came to sell his country’s candidate for the same office. Mr. Kim adopted a different approach. He tactfully queued the campaign behind the quest for an increased trade and investment between Nigeria and Korea Republic. It was a smart diplomatic move by the Korean, who decided to warm his way into the hearts of Nigeria’s Labour community, by frontloading Korea’s intervention in Nigeria’s labour and employment sector through educational scholarships and skills acquisition training. Of particular mention is the Korea’s skills Centre located in Lokoja, which the Minister urged should be replicated in all the six geopolitical zones. Mr. Kim Young-Chae then sought the support of Nigeria for his country’s candidate for the ILO top job.
The day for Africa came on February 26, 2022 when the African Union candidate for the ILO Director General, Gilbert Houngbo of Togo took his day in interaction with the Nigeria’s labour community. Houngbo is no pushover . An accomplished diplomat who has also served at top level cadre of the ILO for decades. He was accompanied by Togo’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Lene Dimban as well as the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress , Ayuba Wabba. Ngige minced no words about the position of the continent and said Africa was in the race to win, assuring that the continent would speak with one voice at the 344 session of the ILO, that is, the election day, despite having two candidates . He urged Houngbo to traverse other continents for support as his rivals were currently doing.
I have taken time to sketch the above events as a lead to what could decidedly be called Nigeria’s golden era of labour diplomacy. I was at the Press Directorate of the Ministry of Labour and Employment in May 2012, when the current Director General, Guy Ryder was elected. Never did I witness this traffic of contestants to Nigeria or saw Abuja become a destination for countries, lobbying to have their nationals emerge as the number one Labour officer in the world. The summary is that Nigeria has hit the peak in labour administration and diplomacy under the formidable ambience, provided by Senator Ngige. Make no mistakes, this shuttle to Abuja is not borne of nothing. Nigeria is one of the few member countries , perhaps , the only in Africa with three votes as her tripartite of government, labour represented by NLC and employers represented by NECA are all members of the governing board. But of particular interest is the government group where Nigeria was a bench warmer until 2016, when Ngige emerged on the scene.
Truth be told, before 2016, Nigeria occupied the recess, a remote corner at the International Labour Organisation(ILO) The world’s greatest black nation sat outside the conclave that decide the future of the organisation’s 199 member countries for a whole decade until Ngige reversed the trajectory. For those ten years, Nigeria would gather at the yearly International Labour Conference (ILC) watch the sun-kissed forests, lining the streets of Cornavin, Geneva, and glee in photo-ops in what the critical press had begun to call an annual jamboree and thereafter, head home.
First, Ngige saw through the disparate Africa region, and sought a unity of vision and goal, starting with West Africa. At the African Regional Labour Administrative Centre(ARLAC) in Zimbabwe in 2017, he made a special case against delisting Sierra Leone and Gambia, two West African neighbors for not meeting up their financial obligations. West Africa needed the number. At every ILO gathering, It was one in-person meeting after another to create synergy in the Africa region. Besides, he pushed for intra-Africa diplomatic openness to weaken the neo-colonial stranglehold that often make effete, the alliance of English and French Africa. Immediately, Nigeria’s profile resumed an upward tick . And almost immediately by 2016, Nigeria’s tripartite community were all back to the Governing Board of ILO.
Soon, through pragmatic leadership, other African Ministers supported Nigeria and Ngige was elected the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Government Group (2018-2020) Additionally, they adopted him as the lead speaker on every matter, common to Africa. Thus, he became the spokesperson of the African Ministers of Labour . And not long too , Nigeria was elected to the full membership of the Governing Board. In the same period also, a vibrant and dogged leader of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba emerged the President of the International Trade Union Confederation . The wheel has turned full cycle for Nigeria’s Labour diplomacy! It is not surprising the ILO conceded to Nigeria, the hosting right of the World Youth Forum, the first ever held outside Europe in the hundred years history of the ILO in August 2019.
• Ajayi, a former Chief Information Officer, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, writes from Abuja
