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By Bimbola Oyesola
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has charged the Federal Government to come up with appropriate fiscal and monetary policies that would arrest economic challenges and reduce poverty in the country.
The immediate past President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Quadri Olaleye in his address at the 12th Triennial National Delegates Conference of the Congress noted that though government have made some efforts to reposition the economy, but more are still desirable.
“We commend the federal government for the steps taken to reposition the economy so far. However, it is crucial we call their attention to some critical sectors,” he said.
Olaleye noted that Nigeria, by now should look beyond ethnicity and other elemental primordial sentiments to move the economy forward.
He stated that organised labour expected to see a deliberate effort towards addressing inflation and exchange rate challenge.
“Nigeria must refine her crude and supply the whole West Africa
countries; other revenue generating sources should also be given priority to
shoot up the Gross National Product and per capita-income,” he advised.
As part of the way out of the economic quagmire, the labour leader opined that
the federal government must as a matter of urgency give attention to the agricultural sector.
He said, “The sector was the mainstay of the economy before oil was discovered in commercial quantity in the 1950s. There is the need to embrace mechanical agriculture to attract the youths. It is embarrassing that even with our vast and fertile land mass we still cannot feed ourselves.”
He equally urged government to lift the ban on some essential commodities, especially those that Nigeria do not have close substitutes, stating that no nation is an island.
“There is nothing bad in importing what we do not have. We must embrace Ricardo’s theory of comparative advantage by concentrating on goods we have total advantage,” he opined.
The TUC outgoing President lamented that corruption is one cancer that has paralyzed the economy and its fight has to be total.
He stated, “There is need to build up a zero tolerance for it and strengthen the Rule of Law to be able to adequately address breaches. The interference of the Executive arm of government in the judiciary has reached a sickening peak. “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) must get serious and institute serious laws against corruption. The agency must see themselves as independent bodies that cannot be used as tools. Corruption can be beaten if we are serious and work together. If we fail to get it right now, countries where Rule of Law is respected and upheld will teach us the hard way. Enough of this impunity.”
He however implored all Nigerians to get their voter’s card ready, stating that it is the right of every Nigeria to vote and they must exercise it.
“We must do that because it is the only way we can immortalize the late Secretary General of TUC, Comrade (Barr.) Musa-Lawal Ozigi, mni, Kwara State Chairman, Comrade Akinwunmi Akinsola, our soldiers who are daily killed by terrorists and Nigerians who paid the ultimate price in the course of our struggle for a better society.
“Nigeria has a bright future, but we must do things differently to change the narrative. Albert Einstein definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”,” he charged.
The Congress boss opined that the latest political development in Nigeria calls for active citizens participation, to enable a change of government.
Both former NLC General Secretary, John Odah and Deputy Majority leader, House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason, who was the chairman of the occasion reflecting on the theme for the Conference, “The Working Class amidst the challenges of National Security, Unemployment and Democratic Development”, charged both NLC and TUC to come together in order to have a strong voice on national matters.
Akpatason, a former president of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) giving the example of collaboration between NUPENG and PENGASSAN under NUPENGASSAN said both unions were able to achieve much with the unity.
The Director General of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) equally expressed that both NLC and TUC must facilitate the peaceful resolution of the ongoing strike in the educational sector.
“The working class has the right to fight for the rights of their members but the NLC and TUC must quickly facilitate end of the crisis before new government is sworn in,” he advised.
