Date: 2015-02-23

As major governorship candidates in Kwara State canvass for votes ahead of the April 11 election, the labour union in the state has positioned itself as a force to be reckoned with. 

In any modern clime and society, labour union is an important organ of any democratic process. It is not only strategic to driving the governance process, it is also critical in the electioneering as it exerts considerable influence in determining the fortune of each candidate in any election.

Ahead of the 2015 elections in Kwara State, the labour movement in the state has enunciated its strategic importance and confidently asserted to any candidate who cares to read between the lines that it cannot be overlooked in the forthcoming elections.

For any discerning observer, labour constitutes a significant portion of the population of eligible voters in the state. Its role is even more central in a predominantly civil service state like Kwara.

Therefore, the aspirants’ forum organised for governorship candidates by the labour union in the state under the aegis of Kwara Joint Labour Congress comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), among others, was seen from the perspective of asserting the centrality of labour in the process of forming a new dispensation.

The alternatives before them are two fold - retaining the status quo or forming a new dispensation. However, the forum and the submissions by candidates at the forum would no doubt, according to insiders, form the basis of decision of workers on whether to elect the incumbent Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Simeon Ajibola or the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Dr. Mike Omotosho.

It was a platform created for candidates to espouse their plans for labour and the state in general. Therefore, major candidates in the state grabbed the opportunity without hesitation. Governor Ahmed was absent on February 6 when the event was organised, thus fuelling speculations that he shunned the debate attended by 10 other candidates. However, the governor swiftly dispelled the speculation, explaining that his absence was due to the National Council of State (NCS) meeting which he attended in Abuja even as he tendered his apology to the workers for his unavoidable absence.

The labour movement however vowed to use its influence in deciding the outcome of the April 11 governorship election, with the chairman of the Trade Union Congress Comrade Nasiru Olumo boasting of more than one million voters among its fold.

The labour leader warned politicians not to take workers for granted because they were determined to make their votes count in the general elections.

Explaining the intent behind the debate in a chat with Daily Trust, the NLC chairman, Comrade Farouk Akanbi said:  “It is the labour’s contribution towards getting the society to form an informed opinion about the performances and the ability of each of the political parties so that they have opportunity of telling the whole world what they have to offer, why they want to do it, how they will be able to do it, how they would be able to get the resources to be able to do whatever they are planning to do.

 “At least, we have brought them out of the larger political setting where their campaign is usually more or less not issue-based, where people would attack themselves on the basis of where they come from, on the basis of religious affiliation. Everything we did was entirely issue-based campaign and we thank God that it was a success. 

“The questions that were asked the governor just like the ones asked the candidates of other political parties were issue-based questions as to how they can impact positively on the lives of Kwarans, workers and the generality of the masses of Kwara. The only area where that of the governor differs is that people asked specific questions targeted at determining his performance in the last four years and whether he would improve on those performances.”

The attendance of governorship candidates at the forum therefore testifies to the high regard the aspirants have for the labour. Out of the 16 governorship candidates in the state, no fewer than 10 attended the forum where they answered questions on sectors like education, health, housing and water as well as issues on workers’ welfare, local government administration and management of resources.

Senator Simeon Ajibola, the governorship candidate of the PDP and Dr. Mike Omotoso of Labour Party were the prominent candidates at the forum following Ahmed’s absence.

Senator Ajibola promised to make tuition free in all primary schools, equip all schools with computers and laboratory equipment. He said teachers will be properly motivated ad exposed to modern teaching methods.

Senator Ajibola said his administration would emphasise preventive healthcare, especially at the primary level, provide adequate drugs and make healthcare services free for women and children.

The PDP candidate said he would involve local government councils in the distribution of potable water to various homes and in waste disposal to cope with growing population in major towns. 

He said: “I believe strongly and I am committed to the autonomy of local governments. If I become the governor, I will play my oversight role but I promise that the people will decide their priorities in every local government area.” 

Labour Party (LP) candidate Omotosho promised to focus on social security for the aged, widows and the less privileged in the society, saying he would donate his salary for the four-year tenure to that venture. He said minimum wage would not only be paid for workers but he would pay performance based bonus, adding that agriculture would be prioritised by his administration if elected.

However, the incumbent governor who was on the hot seat on Tuesday gave a recap of his stewardship in the last four years, recalling that he started first by completing all ongoing projects he inherited from his predecessor to avoid the phenomenon of “abandoned projects”. After highlighting his achievements in key sectors of the economy, the governor decried the declining revenue from the federation account occasioned by the fall in the price of crude oil, stressing that the revenue shortfall has slowed many states and local governments from executing projects. 

He disclosed that the revenue accruable to the state when he took over in 2011 was N3.1bn with overheads and other “monthly commitments” gulping N2.7bn, adding: “But suddenly the theft of crude oil increased, our allocation began to drop from N3.1bn to N2.8bn, N2.6bn, N2.7 to N2.1bn and our monthly commitment is still at N2.7, N2.8bn but because of the wisdom that God has given us in our capacity to have proper funds management, we have been able to pay salaries in Kwara State consistently up till today”.

He gave assurance that no worker would be retrenched despite the revenue shortfall, saying he did not see workers’ retrenchment as an option. He challenged his opponents to come up with their programmes and policies and state how they intend to fund the programmes. 

As the major contenders unfold their programmes and policies for workers, the ball is now in the court of the labour union to sift through the grain and decide who among the candidates is better placed to satisfy their interest and those of the generality of Kwarans.