Date: 2021-08-07

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has met with members of the Governing Council of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), represented by its Chairman, Comrade Frank Kokori, and the Director-General, Comrade Issa Aremu, to diagnose the problems bedevilling the institute in the last five years, TOBA AGBOOLA reports

It was a meeting of who is who in the labour sector. Venue was the Labour House, Abuja. Its main objective was how to reposition the Michael Imoudu Labour Institute (MINILS), Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

MINILS Governing Council Chairman, Frank Kokori, was the first to paint the pathetic picture of what the institute had become over the last few years and how it had degenerated under the immediate past leadership before Comrade Issa Aremu, a labour leader, drafted to the board in May, as the Director-General (DG).

Pained by the decay in the institute and the level of inactivity at MINILS, Kokori regretted that despite the array of experienced people and brilliant members of the board, who came with novel ideas from the labour sector, the private sector represented by the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (NECA) and the government, the former DG frustrated all ideas.

Kokori said: "The members of the Governing Council are people who came there with bright ideas. We did everything we could for the past two years. The man we had as a director is like a village headmaster, so he discouraged nearly everybody. We had, as of that time, a Commissioner of Police, the man in charge of the counter-terrorism unit of the Nigerian Police. If you see the level of people on that board, but we had a director and some people there who were not fit to be in that place.

"That is why there was no interaction, there was no progress, there was nothing and when Issa came there, just two months, he has changed things. He talks to me every day on the phone because he has to run the place, I can't run the place any longer, I have spent my life."

Kokori pointed out that in the 1970s and 80s, those in the labour sector travelled a lot for capacity building all over the world, but the situation had changed with the poor economic situation in the country and the health hazard worldwide. He said MINILS was equipped with facilities to bridge that gap.

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, highlighted the expectations of Labour from MINILS and the new leadership and areas of collaboration.

He said the meeting would provide an opportunity for the NLC and the labour movement to collaborate with the institute in building a very strong industrial relation environment, but importantly, also addressing the issues of policy options that will better a lot of Nigerians but importantly workers.

Wabba said: "This is an institute that we are also major stakeholders and the foremost labour leader whom the institute was named after is referred to by the NLC as labour leader number one, the Late Micheal Emodu, from the railway union. The railway union is one of the strongest affiliates of the NLC that has produced two renowned Labour leaders - the Late Michael Imoudu and the late Pascal Bafyau.

"Bafyau was also a one-time president of Nigeria Labour Congress."

Specifically, Wabba said this was the first time two foremost labour leaders would be appointed to head the institute. To him, this is highly commendable because "labour is one of the important factors of production". "In fact, as the most important factor of production (labour), therefore, it is important that this is recognised in the scheme of affairs. That is why I am so delighted that we're receiving them today. They are coming here today to open a window of opportunity for labour to partner effectively with the institute to advance the issue of the scheme, the issue of knowledge, the issue of industrial relations."

This, according to Wabba, is imperative in the globalised world," adding: "One of the issues that is very important on the way into the fourth industrial revolution is the issue of skill and knowledge, but importantly, the issue of research and documentation.Therefore, those are the areas that we felt are important and that we partner this institution to change the negative narrative of what is happening in the world of work. While we have a lot of skill guide, yet we have many of our youths that are not employed.

"On one hand, you have opportunities but the skill is what is the problem, that you need to now acquire the necessary skill for you to compete favourably around the world and on the other hand you have a situation where those skills are not readily available, and, therefore, I think this is one opportunity that we'll actually utilise to impact positively on our working class."

He listed the expected areas of collaboration as research and documentation; leadership training; skilling and re-skilling of workers through appreciation of Information Communication Technology (ICT); and refresher training and that of tripartite partners.

Wabba continued: "Research and documentation is key to the operation of labour centres globally. We need to collaborate to strengthen the work of NLC in the area of socio-economic research, focusing on automatic areas of poverty, inequality, unemployment and even the issue of our union density.

"This could empower the NLC to engage effectively in the national policy discourse in making Nigeria great. We, specifically, seek collaboration in the area of policy research, even though the overriding impact of the public policy on the socio-economic well-being of workers and citizens. Through policy research, congress can articulate alternative policy proposals to address the social, political and economic interests of union members and citizens at large. In the area of documentation, we need to collaborate in achieving and archiving the history of the labour movement in Nigeria and its various socio-economic engagement."

On skilling and re-skilling of workers through appreciation of ICT, Wabba said the world of work was changing as a result of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and, particularly, the revolution in information technology and communications technology.

He said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the world of work as we use to know it. In appreciation of those changes brought about by technology, the 12th National Delegate conference of the Labour Congress has a resolution on new technology and the future of work. We need collaboration in the up-skilling of workers to foster just transition by ensuring that workers acquire relevant skills that will sustain their jobs."

Wabba explained that these pieces of training were provided by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Training Institute in Turin. He pointed out that the cost could not be affordable by every worker and by every stratum of leadership.

"I think what is being done in Turin can actually be replicated here by the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies. That is why this partnership is very important," he said.

More importantly, he emphasised the need for training of tripartite partners on the importance of social dialogue for peaceful industrial relations. He said: "Recently, at some of the fora we have had to address the challenges of industrial relations; particularly in the states, we have found out that most of those employers have not got the requisite knowledge that is required to provide quality industrial relations in their various places of assignments.

"This is very important so that we can open up an opportunity to permanent secretaries of labour, desk officers of labour, in ministries, departments and agencies, particularly in states and local governments where we need that training to equip themselves to fill in the gap and reduce areas of conflict between the employers and workers which have been on the increase."

According to Wabba, this is very important because "the congress observed with dismay the fragrant abuse of labour rights and the total ignorance of industrial relation system, especially at the state level. To address this knowledge gap, we seek collaboration for the training of social partners on labour and industrial relations system in Nigeria".

Aremu said MINILS is second home to Kokori and expressed the happiness that the veteran labour leader had finally come home.

Aremu spoke on the changes to be witnessed soon in the institute, starting from the communique, to the administration, programmes and human and industrial relations.

Aremu said: "We are improving on the curriculum, we have to get cracking. Of course, we would continue our normal traditional subjects of building capacity for the working people on collective bargaining, grievance handling, occupational health and safety with the challenge of the pandemic.

"Beyond that, we also want to make a statement that workers are not just a factor of production, we are citizens so we are going to promote literacy in all cases on the economy, on the polity and the democratic process."