Labours of labour politics
Unlike in conventional political turf, for ideologically driven organisations or movements, politicking or the processes for ascending to leadership positions are meant to be cleaner and driven along the core trajectories upon which they were founded. Rarely do instances of the dirty tactics that dominate conventional politics have direct bearing with the processes to power […]
Unlike in conventional political turf, for ideologically driven organisations or movements, politicking or the processes for ascending to leadership positions are meant to be cleaner and driven along the core trajectories upon which they were founded. Rarely do instances of the dirty tactics that dominate conventional politics have direct bearing with the processes to power acquisition.
The orientation to deviate from such dirty campaign approaches has its roots in the ideological consciousness that the integrity of the organisation remains far greater than the ambitions of individuals. So, all are expected to willingly abide by an unwritten code of decorum as comrades in the struggle. Disturbingly, however, elements of personal ambition marked by the use of unwholesome tactics seem to have casually walked into the politics of the NLC.
That the bribery allegation became an issue at all is a reflection of the popular apathy informed by the very low social or moral consciousness and perhaps sheer ignorance. This is slowly suffocating not just our secular life but even more so, our cultural and religious spheres such that the easiest way to tag anyone is the charge of lucre. But that would be understating or undermining the ideological integrity of the NLC as a responsible vanguard of not just workers but of all populists and patriots.
Fortunately for Omar in particular and the NLC in general, the issue of deregulation goes beyond the vagaries of economics. It, in fact, has both ideological and historical undercurrents the depth of which transcends the symbolism of street protests and mass rallies. For some comrades, therefore, there is the added emotional burden that goes with the issues of deregulation, subsidy withdrawal and pricing of oil products. All these form the core philosophy of NLC’s struggle against government’s neo-liberal policies in the oil sector in particular and the entire economy in general. It is for these sensibilities that the NLC came out after its emergency NEC meeting on March 10, 2009 with a document, entitled; “Why We Say No to Deregulation”.
The challenge therefore is not just to put a lie to the gamut of allegations and propaganda but to provide a clear perspective on the issues and the interconnectedness of the activities of Congress to the dynamics of labour politics.
Since the confrontation with government in 2007 when it brought the nation to a standstill with a general strike over the issues of petroleum price increase, the sale of Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries and the increment in VAT rate, the NLC has gone beyond mere articulation of its disenchantment on the state of the nation. The most recent and perhaps visible activism of Congress was the successful five-month campaign it carried out in collaboration with its civil society allies against the policy of deregulation.
By the time the campaign ended in Abuja on October 29, 2009, the government had become sufficiently frightened that it approached the leadership of Congress for dialogue. To command the confidence of the affiliates in the engagements with government and conscious of the tendencies of some elements for mischievous interpretations of actions of Congress, the leadership ensured that organs of Congress were involved in the engagements with the government delegation.
To avoid taking a rushed decision, Congress leadership felt it was imperative and strategic to engage in further detailed discourse. A committee was then set up to look at deregulation in its ramifications. The committee identified three scenarios from which NEC on December 15, 2009 took a final decision. The NEC decision, contained in the communiqué, was unequivocally opposed to any increase in the prices of petroleum products, which is the most visible indicator of deregulation in the context of the Nigerian experience. Surprisingly however, propaganda that the NLC had capitulated on the fight against deregulation began even before the committee finished sitting but the plot suffered a setback when at the NEC meeting; the rumour of NLC’s capitulation was disproved.
Although the crisis following the president’s ill-health provided sufficient ammunition to continue with the propaganda, the invitation extended to the NLC by the Acting President to further dialogue on deregulation provided another opportunity for blackmail- this time, they resorted to planting stories in the media alleging that the leadership had taken a N500 million bribe to accept deregulation. These ambitious elements even mobilised and campaigned surreptitiously to suspend key members of the leadership to pave the way for proper investigation of their planted story.
No doubt, the headache of the NLC has nothing to do with its leadership but more with the political ambition of some people who are perhaps puns in the hands of forces outside the NLC angling to manipulate and trade the organisational integrity of the NLC.
Comrade Omar may not have the theatrics or oratorical capacity of a showman or a political gladiator whose moment of triumph is in the power of grandstanding. But surely, he and his team have shown that they possess the simple audacity of trade unionists, which most of them have been all their working life. Like all good labour activists, they possess the formidable weapon of logic which has been their armour against the murky politics of propaganda and blackmail since the politicisation of deregulation. Certainly, the government recognises the strength, commitment and integrity of the current NLC leadership. That explains why it had abided by the letters of the agreement it had with the NLC in 2007 not to increase the price of petrol as against the situation where the previous government within its eight-year tenure raised prices eleven times, a record in the 18 times price increment began on January 6, 1978.
Iduh is Acting Head, department of Information and Public Relations of the NLC