Saturday, May 02, 2015

Controversy As Jonathan Shuns May Day


President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday stayed away from this year’s rally of the International Workers’ Day popularly known as May Day.

The rally was jointly organized by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, could not be reached for clarification yesterday on the President’s absence at the rally, as he did not pick his telephone or reply to text messages sent to his telephone as at press time.

But security sources at the Presidency told our correspondent that Jonathan’s plan to attend the rally was cancelled because the President had an emergency engagement.

Although the nature of the emergency engagement was not disclosed, our correspondent gathered that the advance team which was already at the venue was ordered to leave as the President would not be sending a representative.

A security source dismissed claims that the President cancelled his plan to attend the event because he feared that he might be booed by workers.

The source said: “The President has never been afraid of such things. The workers have no reason to do that anyway.

“He had an emergency engagement and so had to call off his planned attendance of the labour event because it would take the whole day and he would not be able to attend to other engagements if he did.”

The President, who was said to have told the labour leaders earlier that he would come for the celebration at about 9 am, called off his appearance in the last minute, leaving them guessing on why he took the decision.

All the roads around the Eagle Square had been cordoned off as early as 8 am by presidential guards who took over security at the Eagle Square while the stage was also set for what would have been his last May Day celebration with Nigerian workers.

The President also did not send any address to the workers even though the Minister of Labour, Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya, who was present alongside his FCT counterpart, Senator Bala Mohammed, was said to be representing the President at the event.

The Nation gathered that the President’s decision not to attend the event might have to do with the non-payment of salaries of federal workers and fears that they might boo him at the occasion.

Before the President’s advance party was withdrawn, workers, especially those working with federal agencies were chanting ‘no salaries, no salaries’, a development that might have caused the suspicion that the President might be booed.

One of the workers who expressed disappointed about the President’s absence said: “I am surprised that the President is not here. It shows that he does not have respect for the Nigerian worker. Otherwise, this is an opportunity for him to bid the workers farewell. This should have been his last May Day celebration with the workers.

“If Buhari had come here, they would have accused him of trying to form a parallel government. The President does not have good advisers and this is very disappointing.

“Even if they have not paid salaries, I don’t think they would have booed him. If you listen to the address of the two labour leaders, they were full of commendation for him.

“For us, he is a hero and I believe the workers would have cheered him if he had come. It is even more disappointing that he did not even consider it necessary to send an address or a message to the workers.”

An official of the NLC told The Nation that they were not informed about the President’s last-minute change of heart after he had personally gave them his word that he would attend.

Another official said the President might not have been comfortable with the address to be presented by the leaders of the TUC and the NLC, an advance copy of which he was reportedly given.

In his address, the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, warned the National Assembly against setting booby traps for the incoming government in the area of fuel subsidy, describing such action as an ill wind that would blow no good.

Comrade Wabba said that information on the provision of fuel subsidy in the 2015 national budget was public knowledge, saying, “We hope that this is not an attempt to plunge the country into unnecessary crisis.

He added: “There is the need to go down memory lane and warn that the plan to reset the booby traps that was laid by predecessors of the Yar’Adua administration in 2007 is an ill wind that blows no good.

“The consequence of similar sinister mischief in 2007 was a national strike by organized labour within a month of the inauguration of the Yar’Adua government.

“Our position of the need for internal refining of crude oil into various petroleum products is well known. As an oil producing country, we must have functional internal refining capacity so that we can, at the very least, meet our domestic petroleum consumption needs.

“Government has a responsibility to ensure that the existing refineries work and that new ones are set up. Modular refineries can be established within 24 months. The turnaround of our refining capacity will eliminate the need for petroleum subsidies and the inherent corruption.”

While reminding the incoming government that this was the time to build a new Nigeria, Comrade Wabba said the NLC would hold the Buhari-led government to account based on the promises he made to Nigerians generally and to the working class in particular

He called on the incoming government to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure the full implementation of the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee Report, pointing out that its implementation would go a long way in strengthening the nation’s electoral process and deepening democracy in the country.

Also speaking, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Kaigama warned the Incoming government to be weary of politicians who are defecting to the All Progressives Congress now, adding that not all the defectors mean well for the country.

He said: “We have watched with keen interest the flood of defections by some politicians from one party to another. True, the greatest beneficiary is the President-elect’s party. But we caution him to beware because not all the defectors mean well for Nigeria.

“Some of them may be wolves in sheep’s clothing, coming to steal, kill and destroy his administration. And Nigerians would not hesitate to register their displeasure at the next polls if he fails to distinguish between the good, the bad and the ugly.
“Democracy is growing in Nigeria and the days when people tolerated impunity and mediocrity in governance are numbered. Leadership is about people, the real owners of government. Nigerians therefore solicit that the incoming administration should hit the ground running and live up to the expectations of Nigerians.”

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