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President Goodluck Jonathan
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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was withdrawn, workers, especially those working with federal agencies were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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