Godsent Ogbebor
NLC President Slams Governors, Declares Labour Unions Cannot Be Banned
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has dismissed attempts by state governors to ban labour unions, insisting that union activities fall under the exclusive legislative list in the Nigerian Constitution.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with workers at the NLC Secretariat in Lokoja, Kogi State, Ajaero criticized former Governor Yahaya Bello’s decision to proscribe labour unions in state-owned tertiary institutions, describing it as unconstitutional and beyond the powers of any state government.
“No governor has the authority to ban unions. Unions are registered nationally by the Registrar of Trade Unions. For administrative convenience, they may have branches in states, but no state government controls them,” Ajaero asserted.
He also expressed concern over the increasing trend of state governors abandoning governance to reside permanently in Abuja, leaving their states and workers to struggle with harsh economic realities.
The NLC leader was in Kogi to inaugurate 10 Compressed Natural Gas buses provided to the state chapter to ease transportation for workers.
However, he lamented that in five zones visited by the congress, only one governor was available to engage with labour leaders.
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Kogi workers raised concerns over the long-standing ban on unions in state tertiary institutions, the lack of annual salary increments, inadequate housing for workers, and teacher shortages in primary and junior secondary schools.
Ajaero emphasized that Kogi was particularly important to the NLC, as both the governor, Usman Ododo, and his deputy had strong backgrounds in labour unions.
He vowed to take workers’ grievances to the state leadership, urging them to uphold the values they once fought for in the labour movement.
