President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, has placed the cause of insecurity in Nigeria and Kaduna state in particular on the insensitivity of those in position of authorities.
Ayuba who spoke at the 3rd National Quadrennial Conference of the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education, Nigeria (SSUCOEN) in Abuja reasoned that those in government do not care about the welfare of the citizens.
He insisted that insecurity is thriving in Nigeria because a lot of the dependents of those who have been laid off are taking to crime as a means of survival, a development that is alien to advanced nations of the world.
He said since the attainment of independence in 1960, successive governments in Nigeria have churned out neo-liberal policies that tend to undermine the welfare of the workforce, which fortunately are the major vehicle for wealth creation.
The NLC president also attributed the continuous devaluation of the naira for the economic woes faced by workers; saying the devaluation of the naira has affected workers the most, adding that all these contribute to security challenges we are currently grappling with.
He also pointed out the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as one that would go down in history for degrading the dignity of Nigerian workers.
NLC alleged that the government of El-Rufai laid off 21,000 teachers at once and replaced them with contract staff who to date have not been given letters of engagement.
He said with N50.7 billion Internally Generated Revenue of the state in 2020 alone, the governor cannot claim to lack funds to pay a minimum wage of just N30, 000.
He said more often than not, politicians make promises to electorates they cannot keep, including engaging in the manipulation of the workforce, exploiting their vulnerability because of their poor economic status.
Wabba said: “It’s not surprising that today collective bargaining agreements are not respected, meanwhile there is nowhere in the world where such things obtain, for the working class in Nigeria, I am pained to say that it is not yet Uhuru.
“Workers are in⁶ pains because their labour is no longer seen as a priority and respected, therefore we must continue to say no to neo-liberal policies of the government, devaluation of the naira has affected workers the most, all these contribute to security challenges we are currently grappling with.”
Immediate past President of SSUCOEN, Danladi Msheliza, urged the Federal Government to have a rethink on the kind of attention it pays to the foundation of teachers, especially when teachers will remain a catalyst for the growth and development of education in Nigeria.
According to him, a situation where the teaching profession continues to grapple with inconsistent policies around education, like the shoddy implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS), non-implementation of collective bargaining agreements speak poorly of a nation that is focus-driven.
He asked the government to release the White Paper on the 2014 Presidential Visitation Panel Report and the Presidential Needs Assessment Report (2012).
The SSUCOEN President said: “Our students are children of the masses and the downtrodden, who are voiceless…We must, therefore, be the voice of our students and their parents.
“We have seen lack of political will and respect for agreements duly entered into between unions and government both State & Federal levels e.g. the 2010 FGN/SSUCOEN agreement and many other agreements.
“Also regrettable is the non implementation of 65 years retirement age for non-teaching staff in state-owned Colleges of Education, including non-release of White Paper on the 2014 Presidential Visitation Panel Report and the Presidential Needs Assessment Report (2012).
“As well as the review of the Acts Establishing Federal Colleges of Education, and NCCE, including the stalled renegotiation of the 2010 FGN/SSUCOEN Agreement, inadequate infrastructure Classrooms, Laboratories, Libraries, Staff offIces, Students’ Hostels among others.”
