THE LABOUR UNION AND THE STRIKE

By Charles O. Maduka

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

You want to know my opinion in the on going Labour Union strike? ..

Well, Ilit is said in Igboland that if the first Son, (Diokoara)don’t act crazy, they will never consider getting him a wife.

One of the greatest tragedies of the Nigerian state as we see it today is that every other institution of checks and balances as articulated by the framers of the Democratic system of Governance have been rendered impotent and incapacitated albeit deliberately.

So the only lone Ranger now is the Executive arm of government. They are now acting with impunity and reckless attitude of indifference. They tell us what they want and could careless how that impacts the people.

Simply put: they have grown so complacent to the point of taking the people for granted.
You can hear it in their utterances and their cavalier attitude of indifference when addressing the issue of Labour and other sensitive issues. The other institutional arms of Democratic Governance seem to have been pocketed as well hence the chant of : GO TO COURT is always heard echoing from the chambers of the Executive both in the Federal or state executive arm of government.

This is so unhealthy and tantamount to a despotic state . This is why the Labour Union has been muzzled and nearly destroyed. But little did they realize that the Labour union represents that part of the Democratic creed: “WE THE PEOPLE”. As in Government of the people, by the People and for the people. From the very seminal stages of organized societies, it has always been about the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The land owners, the Leaders and the workers. The two must agree and work in harmony in order for a robust middle class to emerge. It is that middle class that will engender a progressive sustainable and viable society bridled by the rule of law and human rights. Outside this scenario then what we have is more like feudalism and a despotic the winner takes all kind of outcome as we have it today in Nigeria.

Which ever side of the argument you are on this, do realize that outside these basic tenets and fundamentals of civil society Great and progressive society will never emerge. Need we say that the successive leadership in Nigeria has worked assiduously hard to destroy the labour union and labour movement perhaps not realizing that they are destroying the country they think they are building.

Nation building is far much more than building culverts and cheap roads dotted with Chinese street lights. Building a viable society and a nation calls for a robust engagement of the labour union and other institutions that can be a watch dog that can checkmate the excesses of any arm of Governance as the Executive has become today in Nigeria so that the Government of the people shall truly emerge from the people and for the people.

So the labour is not merely fighting for a fare living wage which is way long over due in a country that is practicing catastrophic Governance where nearly eighty naira out of one hundred naira earned is spent on Governance. The labour union is also fighting to reawaken those tenets of Democratic Governance so that a fair and just society will emerge. A more perfect union where all citizens can be inspired once again to sing any one of the National anthems with deep sense of conviction Patriotism and sense of duty. So, as ordinary citizens it is your solemn duty and obligation to stand up to save Nigeria through your Solidarity with the Labour union as long as the stand true and committed to the cause and not driven by other considerations and motivations.

IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE LABOUR UNION!

C.O.M

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