Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
The Executive Director World Institute for Peace, Lamina Omotoyosi, yesterday warned the Osun State Government and the various labour unions on the three-day warning strike embarked upon by the Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the lingering local government crisis in the state.
The executive director noted that as an organisation committed to promoting peace, stability, development and social justice, “he considered this warning strike needless, barbaric, deceptive and a deliberate attempt to ground the state’s economy and potentially trigger civil unrest.”
According to him, “We have no reservation in concluding that the strike is being embarked upon in bad faith and is politically motivated, with the intention of blackmailing the judiciary and creating a possible atmosphere of anarchy in the polity. “
Omotoyosi, who stated this at a press conference addressed in Osogbo yesterday, contended that: “This position is informed by the trajectory of the local government crisis in Osun State and the plethora of litigations surrounding local government administration in the state.
“It is our expectation that the labour movement should serve as a fountain of knowledge, the voice of workers, and by extension, the voice of the downtrodden.
“Labour unions are expected to be populated by people with sound knowledge of the law and judicial processes, and this should reflect in their approach to sensitive issues such as the ongoing local government crisis in Osun State, particularly when the matter is still pending before several courts of competent jurisdiction.
“Unfortunately, the reverse appears to be the case in Osun State. As things stand today, the labour movement in the state appears to have chosen political patronage over honesty, integrity and the general interest of workers.
“As an organisation, we are equally disturbed and seriously concerned about the protracted nature of the local government crisis and the legal impediments affecting the release of local government allocations.
“We are genuinely interested in a timely resolution of the crisis and the release of funds to improve the lives of people at the grassroots. However, ignoring existing legal obstacles amounts to mischief, dishonesty and an affront to the judiciary, particularly when such a position is being advanced by a labour movement that ought to be a custodian of public institutions, including the judiciary.”
The Executive Director, however, considered the proposed strike as mere political grandstanding, either to patronise the state government, intimidate the judiciary or blackmail the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He posited that: “The fundamental questions that the Osun State NLC should provide answers to are: Who is withholding the local government allocations? Why are the allocations allegedly being withheld? And why were the allocations released recently to the 2022 elected local government administration in Osun State?
“The straightforward answer to these questions is the court, the court, and the court.
“Therefore, if the courts are yet to reach a final determination of the matter, who has the authority to either stop or authorise the release of the allocations? Certainly, no other institution can legitimately override the judicial process. Or is the Osun NLC suggesting that the Federal Ministry of Finance or the Central Bank of Nigeria should release the funds in flagrant disregard of subsisting court orders”?
“The foregoing raises serious questions about what the Osun NLC intends to achieve through this strike. “
“What cannot be obtained through the courts cannot be secured through industrial action.”
“This is similar to the situation in which local government workers embarked on one of the longest strikes in the state’s history, lasting about 20 months, after several attempts to obtain judicial redress proved unsuccessful.”
He recalled that the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) dragged the local government council chairmen and councillors to court but subsequently withdrew the cases after approaching several courts.
He said: “It is therefore unfortunate that the labour movement now appears to be resorting to extrajudicial means of seeking redress. Such conduct is capable of encouraging anarchy and should not be condoned in a democratic society governed by the rule of law.
“For emphasis, protests and industrial strikes are fundamental rights and privileges guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. However, in the present circumstances, this warning and sympathy strike represents, in our view, a high level of dishonesty and an attempt to create an economic crisis in the state while inflicting unnecessary hardship on public and private business owners.
“The option we would have expected from the labour unions is constructive dialogue with all parties involved in the ongoing litigations. The unions should persuade the parties to either withdraw the cases or consider an out-of-court settlement that would pave the way for the resolution of the impasse surrounding local government funds in Osun State.
“Interestingly, the labour unions could have used the opportunity of their recent inclusion in the Campaign Council of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as announced by the State Coordinator, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to engage the political parties involved in the litigations. Such engagement could help facilitate an amicable resolution and allow Osun State to breathe again over the lingering local government allocation crisis.”