Never again should Nigerians allow military adventurers rule – Aremu

[Edoman]

…Kicks as Buhari ignores minimum wage on Democracy speech
General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of
Nigeria, NUTGTWN, Comrade Issa Aremu, has urged Nigerians and indeed
Africans never to allow any military adventurer(s) rule them without their
mandate again.
In a statement made available to Nigerian Pilot to mark this year’s Democracy
Day, the labour leader disclosed that within 40 years of its existence, three NLC
National Executives were dissolved by successive military regimes of Murtala-
Obasanjo, (1978) Ibrahim Babangida (1998) and Sanni Abacha (1994) for
exercising basic trade union rights of defending the rights of working men and
women as contained in core ILO Conventions dealing with Freedom of Association
and Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and Right to Organise and
Collective Bargaining Convention (98).
“Never again should Nigerians and indeed all Africans allow any unelected or
unelectable group of military adventurers rule them without their mandate.” He
said
He said in 2004, despite his disposition to attack trade union rights, elected
President Obasanjo in a democracy could not dissolve the NLC as he did as the
head of a military junta due to constitutionality imposed by democracy.

Speaking further, Aremu hailed Nigerians for nurturing uninterrupted democratic
process for 19 years adding that regardless of the numerous current challenges of
governance, the task is to deepen democracy not lessen it.
Comrade Aremu said having being victims of past military repression, “democracy
is not just a means for the Labour movement, democracy is an end itself that
must be defended at all times.”
According to him "Democracy Day celebrates liberty as much as it damns and
condemns dictatorships"
The labour leader called for eternal vigilance in defence of democracy in Africa,
noting that some politicians still harbour “the culture of militarism foreclosing
debates, discussions, bargaining and compromise and even promoting force, and
intimidation of workforce and trade unions reminiscent of the military era.”
Comrade Aremu hailed President Buhari’s administration for the bailouts funds
made available to States “to ease their fiscal challenges and other obligations
including payment of salaries”.
He however frowned at what he observed as the silence of President’s 2018
Democracy speech on the new minimum wage adding that negotiation should be
concluded in earnest so as to motivate the workforce for economic recovery
through enhanced productivity.
On security, he urged President Buhari and governors in the crisis-ridden states to
heed the advice of former INEC chairman, Professor Mahmoud Jega, who at 2018
Democracy Day Lecture said both the Federal and states authorities should
urgently develop “capacity, institutions, structures and process of peace building”
as a necessary condition for democratic consolidation.
He said it was unacceptable for Nigeria that had been adjudged a peace building
nation in war torn Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan to be afflicted with preventable
crisis adding that “it was time Nigeria’s peace /charity ship berthed at home”
While acknowledging the efforts of the Federal authorities with respect to Public
safety and security in degrading the Boko Haram insurgency, comrade Aremu said
efforts should be at prevention of violence through inclusive development and
governance saying persistence violence had compounded “the crisis of
productivity, unemployment and value addiction” in the affected North East
region.

http://nigerianpilot.com/never-again-sho...ule-aremu/