ON THE eve of the programmes to start the final homeward journey of Comrade Rosemary, I wish to pen a few words in tribute to a fighter, a pacesetter and a committed Comrade and journalist of distinction.
In the over two decades we have had the privilege of working with Rosemary in her coverage of the Labour and Trade Union sector, her zeal and determination to project the voice of the working class and the downtrodden was unforgettable.
Rosemary brought resourcefulness, energy and creativity into her work of using the African Independent Television (AIT) as a medium to cover the Labour sector.
When the Adams Oshiomhole-led NLC in the early 2000s pioneered the live telecast of our annual May Day celebrations, such that our Workers Day messages can be heard live in the living rooms of millions of Nigerians, it was to AIT and Rosemary as anchor that for several years we had to rely on for this huge innovation in our communication medium to become a reality.
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As General Secretary of NLC for over a decade, I followed her passionate reporting of Labour issues at close range.
Rosemary’s energy and determination to overcome all odds to report labour issues can be seen in the efforts she made year in year out to attend the annual conferences of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva and report the main actors of the world of work at the Apex global stage for the Nigerian audience.
She was similarly likely to be among the few journalists making their presence felt at international meetings of trade union organisations in Africa or around the globe, to beam her television search light on the happenings at those stages. I recall that she travelled to far away Melbourne, Australia to cover the last conference of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in November 2022.
She pioneered a weekly programme called “Policy on Trac” which provided major highlights of developments within the Labour and Industrial Relations scene in the country on Tuesdays on AIT. In her coverage of conferences of industrial unions and the national centres – NLC and TUC – she brought to bear her unparalleled understanding of the socio-political dynamics at play and articulated for viewers an informed analysis of each of the sectors she was covering.
In Rosemary’s death, we have been robbed of a devoted friend of the working class movement. We take solace in the several footprints she left on the sands of time as far as Labour and television journalism is concerned in our country.
Farewell our sister, comrade and indefatigable fighter for justice. Rest in peace in the bosom of the Lord; Comrade Rosemary.
Comrade Odah is the Executive Secretary, Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA), with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
