THE African Independent Television (AIT) yesterday evening, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, aired an interaction Comrade Salihu Lukman, Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum, had with some journalists in Abuja following the nationwide protest jointly organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC). Below is the transcript of the interview, which was accessed by National Record from YouTube, which can be watched by clicking here.
Comrade Lukman: I can say authoritatively that as at 2010 when the minimum wage was agreed to be N20,000; from N5,500, which was legislated on; there were states; that was 2010, there were states that were not implementing the N5,500 minimum wage but they were expected because there is a law to move straight to N18,000.
I am happy today listening to the leader of NLC speaking on national television; he has acknowledged that at the time they were demonstrating that when they were still negotiating the N30,000 minimum wage, there were still about 3 states, according to him, that have not yet implemented the N18,000 minimum wage.
I want to accept it, based on what he said; he said there were about 9 states initially that are refusing to implement the current one, but when they now compute it based on the number of states, he said it means there were about 27 states that are paying…he said no, no, that is too much. We are being economical with the truth.
It is either we have federalism or we don’t; we can’t choose and pick, and I am arguing that if labour applies itself correctly to negotiate a number of issues, including negotiating how to fight corruption in this country; because part of the frustration, we imagine [that] the only corrupt people in this country are elected people and appointed political leaders.
Let’s go and look at the indices, I’m not doing it based on the claim of being detached because there are all manners of allegations that I am doing consultancy, I am being paid. Governors pay me; no doubt, and it is not about running away; this idea that if you are associated with the political leadership, you are automatically a thief, we have to overcome it. That I work for governors does not make me against labour.
Even when I worked in the NLC, they can confirm it or deny it; we stand up to our leadership to tell them no, this position is wrong, because the issue is, let’s face the reality; how can Lagos, with all the resources they have, be pitched at the same level with Yobe or Zamfara; how? When you do that, you compromise issues of productivity. A Lagos worker will give you as much as he is being paid because he is already being short-changed.
So these are the…, there has to be some form of understanding between political leaders and leaders of organisations like labour; they have a vital role to play. We are not going to negotiate the future of this country in the street! Any sensible agreement, even the agreement on minimum wage, it wasn’t contracted on the street.
On the point I read in that document, and this is the most important point I want to raise. NLC and our unions should prioritise the issue of productivity. That today Nigeria is being ranked as one of the poorest countries is not on account of low oil revenue alone, it is also on account of the fact that productivity indices within the country are low, and especially in the public sector. In the public sector, everything, the question of productivity hardly exists. So once productivity is low, you know, the amount of revenue that will be lost will be so high. We can blame political leadership, and this is the point that I had made in that paper.
I know NLC; when I worked there, we have about 8 policies; in different areas. There was a policy on economy; there was a policy on collective bargaining; there was a policy on labour and politics, which outline basic demands in terms of what NLC wants, in what everyone wants; to be able to move this country forward. Now, some of the bigger debates, it is not today we are starting this debate with NLC; I have been called names before; I don’t care; let them call me whatever they want to call me.
Part of the issue that will be raised is Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission not setting the salaries of all governance and public servants. Yes, they are doing that, but is that the right thing? It is not the right thing as far as I am concerned. If Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is setting up a benchmark, it can set the benchmark but it must not stop a state government to rework and set up their own priorities.
These are things; if there are things in the constitution that ties states to what Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is doing, then we have to reverse that!
It is either we have federalism or we don’t; we can’t choose and pick, and I am arguing that if labour applies itself correctly to negotiate a number of issues, including negotiating how to fight corruption in this country; because part of the frustration, we imagine [that] the only corrupt people in this country are elected people and appointed political leaders.
But go and check, our people in the civil service; in fact, my argument; I have said this over and over again; most of our political leaders are being oriented by people in the civil service; they are being tutored how to steal money without being traced by people in the civil service.
The only way we can get a handle to deal with that is if organisations like NLC and TUC will give their backing in such a way that their members are in line, but today, it is possible if you catch anybody who is a member of NLC or TUC in corrupt practices, you can hear that labour is coming in to negotiate and what not.
So these are the…, there has to be some form of understanding between political leaders and leaders of organisations like labour; they have a vital role to play. We are not going to negotiate the future of this country in the street! Any sensible agreement, even the agreement on minimum wage, it wasn’t contracted on the street.
So, I think, and this is my point, labour needs to wake up and come back to their senses. We fought for this democracy, and when I say we, it includes labour. We today have this democracy. I think it is contemptuous of the democracy for us to say a section of the democracy should not function, should not do their job. I think we should engage them.
A legislator, like I said in that paper, he was just being passionate because he believes that problem needs to be solved. He tabled it! What is the procedure? First hearing; second hearing; it goes to committee stage. Labour, being an interested party; can’t it prepare to go to that committee stage at the level of public hearing to engage it? Assuming even if they lose at that level; what is the next…, assuming it is passed, where does it go to? Does it become a law? It doesn’t become a law; it goes to the President for assent!
And even at that level, labour can invoke its own capacity to negotiate, lobby and ensure that some of these things are done. But this our democracy cannot develop; we cannot, I mean we cannot be paralysing ourselves.
At one point, we want democracy to give us what we want; at some other point, we don’t want it to function. What is the business of a National Assembly member, if they cannot propose a bill? They proposed a bill, then we go to the streets to fight them. If anything, I am complaining that the numbers of bills are not sufficient in terms of what we hear they earn. In fact, if you ask me, I want a situation where it should be 24/7; they are in business every time; they are there every time locked considering bills. But because that is not the case, there are few bills; even the few bills, we want to shoot them down; we don’t want to serve…that is why we can have only three legislative days – Tuesdays to Thursdays – the rest of the days, they are not there, for whatever they are doing.
So, I think, and this is my point, labour needs to wake up and come back to their senses. We fought for this democracy, and when I say we, it includes labour. We today have this democracy. I think it is contemptuous of the democracy for us to say a section of the democracy should not function, should not do their job. I think we should engage them.
Whoever is advising NLC to imagine that the only business they have is to protest; I want to be able to engage; I mean, I released my document on Sunday, isn’t it? Till today, outside some of the things I got privately from some of them there, they are accusing me of being sponsored by a governor and what not. It is not just a governor; I have 20 governors that are sponsoring me and I don’t…if I have the knowledge…, I am proud, I mean, I am happy, to be able to have the knowledge that will attract all the consideration of being sponsored.
I want to be able to do something, and I believe the future of this country is about negotiating these issues. We can all be passionate. I have respect for NLC leadership; I have respect for TUC leadership, but my advice to them is that they have better capacity in getting things done. In fact, this country is where it because they are really not applying themselves in the right direction!
