A formidable alliance between trade unions and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has been identified as imperative in present day Nigeria as a means of demanding good governance and protesting against the culture of poor formulation of policies and the non-implementation of ideas by federal and state governments and their agencies. This position was recently expressed by two seasoned trade unionists. CHRISTIAN APPOLOS reports.
‘Solidarity forever’ and ‘the struggle continues’, are two most motivating phrases you will hear often in the gathering of trade unionists and civil society activists.
Literally, the two phrases in the context of the two entities simply mean to maintain alliance or stay united, and persistence or undeterred towards an action or demand. This was apparently why the marriage and formidable force between the two in demand for democratic governance in Nigeria during the period of military rule was productive and a tale of successes.
While it may seem that the unity of purpose that existed between the trade unions and civil society organisations years ago has withered because of divergent interests and focus, the General Secretary of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU), Prince Peters Adeyemi, said the marriage between the two still exists though the bond may not be as strong as it was during the struggle for the return to democratic governance from the military.
At the 50th birthday celebration of Mrs Angela Ogodo Odah, a civil society activist and wife of the former General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr John Odah, in Abuja, Prince Adeyemi likened the successful marriage of the Odahs and the achievements of union to the successes the alliance between trade unions and civil society organisations achieved in the old days of struggle for the good and progress of Nigeria.
He advised that the alliance must be rekindled to checkmate wrong and poor implementation of government policies. “The partnership between trade unions and civil society groups helped us a lot in all of our struggles those days. I am sure that even now, that partnership is even more desirable. I think it should be encouraged; the continuity and continuation of that partner will help since challenges are not diminishing or reducing. So we have to build on that friendship. We have to build on that working relationship because they complement each other.”
“The struggle in our land cannot be completely a struggle for the working people. Nigeria is poverty ridden. So the struggle in this country by the labour movement transcends looking for bread and butter for workers. Because even the man on the streets looks up to the labour movement for salvation. In those days, one of the things we did is to ensure that we involved students, market women and others because the kind of challenges we face in Nigeria are such that affect every home and persons,” he said.
Further using the Odahs marriage to illustrate the importance of a strong union between civil rights organisations and trade unions, the NASU GS said, “The collaborative efforts we have seen in the way Angela and John Odah have been able to build not only a good home but a family we are all proud of must be consistently replicated between the labour movement and civil society organisations.
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“There is no trade union person that can succeed if he doesn’t have a supportive partner, because most of the time, the union man is never at home. So you need a wife that will not only look after the home and children while we are struggling to see how things go well for the Nigerian people and Nigerian workers, but a strong pillar of support in the woman. And we have seen that in Angela, a wonderful mother, wife, very tolerant and very peaceful.”
On his part, Comrade John Odah, a former civil society activist and General Secretary of NLC, said the two entities in view must forge a strong alliance, especially ahead of the 2023 general election, both in ensuring credible candidates are elected to pilot Nigeria’s affairs and in monitoring the elections.
“There has to be a strong collaboration as it was in the relationship between the trade union movement and the civil society components. NLC leadership, under Adams Oshiomole, brought a number of us from the student movement. We were in the leadership of the leading civil society organisations during that very difficult period and we had an understanding that we were all working as civil society and trade union organisations towards the same goal.
“I don’t think that understanding is there now. I think after 2012 the link between trade unions and civil society organisations began to weaken. And I don’t think the NLC and the rest of the trade unions have sufficiently recovered from the breakdown of the linkage.
“Going forward in 2023, I think that whoever becomes president of the NLC needs to work harder to rebuild the trust between the trade unions and civil society,” Comrade Odah added.
He further explained that civil society organisations have a very unique and strategic use and the trade unions as mass-based organisations, need to understand how best to collaborate with them to form a formidable alliance and relationship.
“The civil society groups and trade unions need to police the effective use of the BVAS to ensure that desperate politicians do not scuttle all the reforms that have been made over the years. They need to ensure that the votes count and that the votes of the Nigerian citizens count in determining who is elected to lead Nigeria. So, this is a challenge that those who become new leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress need to take very seriously.”
