The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has inaugurated the western states’ political commission of the labour movement to mobilise Nigerian workers for active participation in the 2023 general elections.
The action is a follow-up to a recent political round-table in Abuja where it was agreed that the union should fully participate in the 2023 general elections. The meeting had resolved that the TUC should have its political commission set up in the eastern, western and northern states.
“Since it has been difficult to differentiate politics from running the economy, we felt that it is high time that we took our seat; play our role in the politics of Nigeria, and it starts with educating our members and the masses,” said Quadri Olaleye, president, TUC.
Olaleye spoke at the 2022 interactive session of the union, with the theme, “the relationship between labour and politics” and inauguration of state political committee’ western zone in Lagos on Friday.
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According to Olaleye, the inactive participation of members in politics has placed Nigerian workers in a pitiable situation. “No wonder it has been very difficult to implement the minimum wage that was signed in 2019,” he said, stating that the absence of the trade union movement in politics is responsible for the current socio-economic mess in the country.
The TUC president equally sensitised members ahead of a nationwide roadshow to educate and mobilise both the workers and the Nigerian masses. He noted that the labour union shall henceforth dictate what happens in the polity. “Why? Because we have the numbers; we have refused this time around to loan our numbers to anybody,” said Olaleye.
Inaugurating the five-man committee across the six western zone states, Olaleye said that the TUC wants a situation whereby in the 2023 elections, all workers would be fully mobilised to go to the polls and elect the best candidate for their agenda.
The newly inaugurated state political commission members were authorised to kick-start their political education and mobilisation towards 2023 and to have media engagement on behalf of the TUC on political issues.
