Ngige has failed to build on initiatives of past technocrats —NECA

The Director General of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association of Nigeria (NECA), Mr Segun Oshinowo, has declared that the present leadership of the Ministry of Labour and Employment had failed to build on the commendable initiatives, initiated by some past technocrats in the Ministry.

Besides, Oshinowo, who was giving the overall performance of Nigeria at the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), the major annual event of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), recently held in Geneva, said the Ministry, under the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has failed in its responsibilities.

However, the NECA DG, who led the team of employers’ representatives to the conference, commended the organised labour- Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC)- for living up to expectation, adding that the NLC did well by trying to give effect to those initiatives where the ministry failed.

In a chat with journalists, Oshinowo said “I must say that we have been moving round in circle in terms of our strategy for proper involvement and engagements at the conference. We have not been able to build on some of the commendable initiatives which some past technocrats in the Ministry of Labour had initiated.

“One example is the Nigerian delegation to have their own mini conference at home before they come over here (Geneva) where we can discuss the issues on the agenda of the ILO and probably agree on a Nigerian position.

“We have lost that because at the end of the day, we still need to go back home to give the effect of the conclusion. But if we had given ourselves a head-start by looking at the conference agenda and then having a common position, then each of us in our various constituent groups (employers group, workers group and government group) can push those positions.

“It is not unlikely that if we had had that kind of mini conference, there would have been some differences. But at the same time, we will not come here to more or less enlarge those differences. In the course of clarifying those differences, we could have found a middle ground which the three constituents will push in their various ways.”

Asked if employers were not carried along, he pointed out that the Ministry did not carry the employers along but the NLC did.

He said “The NLC did, but you can’t compare the NLC initiative to the Ministry of Labour initiative. Ministry of Labour is the custodian of the tripartite machinery. In fact, the person that represented NECA is not here in Geneva because even though the NLC did well by trying to give effect to it, we didn’t really give it the attention that it deserves. It would have been a different thing if the session had been initiated by the Ministry of Labour.”

While commending the NLC, he said, “those are two different things. As I have said, we must commend labour because you know as much as I do, that that kind of pre-conference gathering is important, but the appropriate party to handle it failed in its responsibility and that is the Ministry of Labour.”

On the presentation of the minister of labour, Senator Ngige the ILC Session seeking the support of the ILO in financing Nigeria budget deficit, Oshinowo said that should be a matter for domestic debate and not a matter for the ILO or the multilateral institutions.

The NECA DG said ”With due respect to the Minister, I don’t think that message is for this house (ILO). That message is simply not for this house. Maybe, if he were to be addressing the conference of IMF or World Bank, that would have been more appropriate. But even at that, I still feel that it is not a matter for multilateral institutions or global community to come and help us on how to manage our budgets.

“It is an issue for Nigeria to sit down and look at its financial template.  Do I have to broaden my income base or reduce my expenses? Those are the basic questions that we must answer and it is  a domestic issue and not an international issue.

“There is actually nothing wrong in being on deficit budget. The real issue is how do you finance it?  If you now want to finance a deficit budget what are you financing?  Am I financing recurrent expenditure or capital expenditure? If I am financing capital expenditure, then I could as well take solace in the fact that the productivity in which that infrastructural development will bring to the economy will enable me to pay my debt over time.

“So, it is a matter for domestic debate, not a matter for the ILO or the multilateral institutions.”

At the end of the conference, the Labour Group, represented by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba emerged Titular (regular) member of the ILO Governing Body after keenly contested elections; while the Employers Group, represented by Mr. Oshinowo, was elected as deputy member.

The Governing Group, represented by the Minister of Labour was also elected a deputy member, rather than a titular and full regular member thus giving the three groups, workers, employers and government to be part of the top executive body of the ILO.

Oshinowo commended the country; and also said Nigeria has done the needful, by ratifying the ILO convention that has to do with child labour and the worst forms of child labour.

To that extent, he said “we must commend the country,” adding that beyond that “we need to domesticate those conventions which we have ratified and then declare in our minds what the implementation strategy should be to give effect to the provisions under those conventions. I think that is where the challenge really is.”