Former chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has called on workers in various trade unions in Nigeria to gear themselves towards a determined electoral political participation in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Jega who chaired Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Political Roundtable event held in Abuja on Thursday, March 10, 2022, said this in his opening remarks.
The former INEC boss noted that the Nigerian state is appearing increasingly incapable of discharging the roles and responsibilities traditionally expected of a modern nation-state, hence the need for labour unions whose numbers are in millions, to join forces to participate in the elections and determine who governs Nigeria.
In his words: “Workers participation in the development of their country, especially in bringing about good governance, through which meeting their basic needs and aspirations is enhanced, is necessary and desirable.
“It is, therefore, the responsibility of organized labour, in trade unions or other associations and movements, to promote active workers participation not just in collective bargaining for narrow economic, or economistic, interests, but also in broader matters of development, especially active, focused, resilient and enlightened participation in the electoral process for the selection or election of people who would have a good character, patriotism and selflessness, among other things, to nurture and entrench good democratic governance, and direct public and governmental affairs well, whether at the level of local government, the state, or the federation, to the satisfaction of workers and all other citizens.”
Furthermore, Jega said: “Nigeria is very badly governed and, unfortunately, it has been so for a very long time.
“All the indices of bad governance are starkly evident: from the fraudulent ways and means by which conceited elite impose themselves as ‘elected’ ‘leaders’ in governance; to the reckless, self-serving, corrupt, exclusionary, visionless, parochial and unpatriotic disposition and manner they have been ‘governing’. Indeed, on virtually all the global indices used to measure, rate and rank countries with regards to socio-economic development, addressing poverty, advancing human security, good governance and democratic development, Nigeria is ranked lowly and poorly, if not despicably given its vast potentials in human and material resources.
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“As a consequence of all these, is there any wonder that the Nigerian state is appearing increasingly incapable of discharging the roles and responsibilities traditionally expected of a modern nation-state?
“These primary responsibilities are: (i) protecting lives and property, (ii) defending the country’s territorial integrity, (iii) maintaining law and order and peaceful co-existence among citizens on the basis of the rule of law and independent and credible judiciary; and (iv) providing for the basic needs and human security of all citizens. Is the Nigerian state competently and effectively discharging any of these responsibilities, if at all?
“In the present circumstances in Nigeria, there is no better way for the organized labour to strategically advance the collective interests of the working people of Nigeria, than to join forces with other patriotic forces and actively engage with politics and governance, and especially the electoral process, to ensure that the governance process and indeed the future of Nigeria is rescued from the reckless elite who are greedily and blindly undermining the socio-economic and democratic development of our country; who are literally getting the country grounded and, as it were, leaving the rest the citizens high and dry.
“Organized labour has to forge unity among the trade unions and labour movements in the country, at the least on the basis of a minimum agenda of mobilizing, educating, enlightening and consciencetizing Nigerian workers to get them to resolve to use the electoral process in the politics leading to 2023 general elections; in particular to motivate and encourage Nigerian workers to register to vote, then turn out to vote, and finally vote only for parties/candidates of good character who sincerely commit to promoting, advancing, defending, and implementing a Nigerian Workers Charter of demand when elected.
“It needs to be recognized that in the present circumstances, workers ignore participation in electoral politics at their own peril.
“Unity is strength, and unity is necessary and desirable so as to actualize the objectives and aspiration of getting Nigerian workers and other progressive forces’ active participation in electoral politics to rescue Nigeria and widen and deepen the scope for democratic development and good democratic governance in the country.
“The time of narrowly believing that workers’ interests can only be advanced through collective bargaining is over. The time of “Siddon look”, while ruffians and crooks occupy and dominate the political and governance spaces, through manipulation of the electoral process in our country, Is over!”
and then