THE word “revolution” to many, simply means forcible overthrow of a government and installation of a new one. But for the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, revolution means something else.
At its 10th Quadrennial National Delegates’ Conference, NDC, in Asaba, Delta State, NUTGTWN, though commended President Good Jonathan for his Transformation Agenda, but argued that Nigeria needed a revolution, complete change in methods, not just a transformation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, General Secretary of the union, Comrade Issa Aremu said; “It is commendable that President Jonathan’s administration is committed to a Transformation Agenda. Indeed, Nigeria needs a revolution not just a transformation.
Revolution from de-industrialization to re-industrialization, revolution from poverty to prosperity, and revolution from insecurity to social, economic, job and physical security. Revolution from minimum wage to maximum living wage, revolution from corruption agenda to development agenda, revolution from dependency to national self-reliance, revolution from jobless growth to employment centred development and revolution from factory closures to industrial estates.”
He kicked against the call for a Sovereign National Conference with the intention of questioning Nigeria existence, saying that Nigerian experience at the international level and what her citizen are subjected to internationally call for Nigerians to be united and see themselves as Nigerians rather than see themselves from regional perspective.
He said: “Our common focus on transformation assumes that we are all speaking for Nigeria and not Afghanistan. However, recent development shows that we should not take Nigeria our country for granted.
“It is now fashionable to bash Nigeria and even question its existence. The new mantra is over National Conference as if Nigeria is a debating society rather than a productive republic. We must reinvent patriotism and raise the national flag.
We must realize that nation-building is a process that spans generations not an event. We are quick to paint a picture of gloom and doom for our nation over several imperfections. Please let us be loud against power failure, poverty, lack of good governance, corruption, but let us also recognize our strengths and opportunities.”
On some of the achievements of the now out gone administration in the last four years, Comrade Aremu said it had raised wages for its members on annual basis by over 60 per cent.
He said the union also collaborated with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Bank of Industry BoI, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, FES, to fight for favourable industrial policy and the protection of job and said it was sad that unstable micro economic policy such as deregulation of the oil and gas sector that led to increase in the pump price of petrol had impacted negatively on the wages of workers and eroded the efforts recorded on welfare.
Condemns anti-labour Bill
Speaking on controversial Anti-Labour recently sponsored by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Comrade Aremu who is also a Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, condemned the proposed Bill to restrict labour from going on strike.
According to him, “the sponsor does not know what the exiting trade union Act says. There cannot be a single strike without democracy. It shows that the person calling for it is not well informed.”
He also disagreed with those calling for a return to regionalism, saying “We can’t talk about industrializing Nigeria if there is no Nigeria. There cannot be Kwara, Delta, Kaduna and others if there is no Nigeria. To change society we must go beyond debating.
Nigeria must be a productive economy. We cannot be calling for region. We should be calling for greater Nigeria and greater Nigeria project. If we are not united in Nigeria we cannot grow. We should build together and be committed to patriotism and Nigeria project. We should be committed to industrial growth so as to replace jobs with unemployment.”
Earlier in his welcome address, then President of the union, Comrade Reginald Agulanna, regretted that the economic crisis facing the country had deepened in the last four years with rising unemployment and poverty levels, saying this had already manifested in widespread social problems with increased crime rates and violence across the country.
According to him, as the theme of the conference; “Transforming Nigeria through re-industrialization, employment and decent job,” Comrade Agulanna, said there was no time better than now to transform Nigeria by generating employments and providing mass decent jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
He lamented the continuous closures of textile factories, saying “some of the problems are attributed to smuggling, faking of labels, high operating costs occasioned by high costing energy, counterfeiting and unrestricted importation of sub-standard textile materials.” .
Comrade Agulanna said that government should “show that the strength of democracy lies only in the rule of law, protection of lives and properties and citizen welfare.”
He urged the government to halt the spate of violence and develop policies and programmes to support local industries and agriculture as a way of addressing unemployment.
At its 10th Quadrennial National Delegates’ Conference, NDC, in Asaba, Delta State, NUTGTWN, though commended President Good Jonathan for his Transformation Agenda, but argued that Nigeria needed a revolution, complete change in methods, not just a transformation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, General Secretary of the union, Comrade Issa Aremu said; “It is commendable that President Jonathan’s administration is committed to a Transformation Agenda. Indeed, Nigeria needs a revolution not just a transformation.
Revolution from de-industrialization to re-industrialization, revolution from poverty to prosperity, and revolution from insecurity to social, economic, job and physical security. Revolution from minimum wage to maximum living wage, revolution from corruption agenda to development agenda, revolution from dependency to national self-reliance, revolution from jobless growth to employment centred development and revolution from factory closures to industrial estates.”
He kicked against the call for a Sovereign National Conference with the intention of questioning Nigeria existence, saying that Nigerian experience at the international level and what her citizen are subjected to internationally call for Nigerians to be united and see themselves as Nigerians rather than see themselves from regional perspective.
He said: “Our common focus on transformation assumes that we are all speaking for Nigeria and not Afghanistan. However, recent development shows that we should not take Nigeria our country for granted.
“It is now fashionable to bash Nigeria and even question its existence. The new mantra is over National Conference as if Nigeria is a debating society rather than a productive republic. We must reinvent patriotism and raise the national flag.
We must realize that nation-building is a process that spans generations not an event. We are quick to paint a picture of gloom and doom for our nation over several imperfections. Please let us be loud against power failure, poverty, lack of good governance, corruption, but let us also recognize our strengths and opportunities.”
On some of the achievements of the now out gone administration in the last four years, Comrade Aremu said it had raised wages for its members on annual basis by over 60 per cent.
He said the union also collaborated with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Bank of Industry BoI, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, FES, to fight for favourable industrial policy and the protection of job and said it was sad that unstable micro economic policy such as deregulation of the oil and gas sector that led to increase in the pump price of petrol had impacted negatively on the wages of workers and eroded the efforts recorded on welfare.
Condemns anti-labour Bill
Speaking on controversial Anti-Labour recently sponsored by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Comrade Aremu who is also a Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, condemned the proposed Bill to restrict labour from going on strike.
According to him, “the sponsor does not know what the exiting trade union Act says. There cannot be a single strike without democracy. It shows that the person calling for it is not well informed.”
He also disagreed with those calling for a return to regionalism, saying “We can’t talk about industrializing Nigeria if there is no Nigeria. There cannot be Kwara, Delta, Kaduna and others if there is no Nigeria. To change society we must go beyond debating.
Nigeria must be a productive economy. We cannot be calling for region. We should be calling for greater Nigeria and greater Nigeria project. If we are not united in Nigeria we cannot grow. We should build together and be committed to patriotism and Nigeria project. We should be committed to industrial growth so as to replace jobs with unemployment.”
Earlier in his welcome address, then President of the union, Comrade Reginald Agulanna, regretted that the economic crisis facing the country had deepened in the last four years with rising unemployment and poverty levels, saying this had already manifested in widespread social problems with increased crime rates and violence across the country.
According to him, as the theme of the conference; “Transforming Nigeria through re-industrialization, employment and decent job,” Comrade Agulanna, said there was no time better than now to transform Nigeria by generating employments and providing mass decent jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
He lamented the continuous closures of textile factories, saying “some of the problems are attributed to smuggling, faking of labels, high operating costs occasioned by high costing energy, counterfeiting and unrestricted importation of sub-standard textile materials.” .
Comrade Agulanna said that government should “show that the strength of democracy lies only in the rule of law, protection of lives and properties and citizen welfare.”
He urged the government to halt the spate of violence and develop policies and programmes to support local industries and agriculture as a way of addressing unemployment.
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