I mention this because this attitude i exhibited of initialy shrugging it off to a large extent is symptomatic of how normalised these sort of abhorrent work place incidents have become to an average Nigerian.
To briefly recap not only was the lady severally assaulted,a full blooded Nigerian in her own country, but her work colleagues in the factory were also severally pummeled on a regular and consistent manner for work infractions as well.All by the same Lebanese factory owner until these fateful set of incidents, which had struck a cord in a cross section of Nigerians of diverse backgrounds.
A lot of people have severally castigated the Lebanese and rightly so, considering the scale of intensity at which the lady and factory workers in that establishment have been maltreated. A different section of Nigerians have also blamed the Nigerian Government which i also think is justified, considering the complacence displayed severally and consistently in the face of Nigerian worker's drudgery over the years.However in line with Human natural proclivity in this kind of situation, in our haste to hang responsibility upon someone, or an organisation both in assuaging our anger and intransigence collectively as a society, we failed to step back and look at the bigger picture in directing our angst at the right sector.
The Nigerian Labour Congress right from the time of its inception have been solely responsible for the defence and promotion of worker's rights,the organisation was created solely to protect and safeguard the basic working and human rights of every Nigerian worker and pensioner,and true to their calling they have held up to these onerous responsibilities of championing the cause of the working class, the factory workers the little men who although we dont reckon with nor appreciate on a daily basis, nevertheless are the brain box responsible for the smooth running and proper order of the society we live in.This noble responsibility invested in the Labour congress came into disrepute, at the point when Nlc became compromised and sullied by the filthy lucre of Government bribes and kickbacks.
While we can cross reference and allude to several other individuals,for the purpose of this write up we can safely chart the course of this morally questionable compromise from the time of Comrade Adams Oshiomole.He was a fiery social activist and labour leader who rose through the ranks till he was finally elected the leader of the Nlc in 1999,this period interfaced the end of military rule and the beginning of civilian rule by the Ex-President Obasanjo.
It was during Comrade Oshiomole's tenure that the practise of sabre rattling,calling for Nation wide strike and then suddenly turning round to capitulate, by suspending the strike action after being paid by Government agents.While this was a very lucrative albeit morally repugnant side earner for him and his executives, these morally questionable actions invariably introduced a malignant cancer into that organisation, the ripple effects of which we are still experiencing today the present incident inclusive. More insidiously and far reaching it has left Nigerian workers in a state of morose and transient fluctuation,due to the repeated moral betrayals all for financial inducement by sucessive leaders. Nigerian workers both in Government and private sector have now become hardened and resigned to the suffering appearing lethargic, and non responsive in the face of obvious oppression repression of their rights and dignity.
We have witnessed and every Nigerian can attest to the ignoble abyss of physical moral crevasse the Nlc have sunk to, presently under the lacklustre leadership of Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar.We recall vividly how he and his executives, in concert with Peter Esele the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress brazenly and without any warning, sold out during the January #occupyNig subsidy protests,and how they have turned to not just a branch but a mere domestic appendage, simply there to disseminate and re echo Government policies.This was not what the titans and forebears of Labour activism had in mind when they convened nurtured and strenghtened the Nlc
This same putrescent and festering lacerations due to its malignant nature and the laid back complacence, has spread unto other organisations like the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)with obvious conscequences.We all remember the disgraceful role of enablers they played on behalf of the Government, and how they became antagonist to Asuu and student interest which should have naturally been their first priority considering the demographic they represent.
While it is awesome news that President Goodluck Jonathan in broadly aligning with public opinion and outrage, has directed the police to thoroughly investigate this shameful and inhuman treatment of Ms Alice Ossai, the Government and we Nigerians collectively must not forget there are more Alice Ossai unsung and unreported, working under terrible conditions reminiscent of Pre-dickensian victorian period in Factories across the lenght and breadth of Nigeria.There have been many and even worse incidents of factory workers, losing body parts and being summarily dismissed without any compensation or recompense by the mostly foreign owned companies mostly Chinese,Lebanese.There have been several cases of blatant persecution, and unfair practises by these company bosses towards factory workers with the Nlc and the police who have been compromised rarely evincing a single wince, much less a robust and visceral protest and proactive indictment respectively.
Moreover many of these factories are run and operated with scant and total disregard for general and world endorsed health and safety safeguards, even bordering on criminal negligence in saner climes.This is not only absurd in the 21st century, but an highly provoking and unfortunate indictment on the Ministry in charge of Labour and Productivity over the years until the present one.
Since the Nigerian labour congress are obviously incapable both morally and physically of standing up to their primary duties and responsibilities, of championing the rights of Nigerian workers, it is imperative for us as a people to highlight these issues pressure the Government in striving to activate the relevant laws in the constitution, either to breath new life into the agency in charge of factory and company health and safety inspections and compliance,or in the absence of such Agency presently undertake a commitment properly gazetted to set up such agency as is commonly obtained worldwide.They must also be vested with the responsibility of liasing with worker's representatives independent of company influence to make sure workers are treated with the basic modicum of respect,human right and safe happy working conditions.
A seven months pregnant woman who is in her third and final trimester should not be working, and if she is has absolutely no business working inside a factory.
Finally we should earnestly urge the Nass committee in charge, to set up a committee to look into how both foreign owned and indigenously owned factories and companies are run and how they treat their workers, then put forward a radical and top to buttom recommendations on ways of improving the working conditions of factory workers and prevent this disgrace from lingering or even occuring again.
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