The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Monday met with the leader leadership of Organised Labour in Abuja.
The Town hall meeting, which held at Chida Hotel in the Federal Capital Territory, was well attended by Labour leaders from the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress among others.
This is even as the leadership of the Organised Labour presented the APC candidate with their demands which included a total war on corruption.
In attendance were the President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba; his contemporary in TUC, Festus Osifo; Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Secretary of the APC Campaign Council, James Faleke; Kebbi Governor, Atiku Bagudu; his contemporary in Jigawa, Abubakar Badaru and Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara).
While making an overture to the Organised Labour to pitch tent with him ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu stated that he has track record for good governance and remains the most qualified to lead Nigeria among the contesting presidential candidates.
In his address, the APC flagbearer who intermittently spoke off his written speech said his antecedents as former Lagos State governor, during which he transformed the state and powered it to the 5th largest economy in Africa, speaks for him.
Tinubu listed the problems of unemployment, lack of credit system to allow workers to own houses, poverty, challenges in the educational sector, weak industrial base of the economy as what he is coming to address as the President of Nigeria.
“The choice is yours. But permit me to now talk a little about myself and my vision. I have always been and will continue to be a progressive democrat. In my worldview, government has a cardinal responsibility to work not only with business but also with labour to ensure that all constituent parts of our society are afforded their fair share of rewards without taking on undue hardship,” Tinubu said.
According to him, I have been at the forefront of fighting the government for good governance all my life. I was detained and eventually forced into exile.
The former Lagos governor narrated how he fought tooth and nail for democracy and fled into exile at the peak of National Democratic Coalition movement against the military junta in the country.
He said, “As Organised Labour, you have been at the forefront of the workers’ rights movement in Nigeria, championing economic fairness and the welfare of the average person, the weak and the forgotten.
“You have also been involved in the struggle for democracy and political rights. Your collective efforts breathe life into the democratic rights and economic ideals enshrined in our constitution.
“I can speak fondly of your impact on our nation because of my personal history on the frontlines of the social justice movement.
“I may be running for president now, but I was not always in this position. Long before I started running for the presidency, I was running away from military dictators angered by my important role in protests against them and their efforts to vanquish our democratic aspirations.
“The defining moment of my public life came during Nigeria’s struggle for democracy and my membership in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) movement.
“I have dedicated my entire being to that cause. I was detained, then was forced into exile because of my refusal to accept anything less than a government based on the proposition that the will of the people is sovereign and should reign over armed might and imposition.
“I believe that those assembled here today share the same ideals of progressive and democratic good governance. I have spent my political life advocating for the rights and interests of ordinary Nigerians as you also do. We have long been fellow travellers on the same road. I hope that we shall continue as friends and brothers.
While appreciating Tinubu for his presence, the NLC President presented the workers’ charter of demands which include a total war on corruption.
According to him, corruption has almost destroyed the social and economic fabric of Nigeria across the private and public sectors and is a reason the country is not making the desired progress.
“In Nigeria, our problem is people’s problem and we must have a government that will prioritise the fight against corruption. This is a key demand for Labour. We also need a government that will make social and economic justice a priority,” he said.
Responding to the question on corruption, a determined Tinubu vowed that his administration would have a zero-tolerance to corruption by strengthening anti-corruption agencies.
