It is still not well with organised labour as the crisis rocking the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, has taken its toll in Oyo State where two chairmen emerged under the same umbrella at separate delegate conferences.
The two executives claimed in their reports that both conferences were witnessed by representatives of the state government.
While a faction, headed by the Chairman of the council in Oyo State, Dr. Bashiru Olanrewaju held its conference at Lekan Salami Stadium Ibadan where Oyo State Head of Service Mr. Soji Ewade represented the state government, another group believed to be the product of Joe Ajaero led faction conducted its own at the National Museum Hall Alisinloye Ibadan having the Special Adviser to the State Government on Labour matters, Mr. Akinola Lawal as representative of the state government.
Both conferences were attended by various industrial unions.
The situation became more dramatic as each of the faction claimed legitimacy over the other with the key players from different factions defending their territories.
In a remark, Special Adviser to the Oyo State Government on Labour Matters Mr. Akinola Lawal advised the Union leaders to close ranks in the interest of workers.
It would be recalled that the national body of the NLC recently held its delegate conference to choose a new executive but the exercise was stalemated by allegations of electoral fraud leading to fisticuffs at the convention.
A faction had continued to finger former NLC president and incumbent Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole as the masquerade behind the crisis. Double voting and sundry electoral malfeasance highlighted the conference in which Oshiomhole was said to have strange and suspicious appearance. The national crisis now seems to have trickled down to the states at a crucial time in the nation’s history when seamless transition from a civilian to civilian government is about to be witnessed.
