Emma’s Death Offers Opportunity For Genuine Reconciliation In NLC

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Aremu latest 2By Issa Aremu

Once again we mourn a comrade and former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Emma Ezeazu who died Monday May 18, 2015 after a protracted illness. Late Comrade Emma Ezeazu led Nigerian students between 1986 and 1988. He was also a former National Secretary of the Civil Liberties Organizations, and Executive Director of Community Action for Popular Participation (CAPP]. He later founded the Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE). He was equally an active member of the National Executive Committee of several other rights groups, namely Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), United Action for Democracy (UAD) and Campaign for Democracy among others. Late Comrade Emma Ezeazu was a dependable ally together with late Chima Ubani during the national struggle against military dictatorship. Until his death, he was 100 per cent a non-state actor.

But Emma realized the limit of civil society activism. He decided rightly to be politically involved and went into partisan politics. During the concluded national elections, Ezeazu ran for the House of Representatives primaries for FCT Constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he lost with a margin 14 votes despite being on a hospital bed.

Emma was a strong supporter of the labour movement. He was always on the fore front in the marches and mass actions of the NLC for good governance.

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We hereby express our grief and solidarity with the family of our late colleague in particular, the civil society community and the entire country on the irreparable loss of this great patriot.

EMMA’s LEGACIES

He left behind the values of selflessness and comradeship in the traditions of late Abdulraham black, late Bala Muhammed, late Aka Bashorun, Chima UBANI, Dr. Ransome Kuti among others. He was also a patriot and pan Africanist. In a country in which educated elite are playing divisive identity ethnic and religious politics, Emma stood out as patriot and a global citizen. We call on all Nigerian students to emulate Emma;  by acting local and thinking global!

EMMA AS A UNIFIER

He was a unifier. Alive and after death, all comrades regardless of the divide stood in his Honour. I hereby demand that the best post humour Honour for Comrade Emma is for all comrades, especially in the labour movement to be united and fight for a new Nigeria and new Africa founded on prosperity and Social Justice for all.

UNITED NLC

I call on all comrades to take the advantage of the unifying legacy of Emma to head the advice of the President of the National Industrial Court, (NIC) Justice Babatunde Adejumo given on Wednesday 24th of June 2015 in Lagos that we reconcile rather than engage in unhelpful litigations on matters arising from the controversial 11th Delegates conferences of NLC held 12th March 2015 at Eagle Square Abuja and Special Delegates Conference of NLC held Thursday 19th March 2015 at the Mainland Hotel Lagos. We must revive the initiative of the well meaning labour veterans led by the founding President of the NLC, Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu to solve the crisis.

I hereby commend the pronouncement of the president of NIC in underscoring the importance of labour in the development of the nation. Justice Adejumo was right to say that workers constitute the “…engine room of the economy” adding whatever the differences, a united NLC is better off than a divided one.

 

Being the text of remarks at the tributes session for the former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Emma Ezeazu At University of Lagos, Akoka on Thursday , 2nd July, 2015 By Comrade ISSA AREMU, mni General Secretary,Textile Workers’ and Union Deputy President, Ajaero led faction of NLC

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