The Rivers State Chapter of the Trade Union Congress,TUC has urged Nigeria’s President –Elect ,General Muhammadu Buhari to avoid any sort of pressure that will make his government compromise the expectations of Nigerians .
In his May Day address in PortHarcourt, Comrade Hyginus Chika Onuegbu, the Rivers TUC chairman who congratulated the president elect on his victory said “They should avoid any pressure to compromise the expectations of Nigerians on the altar of any foreign or local gods in whatever guise. Taking the people for granted is as dangerous as a fish deciding to jump out of water. The very factors that caused a revolution if not adequately addressed may also result to a counter revolution.”
“We urge the incoming government at the centre to be prepared to hit the ground running from May 29th to fulfil its promises to the people. Nigerians will not accept any excuses for non-performance. We have been patient enough and are actually in a hurry to begin to enjoy the fruits of the promised change.
Listing the Congress’ expectations from the Buhari government,Onuegbu said “We therefore appeal to the new President-Elect to unite Nigeria; tackle corruption and insecurity; revive the economy with a view to addressing the twin evil of poverty and unemployment. The primacy of the focus on the fight against corruption and elimination of waste in governance is because corruption has become a culture in Nigeria and it is widely believed that some 40% of the budget is frittered away through it and inefficiency.
“Moreso, it was the main selling point of His Excellency’s President Elect General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) campaigns since Nigerians perceive him as an honest man. The truth is that the continued haemorrhaging of our national resources as a result of blow-outs through corruption has undermined the capacity of Governments at all levels to deliver on the various promises of democracy to the citizenry. The genuine fight against corruption can no longer be put on hold especially now that oil prices have fallen by some 50% leading to severe reduction in government revenues.
“We also, urge the incoming government to give serious attention to reforms in the oil/gas industry. This should be done with a view to quickly ending the issues of endemic corruption prevalent in the industry; under funding of the Joint Venture operations, Oil theft and Pipeline vandalism, importation of refined petroleum products and the institutional bottlenecks in the industry. If effectively and efficiently done, this will bring in the needed foreign direct investment, enhance exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources, significantly increase domestic gas supplies especially for power and industry, create competitive business environment and efficient regulatory institutions, and engender transparency and accountability.
“This will also provide the spring board for the effective diversification of the nation’s economy away from oil and gas. Examples throughout history and current realities abound to show that diversification is a common sense approach that other societies have adopted to escape the mono-product trap. Where we have found ourselves today as a nation is therefore a “classical case” of leadership failure at all levels of governance.
He also expects Buhari “to pursue the sanitisation of the electricity sector with the view to perfecting the privatisation of the unbundled PHCN. Nigerians need steady power supply at affordable prices and not denials or reasons for non-performance. If this means revisiting the entire privatisation exercise , they have our support.
“Nigerian workers will want to see the perfection of the various institutional processes of governance to reduce the chances of greedy fat cats manipulating them for personal gains at the detriment of the nation. Oil subsidy thieves must be prosecuted, the stolen Pension funds returned and the graft in the US16b IPP unravelled, the alleged $20bln unaccounted crude oil revenue thoroughly investigated and the culprits brought to book.
“Also, we want an inclusive government that is peopled by men and women of integrity. No part or region should be neglected or ignored. It will be wrong headed for anybody or group to feel that they have conquered power and should therefore appropriate all its benefits.
“Our suggestion is that the incoming government should end the reign of impunity and ensure the entrenchment of the rule of law. In pursuit of this, we want an honest, fearless, effective, strong and independent Judiciary at all levels. If we want to practice democracy, let us not pretend about it, let us practice it truly. The financial autonomy of the judiciary must therefore be guaranteed as the judiciary cannot be independent if they are not financially autonomous. To this end, the various court judgments on this matter must be respected. This has been the main reason why the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has embarked on several strikes. Respect for these court judgments on the Judicial autonomy and indeed all other court judgments is crucial for the development and consolidation of our democracy.
“We want a new Nigeria. One that we and our children will be proud of! One that will guarantee equity, good governance and justice to all Nigerians allowing them to freely express their God given talents and skills and giving them unfettered access to social services and public infrastructure. We know that four years will not be enough to solve all our national problems but we believe that it is more than sufficient to significantly end corruption and impunity, and lay a strong foundation for national unity, national rebirth and inclusive economic development. It is therefore our hope that the incoming administration of His Excellency President-Elect General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) will not disappoint us!
Addressing the Rotimi Amaechi administration in Rivers State, the TUC chairman said “The peace your nearly 8 years of governance brought to Rivers State is a milestone that gave all of us succour from the violence that preceded your ascension. You created an ambience of camaraderie between your government and the workforce NOT by inducing its leadership but by creating one of the best labour friendly governance processes in Nigeria. Nigerian workers and the TUC are indeed proud of your achievements.
