Wednesday 27 August 2014

Notes on why NLC Bars Members From Three Countries.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwaheed Omar, on Tuesday revealed that members of the organised labour from three countries were barred from attending its last meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.

Daily Independent reports that the president, while speaking at the opening of the 2014 Rain School training workshop currently taking place at the Workers’ Solidarity Centre in the aforementioned state, listed the affected countries to include Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

He explained that they were barred following the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus disease (EVD), which is more prevalent in the three West African countries since it broke out in February 2014.

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“Efforts by members of the Organised Labour from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to undergo screening before coming to Nigeria to attend the training workshop were in the last minutes turned down by the Nigerian government agencies due to the current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) ravaging the West African countries” he said.


Omar confirmed that only the organised labour from Ghana was able to attend the programme although Participants from trade union centre in some countries in the West Africa sub-region were billed to attend the school, but later declined following the outbreak of Ebola virus.

He, however, stated that government agencies would have allowed the participants to come after the screening exercise if cleared and fit to enter Nigeria, and noted that it was the Labour House that wrote the countries to stay away after the initial invitation.

Omar also expressed optimism that government and all the stakeholders in medical profession as well as international community would do everything possible to contain the spread of the disease and save human race from the fear and death brought by the deadly disease by finding cure for it.

The NLC president while taking a swipe at the current level of insecurity in the country explained that the 2014 Rain School, the 12th in the series with the theme, ‘Inequality and Socio-political Instability: Issues and Challenges for the Working Class’ was organised to find solution to the myriad of problems facing the nation.

Omar, who also took a swipe at the politicians, said the enabling environment provided by the structural decay created loopholes which were hijacked by politicians to experiment and play with lives of Nigerians.

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He said without the enabling environment, such conditions would not have metamorphosed into serious national security problems that are now threatening to split the country.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Labour Congress has been very supportive in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus as it would be recalled that on August 17, 2014, NLC commended the Federal Government for the proactive measures it has so far taken in curbing the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus.

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