The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, stated on Monday that no governor has the authority to ban labor unions, emphasizing that union activities fall under the exclusive legislative list in the Constitution.

Ajaero made this remark while addressing workers at a town hall meeting held at the NLC Secretariat in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. He was reacting to the recent proscription of labour unions in state-owned tertiary institutions by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

“Union practice is under the exclusive legislative list in the Constitution. No governor has the power to ban unions; you cannot ban what you do not control,” Ajaero asserted.
“Unions are registered nationally by the Registrar of Trade Unions. While they may establish branches in states for administrative convenience, state governments lack the authority to proscribe them.”

The NLC president expressed surprise that such a ban existed in Kogi State, insisting that the government had no legal basis for its action.

Governors Abandoning Their States

Ajaero also criticized the growing trend of governors spending more time in Abuja than in their respective states, leaving governance neglected.

“We have noticed that many governors now reside permanently in Abuja while their people suffer,” he lamented.

As part of the NLC’s intervention in Kogi State, Ajaero announced the delivery and inauguration of 10 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to ease transportation difficulties for workers.

He further revealed that during visits to five geopolitical zones, NLC officials found that most governors were absent.

“Kogi is the fifth zone we’ve visited, and we have only met with a governor in one state. Each time we arrive, we’re told the governor is in Abuja, which is affecting governance,” he said.

Ajaero stressed that workers were already struggling under harsh economic conditions, and any plans by the government to increase telecom tariffs would only worsen their plight.

Addressing Workers’ Grievances

Ajaero emphasized that the NLC would relay workers’ demands to Governor Usman Ododo, provided he was available to receive them.

“Kogi State is significant to us because both the governor and his deputy have labor union backgrounds. Governor Ododo was one of my officials in Niger State, while his deputy was an official of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT),” Ajaero noted.

He described the meeting as a “homecoming” for the NLC leadership, providing an opportunity to assess whether the current administration was upholding the principles they once advocated.

Earlier, workers informed Ajaero that labor unions in Kogi State Polytechnic, Kogi State University, and state-run Colleges of Education, Technology, and Nursing had been banned for over a decade.

Other issues raised included the non-implementation of annual salary increments, lack of housing for workers, and a shortage of teachers in primary and junior secondary schools.