Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has accused some state governors of neglecting their responsibilities to live in Abuja.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with workers in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, Ajaero expressed concern that governance was being compromised as many governors now “live permanently in Abuja.”
“We have visited about five zones across the country, and in only one state did we meet the governor,” he said. “Each time we arrive, we are told they are in Abuja. This is affecting governance and making it difficult for people to engage with their leaders.”
Ajaero was in Kogi to inaugurate 10 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses for the state’s NLC chapter to ease workers’ transportation challenges. His visit highlighted a decade-long ban on labour unions in state-owned tertiary institutions, a decision under former Governor Yahaya Bello.
He condemned the ban, stating that no governor had the authority to proscribe unions since trade unions are governed by national laws.
“Union practice falls under the exclusive legislative list in the Constitution. No governor has the power to ban them. You don’t ban what you don’t control,” Ajaero said. “Unions are registered nationally by the Registrar of Trade Unions. For administrative convenience, they may have branches in states, but that doesn’t give governors the right to dissolve them.”
Workers at the meeting raised several concerns, including the non-implementation of salary increments, lack of affordable housing, and a shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools.
Ajaero assured them that the NLC leadership would relay their grievances to the government but noted that the absence of governors made this difficult.
“If the governor is around, we will present your demands to him. If he’s not, then we’ll have to pass them to whoever he sends,” he said.
Kogi holds special significance for the NLC, Ajaero added, as Governor Usman Ododo and his deputy both have backgrounds in organised labour. He said the union would engage them in discussions to ensure they uphold workers’ rights.
