By Tejiri Ebikeme
The ripples of the unresolved March 12th National Delegates Congress of the Nigeria Labour Congress that produced two national leadership led by Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero is set to resonate in Delta state as the industrial unions in the state prepare to organise separate delegate congresses in Asaba and Warri respectively to elect state leadership of the NLC.
It has been reported that while industrial unions loyal to the Comrade Ajaero faction of the NLC are presenting the current State Chairman of the NLC Comrade Williams Akporeha in Warri for a second term, the other faction is queuing behind the state NULGE Chairman, Comrade David Ofoyeno at Asaba.
Leadership of the Labour movement was thrown into disagreement since February when the NLC failed twice to organise its national delegate’s election acceptable to all the affiliate industrial unions. As a result, the NLC has been torn into two parallel lines with Comrade Ayuba Wabba emerging as National President in a controversial election held in Abuja while Comrade Joe Ajaero, whose faction claims to have the endorsement of majority of the industrial unions also emerged as National President in an election held in Lagos to protest the alleged illegality of Ayuba Wabba’s emergence.
While the two congresses in Delta state have been scheduled to hold the same day, Thursday, April 23 at the Petroleum Training Institute Conference Centre, Effurun for Comrade Williams Akporeha and the Arcade at Asaba for Comrade David Ofoyeno, it is however not clear when the crisis at the National level of the NLC that is now creeping in the states will be resolved to restore sanity, hope and leadership direction to the Nigerian worker.
