Ex-NUPENG Chief slams NLC's move against new labor group supporting Tinubu

A former national president of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Williams Akporeha, has strongly opposed a directive from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The NLC instructed its affiliate unions to boycott the inauguration of Working People United (WoPU), a new group formed to campaign for President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027.

Akporeha, who now serves as the National Coordinator General of WoPU, denounced the NLC's directive as anti-democratic and a violation of Nigerian workers' constitutional right to freedom of association. In a statement co-signed by WoPU General Secretary Moses Oladapo, the group asserted that the directive, issued by individuals within the NLC hierarchy, represents an attempt to control the political decisions of workers.

The group was reacting to a circular that mandated presidents and general secretaries of NLC affiliate unions to skip the inauguration of WoPU's Lagos State chapter. WoPU emphasized that its members possess the constitutional right to associate with organizations of their choice, and the NLC cannot dictate such affiliations. They cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly and association, and referenced International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, which support workers' freedom to form or join organizations without intimidation.

"The NLC's directive is an affront to the Nigerian Constitution and international labor standards. No organization, no matter how powerful, has the right to tell Nigerian workers which associations they can join," WoPU stated. The organization argued that the NLC, as a federation of individual unions, lacks the authority for any single entity within it to dictate the political choices of all Nigerian workers.

WoPU accused some NLC leaders of trying to force workers to support the Labour Party and a specific presidential candidate, deeming these alleged efforts contrary to constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. The group clarified that WoPU is not a parallel labor organization but a political movement uniting workers from various sectors, artisans, and traders. Its aim is to mobilize working Nigerians around good governance and support Tinubu's re-election under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

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The NLC's directive is an affront to the Nigerian Constitution and international labour standards. No organisation, no matter how powerful, has the right to tell Nigerian workers which associations they can join.