The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has stopped the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN) from presenting any candidates for the forthcoming 12TH Triennial National Delegates’ Conference of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), pending the conclusion of the case before it.
Justice R.H. Gwandu gave the restraining order in a suit number NICN/LA/242/2022,which also forced the postponement of the conference billed to come up next Tuesday.
The order was sequel to a petition filed against PENGASAN by the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) over leadership tussle, especially for the position of TUC President and other national executives.
The court granted the interlocutory order as prayed on the claimant’s motion paper dated and filed on June 16, 22 by the complainants.
Justice Gwandu adjourned the matter to July 18, 2022 for hearing.
Comrades Emmanuel Jaja, Frances Akinjole, the Committee Chairperson and Committee Secretary, respectively, alleged in Lagos that there was a huge politics of exclusion within the TUC.
They stated that the build up to the office of the President of TUC at the 11th National Triennial Delegates’ Conference between comrade Sunday Salako of ASSBIFI and late comrade Francis Olabode Johnson, then PENGASAN became so tense that series of formal and informal meetings had to be held before a compromise that made the former to step down for the latter could be secured.
It was agreed that PENGASAN should produce the presidency in 2019 for a single term of three years, while ASSBIFI would take over the same position in 2022, also for another single term of three years, after which the position would then become open for contest from year 2025.
Akinjole said that the compromise was presented to the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the TUC for discussion, and ratification was obtained, while same was also put to the National Executive Council (NEC) of the TUC and ratified for presentation at the 11th Triennial National Delegates’ Conference in Abuja.
He expressed regret that few weeks to the conference in Abuja, Comrade Francis Olabode Johnson died, while every effort to make PENGASAN provide a replacement to take up the post was unsuccessful “because they said they were still mourning.”
According to him,PENGASAN requested that the conference be postponed, but failed because all preparations for the conference were already concluded.
He added: “Getting to the conference proper in Abuja in 2019, the expectation was that ASSBIFI would be asked to take up the position of the TUC President, but alas, another game surfaced, which dictated that ASSBIFI should still wait for the 2022 Conference that was initially slated for the association.
“In order to avoid rancour and acrimony among affiliates, the then NDC Electoral Committee, headed by a Deputy President of the TUC, comrade Augustine Etafo recommended that the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) should be given the position of President in 2019 for one term and ASSBIFI to take the position of President in 2022 for one term. Also, that the position should become open for contest in 2025 after ASSBIFI’s tenure.”
Akinjole expressed surprise at the turn of event when PENGASAN insisted that the 2019 resolution was unconstitutional, adding that it was unfair to it as an association.
He questioned the claim of PENGASAN, especially when its acting president was part of the resolution, while the association was also part of the beneficiary of the position of third Deputy President through its late comrade Chika Onuegbu from 2019 until his death in 2021.
He declared that for peace to reign in TUC the resolution of the 11th National Delegates’ Conference should be fully implemented, especially when there is already significant part performance.
