By Joseph Atobisi
No account of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic will be complete without mentioning the contributions of former Governor of Anambra State, distinguished Senator and two-time Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, Commander of Order of Niger (CON) who clocks 71 years today.
At 71, the former Anambra State Governor still stands very strong and continues to enrich the country’s public life with his presence and active participation.
Born August 8, 1952 to Chief Pius and Lady Priscilla Ngige of Alor in Idemili South Local government Area of Anambra State, Ngige’s story has been one of perseverance, hard work, achievements and recognitions.
He graduated with an MBBS in Medicine from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in 1979 and after the completion of his mandatory one year youth service as a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at National Assembly Clinics, then in Lagos, immediately went into the civil service, serving at the State House clinics at different times.
He retired in 1998 as a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Health and ventured into politics, a familiar terrain for him, having actively participated in student unionism as a medical student. Besides, he played active role in town union politics and administration as the President of Alor Town Union for several years.
Following the return of democracy in 1999, he became a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), serving at different times as the Assistant National Secretary and Zonal Secretary.
He was later elected as Governor of Anambra State and served meritoriously from May 29, 2003 to March 16, 2006 before the 2003 Anambra State Governorship Election Tribunal nullified his election, notwithstanding that the tribunal established that both PDP and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) which the court favoured, both benefitted from questionable votes.
No governor in Anambra State has surpassed Ngige’s achievements in infrastructure and human capital development in the State till date.
He became a Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in 2011 on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), after winning one of the most contentious senatorial elections in Nigeria, flooring late Amazon, Dora Akunyili and other political heavy weights.
During his stay in the Senate, he joined forces with other Progressives to form the All Progressive Congress (APC), notably the incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Bisi Akande, Segun Osoba, Rotimi Amechi, Danjuma Goje and Babatunde Fashola, among others.
When Ngige got his first appointed as Minister of Labour and Employment in November 2015, not many Nigerians believed that a medical doctor could cope with handling the recurring industrial disputes between the labour unions and their employers in both the public and private sectors. However, it took just a few weeks of his assumption of office to allay the fears of cynics. Being a stickler for excellence, Ngige revolutionised labour administration and management in Nigeria, courtesy of his proactive approach in the conciliation of industrial disputes.
Before Sen. Ngige came on board, the Federal Government and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) were at loggerheads over unresolved issues from their 2012 agreement. His quick intervention ended the dispute, which almost crippled the electricity sector.
Similarly, he successfully resolved the protracted industrial dispute between Exxon Mobil and a section of its staff, which even went to the Supreme Court and was returned back to the Ministry of Labour for conciliation. However, the climax of his first tenure was the negotiation of a new N30, 000 minimum wage for all Nigerian workers. The bill received presidential assent in April 2019, with a provision to review the Minimum Wage Act every five years.
Based on his sterling performance during the first tenure, the President re-appointed him in 2019 and he served until the end of the last dispensation.
Once more, Ngige lived up to expectation in spite of the deleterious effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour sector. Painfully, the lockdowns and other restrictive measures introduced to contain the pandemic, dealt a big blow on the world of work, especially the informal sector.
At the peak of the pandemic in September 2020, the organised labour planned a general strike to protest the proposal of the Federal Government to hike fuel price and adjust electricity tariff upwards. It was feared that such a strike at that time could have worsened the already precarious economic situation in the country, caused by the twin shocks of the pandemic and low oil prices. It was Ngige came to the rescue, aborting the planned general strike a few hours before its scheduled takeoff.
Under Ngige as Labour Minister, over 4000 labour disputes were conciliated by the Federal Ministry of Labour Headquarters and the zonal and branch offices across the country, leaving little or no job for the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) and the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
This was perhaps with a few exceptions in the private sector and public sector, especially disputes involving the oil and gas unions, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSON) that were earlier referred to the IAP and NICN, and the one between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Federal Government, referred to the Industrial Court. Even with Ngige out of office, the court has validated all the actions he took in the ASUU/FG matter.
It is instructive to note that in his eight years as the Chief Labour Officer of Nigeria, Sen. Ngige made all the difference in the sector, demonstrating patriotism, dexterity, finesse and proficiency in conciliating all labour disputes brought to his table. Also, his wealth of experience and versatile knowledge of governance at different tiers and arms of government contributed in solving complex issues, such as the quest for autonomy for the state legislature and judiciary in Nigeria, which culminated in the prolonged strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).
The resolution of the strike culminated in JUSUN, PASAN, the Nigerian Governors Forum, and the Conference of Speakers of the 36 states of the Federation, signing the historic document containing the framework for each of the State governments to grant autonomy to their legislature and judiciary. Some states have already started the implementation.
He also tried to find a solution to many of the problems in the health sector, pioneering the Residency Training Fund, the scheme of service and insurance for doctors, among others. Working with his Health counterpart and other relevant government functionaries, he secured N32b hazard allowance for doctors and other health workers at the peak of the pandemic. Under his watch, a new hazard allowance for doctors and other health workers in Nigeria was negotiated, to replace the N5000 per month being earned by doctors and health workers for the past 21 years.
Apart from discharging his duties as Minister, Ngige proved his mettle as member of several Federal cabinet committees, such as Committee on Economic Recovery, Economic Sustainability Committee and National Steering Committee of the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy.
Ngige took social dialogue to the “next level” in Nigeria, by ensuring and promoting best practices in labour administration, according to international standards. Quoting the former NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, “Dr Chris Ngige has demonstrated one consistent character which is the penchant of leaving the door of frank discussions, open negotiations, and genuine reconciliation.”
In international labour diplomacy, Ngige took Nigeria back to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Governing Board in 2018 after ten years of absence and became the Leader of Africa and Asia Ministers of Labour. In August 2019, he became the President, Government group of all the 187 countries in the ILO and propelled and got Nigeria elected for a second term on the Governing Board as full titular, starting from June 2020. Today, Nigeria is charing the board, courtesy of his efforts.
He played a pivotal role in the election of a Togolese national, Gilbert Houngbo as Director General of ILO.
While in office as Minister, he adequately performed his supervisory role over parastatals in his Ministry, such as the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the National Productivity Centre (NPC), Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP), among others. He maintained a frontline position in the fight to eradicate the menace of illegal migration and child labour.
Numerous recognitions have been accorded him for his outstanding services to the country including Public Service Icon 2021 by Sun Publishing Limited and the Distinguished Medical Service Award (DMSA) by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). Last year, the Senate Press Corps conferred him with the “Ambassador of the Senate Award” in recognition of his role in facilitating industrial harmony in Nigeria.
The former minister received several traditional titles from different communities in Igboland including “Onwa n’ etili ora (the moon that shines for all and “Oka Omee” (His word, his bond). In December 2021, the Ancient Awka Kingdom conferred him with the title of “Onyili Ngugba,” which means the man who wrestled everybody to the ground and gave freedom to others. The gesture was in recognition of his good works in the Awka capital city during his 34-month stint as Governor of Anambra State.
In the area of philanthropy, his foundation instituted university endowments and offered scholarships to hundreds of indigent students from Anambra State and other states of the South-East.
Although Ngige is no longer in office as a minister, he definitely has not had enough of politics. In an interview with Sun Newspapers to mark his 68th birthday, he said he will quit politics at the age of 80. At 71, Ngige has nine years of active politics left. Where is his next political destination. The next few months will tell.
•Atobisi, a labour activist and public affairs analyst writes from Abuja.