“It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.”
—Nelson Mandela
By Cosmas Omegoh
Last week, some sizable attention shifted to Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Circumstances in the country threw up the former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss as the poster boy of the Federal Government.
He came through as the new face of success of the present administration, which some citizens believe is like trudging down a clayey soil road.
Ribadu pulled off a feat when he got the organised Labour to rescind its strike, which had entered its two-day course.
Followers of the debacle were already primed to see how things would pan out for the worst. They feared that Labour would cripple the economy following the brutalisation of Joe Ajaero, the president of its apex organisation, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in Imo State.
But the chain of events finally ended in an anti-climax of some sort. As they say in local lingo, Labour fall hand!
However, some persons believed that Labour was able to pull chestnut out of the fire.
At its joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Wednesday night, the Labour centres directed their members to return to work on Thursday, leaving opinions sharply divided. Everyone was right in their own sense depending on the side of the divide they fell.
When, then, the dust finally settled last week, Ribadu got the full marks for starving off the tempest waiting to buffet the Nigerian economy.
The industrial strike could have caused the economy to further fall calamitously was it not promptly suspended.
Maritime industry experts, for instance, claimed that the sector lost over N20 billion in revenue. Perhaps other sectors whose players took active part in the debacle are still counting their losses. That was how things went down last week.
However, when Labour went back on its earlier tough-boy stance, not many were surprised. Some people were insistent that its action characteristically followed tradition. Some persons accused Labour of having lost every strand of credibility it still had in its sinew sagging on all sides. That was how last week’s saga affected everything and everyone.
Leading the Federal Government charge at the meeting which broke the deadlock, Ribadu reportedly “apologised” to Labour for the brutal assault on Ajaero. He also assured that some of Ajaero’s attackers had been arrested, but did not mention names or say what the government would do to the felons going forward.
Ribadu on the night led the Minister of Labour, Mr Simon Lalong, and the Minister of State for Labour, Hon. Nkeriuka Onyejeocha, among others.
To Labour, the Ribadu music was both pleasant to the ears, as well as danceable. So, it had to call off the strike, which was underway.
Some persons agreed that the Ribadu anesthesia was good enough to assuage, if not massage Labour’s already bruised ego. It was Ribadu’s magic wand which got Labour where it mattered.
Then at the end of the engagement, the government came out smiling, singing its victory song.
But some individuals are raising questions about the government choice of Ribadu for that uncommon sleight of hand.
Yes, Ribadu is a Federal Government appointee. But those who are looking beyond the border lines are wondering what Ribadu’s national security office got to do with negotiating with Labour. That was odd, they suggested.
Looking at that assignment, everyone agreed it fell squarely on the broad shoulders of the Ministry of Labour. That is its unarguable domain. Therefore, one would be right to contend that the task looked well off the mark from the NSA’s office. Both are as far apart as the East is from the West.
Although the Labour grouse had a remote connection with security because there was a breach – an assault on Ajaero in Owerri by the police, that was clearly wholly localised. Having Ribadu in the mix remained unclear.
If things were done right, if there were no ulterior interest in what transpired in Owerri, the incident ought to have been handled by the police in Imo State without much ado.
Given that Ribadu was in front of the Federal Government move to talk Labour out of seeing its earlier plans to the very end, some analysts were left wondering if there were some other things both the government and team Labour were not telling the watching world.
Already, conspiracy theories are flying in the air that the Labour team might have been put under some form of duress. Or it was blackmailed! Or an unseen gun was put on its head, forcing it to buckle. Or all that and more happen!
But amid the speculations, Labour through NLC’s General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Secretary General, Mr Nuhu Toro, said: “The NEC in session had a thorough review of the offers presented by the Federal Government through the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
“We found the offers credible and decided to reconsider our action.”
Labour said what it said without revealing the said offers tabled by the Federal Government that tempted it to back off.
Perhaps everyone who followed what transpired between the Federal Government and Labour is delighted that sanity eventually prevailed.
But what remains unclear in all maze is the reason for choice of Ribadu to accomplish the usual task and what will happen to the battering of the NLC President in Imo. Perhaps someday soon, that would be in the open!