‘Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.’ . Sun Tzu – A Chinese Military General, Strategist, Philosopher, and Writer
Like every other Nigerian, I have been keenly watching the friction between NUPENG and PENGASSAN against Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which is threatening Nigeria’s economy. I am glad that the National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and his team have intervened, which has resulted in a resolution in the interim. I commend the NSA for his strategic thinking and emotional intelligence in averting a strike action that would have crippled the economy at such a very sensitive time in our Country.
I am also contributing as a friend of Nigeria’s organized labor unions (to which NUPENG and PENGASSAN belong), based on my experience and antecedents of fostering industrial harmony between institutions and Unions. For instance, about eight (8) years ago, as the Group Chief Strategy Officer of a publicly quoted company in Nigeria, I was instrumental in ensuring the protection of the welfare and well-being of workers in one of the most sensitive and highly unionized sectors in Nigeria – the Aviation sector. I was instrumental in influencing and facilitating, amongst other things, the biggest single staff promotion exercise across all cadres in the history of aviation in Nigeria, where almost 900 staff were promoted at the same time in one Company in the sector – the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc; with no rancor, outcry, or dissent. This averted a major strike action that could have crippled Nigeria’s aviation sector, with a domino effect on the nation’s economy. I was able to achieve this feat by working with the two main Staff Unions of the Sector. I also had to convince the Board of Directors while brokering the peace deal between the Board and the Unions. A feat that earned me documented commendations from the Board of Directors of the Company, the staff of the company, and also from the Workers’ Unions leadership.
Balancing Agitation of Workers’ Rights and Circumspection for Economic Stability
I believe that the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and its umbrella bodies, or organized labor, are critical stakeholders and veritable levers that should keep the government and private sector organizations in check, hold governments to account, and provide constructive engagements and counter-balance in ensuring the delivery of good governance in Nigeria. Therefore, I regard Unions as positive contributors and not antagonists.
However, I believe that organized Labor should be the voice of Nigerian workers in line with the principles of collective bargaining and the overall welfare of the entire Nigerian workforce while supporting the government to deliver its mandate. Therefore, I am of the view that the Unions should not be opposed to the government or private sector growth and development, but they are critical stakeholders in socio-economic development in Nigeria.
Accordingly, in my opinion, leaders of some of the organized labor Unions have been perhaps overplaying their hands. And the drawback of overplaying an advantage is that it is highly likely that you could lose focus, advantage, supporters, and ultimately, miss your key strategic objectives and fail to make the desired impacts. If the leadership of the organized labor loses focus and becomes highly political or distracted, they could personalize the struggle. If so, some of the workers (in public and private sectors), the generality of Nigerians, and other critical stakeholders will start questioning the rationale and actual objectives of the leadership of the Unions. Consequently, the Unions could most likely lose their strategic positioning. It may seem far-fetched, but the highly operational, antagonistic and sometimes allegedly transactional method of activism currently used by the Unions will ultimately make the them to lose their footing, their guard, relevance, and respect – slowly initially, and if not contained, this could lead to conflict of principles and objectives with negative consequences on the Union leadership structures and Unionism sustainability.
Importantly, with the call-off of the planned strike by NUPENG and PENGASSAN, it is time to review the situation that led to the imbroglio with the intent to fashion a proactive ‘win-win’ way forward rather than being reactive. The focus should not be only on the short-term impacts but also on the mid-to-long-term impacts.
The only way for the Unions to win this battle is to review their strategies, face realities, and craft a ‘strategy of adaptation, value-addition, and sustainability’ rather than a ‘strategy of pushbacks.’ Because indeed, change has come, and they must adapt to that change or life will go on without them.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has changed the game of the mid and downstream oil and gas sector in Nigeria with the Dangote Refinery, and he is riding on the momentum. Hence, Nigerians will not allow a few vested interests, whether as Union members or as players in the industry, to draw us back into the relic of the past. The days of cheap blackmail and antics of self-service. The reality is that the laws of demand and supply are at play, and the law of reality is at play with regard to the oil sector and other sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
Meanwhile, the infighting within some Unions also highly suggests that the agitations of some Union leaders are not about the workers or people of Nigeria, but about their parochial interests.
Based on the foregoing, I urge the Union leaders to be more circumspect and strategic, going forward. There is no doubt that the organized labor unions are critical stakeholders in Nigeria. Therefore, strategic thinking, planning, and execution are key to the successful delivery of their mandates in the interest of the workers of Nigeria and indeed for the general good of all Nigerians. I do not envy the current position of the leaders of organized labor in Nigeria and the circumstances they have found themselves in. That is why it is important that they remain focused on the big picture objectives and not be distracted by mundane issues that may come up, or those that they deliberately or inadvertently create.
That is why there is a need for organized labor in Nigeria to re-strategize and re-position, otherwise they may push their luck too far, which may derail the train of the struggle and leave Nigerian workers at the losing end. I honestly hope that this will not happen. Because, in Nigeria, we really need a vibrant, strategic, and forward-thinking organized labor Union at this critical time in our Country. The NLC is a veritable counterbalance that we need, which should ensure good governance in Nigeria.
The Need To Have More Industrialists Like Alhaji Aliko Dangote In Nigeria
Like other well-meaning Nigerians, I have been promoting the Dangote Refinery project over time, recognizing the input he has made to Nigeria’s economy, and recognizing the reality of supporting Dangote Refinery to succeed as a critical component of our economic recovery. Indeed, it is worthy of note that Aliko Dangote has become an institution and has built a behemoth of a conglomerate of institutions in various sectors, not just in Nigeria but across Africa.
However, in my opinion, as a food for thought for all Nigerians, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has become a ‘key one-man risk’ for Nigeria’s economy. If this strength/ risk scenario is not properly managed, the situation may backfire on Nigeria in the mid to long term. This is because, from a strategic perspective, an individual who has become so rich and powerful, across various sectors, with no veritable competitors/ competition, or fallback options for a Country like Nigeria, is a paradox of being a ‘Strength’ as well as a potential ‘Weakness/ Risk’, for the Country.
Therefore, there is need for leadership at the highest level of this country, to as a matter of national priority, support the emergence of more industrialists the like Alhaji Aliko Dangote to emerge across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria i.e; Southwest, Southeast, Northwest, Northeast, North Central, South-South; for the development and sustainability of Nigeria’s economy, because sustainability is key. Otherwise, some potential implications in the mid to long term are that the Dangote Refinery will most likely become what we are running away from, which is monopoly and exploitation, because absolute power is what we are giving Aliko Dangote, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In addition, if God Forbid’, anything goes wrong with Dangote, Nigeria does not have fallback options. This is a high risk that should be mitigated. Of course, with the likes of BUA Refinery, etc., coming up, there will be options and competition in the midterm. But there should be a national institutional strategic framework to build more capacity for the long term across all sectors.
Therefore, it is also important that we don’t support to the silencing or stifling of NUPENG, PENGASSAN, or NLC, but that we should insist that organized labor Unions should step up, and do the needful in line with tenets of their mandate in the actual overall interest of workers and Nigerians and Nigeria’s political, social, and economic development and sustainability.
Meanwhile, constructive engagements should continue for a better Nigeria – nothing more, nothing less.