All Workers Convergence

The five buses converted from petrol to gas engines were given to the Nigeria Labor Congress(NLC) and the promise of additional 100 buses by the Federal Government is an attempt to sustain the monthly increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit(PMS).
This is the position of the All Workers Convergence(AWC) through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.
''It is quite obvious that the Federal Government is attempting to bribe the labor leaders in order to silence them so that the Government would be able to realize their ugly policy of deregulation. Considering the fact that the Government has made it a culture to always increase the pump price of PMS monthly, accepting these vehicles from the Government would mean accepting the continuous increment in the pump price of PMS by the Government'', Comrade Emelieze stated.

The attitude of Nigerians has been cited as one of the factors responsible for the formulation of oppressive policies by Government.

This assertion was made by the All Workers Convergence(AWC) through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''Nigerians are coping and managing poverty, why ? because our attitude is encouraging government to oppress us because we fail to speak out and until Nigerians realize that they have a futuristic  duty to challenge bad governance, poverty will continue to be endemic. The citizens should blame themselves for their woes", Comrade Emelieze noted.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has described the actions of the Federal Government in the face of the public coronavirus pandemic as a manifestation of its confused state.

The AWC made this known through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''Nigeria is no likened to a film, where the people and the Government are together confused, nothing is ever real but superficial. Unforutnately, the people are more coonfused that the Government.  Everything is upside down and confusion is the order of the day in Nigeria. Al that has been happening in the ast five years is apologies galore for the failures of Government'', Comrade Emelieze lamented.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has called on the Federal Government in Nigeria to give cogent reasons why the looming sack of Federal workers cannot be postponed.

The AWC made this call through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

‘’The question workers in Nigeria are asking in all these notification of the implementation of the Oronsaye report, is that the workers that shall be affected are they not working ? Is Nigeria broke ? Where is the billions of Dollars in the foreign reserve ? This is the period that Government is supposed to be protecting lives and livelihood. Why should it now focus on the implementation of the Oronsaye report. Workers in the country need answers to all these questions’’, Comrade Emelieze concluded.

The  bill presently before the senate that seeks to ban the use of generators in Nigeria  has been described as an indication that leadership in the country is in a state of confusion.

This  submission was made by the All Workers Convergence(AWC) through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''The bill proposing the ban on imported generators is a clear indication that the leadership and Government are confused and have lost a sense of direction.  This is also to prove that the present crop of leadership in Nigeria has nothing to offer Nigerians, this is so because electricity is a necessity and if government has failed to provide electricity do you now ban the importation of generators ?''.

''What is the reason behind the bill, when government officials constitute the majority of those patronizing imported generator sellers. The proposed bill is a product of a confused leadership which has nothing to offer Nigerians'', Comrade Emelieze declared.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria(CBCN) has called on Christian faithful to wear black, or at least black armbands as a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims of kidnapping and other violent crimes, on ash Wednesday. The first day of the Lenten season.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has also thrown its weight behind the Catholic Bishops.

A statement by the President of the  CBCN, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze invited  Christian faithful to join to join a “Day of Prayer Procession” to kick off the Lenten season, to protest the state of insecurity in the country while 

describing the procession as a part of the Church’s moral responsibility.

The march, scheduled for Ash Wednesday, is against “the repeated barbaric executions of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom linked to the same group.”

The statement condemned the public show of impunity by the perpetrators of these crimes on social media, the constant threats to many communities, and the lack of arrests of the criminals by the government.

No peace/growth without Security

Emphasizing the importance of peace, the statement reads: “May we, once again, remind all the arms of the government in Nigeria and all whose responsibility it is to protect Nigerians that without security there can be no peace, and without peace, there can be no development or national growth.”

The CBCN also called on the international community to come to the aid of the Nigerian government in its fight to restore security and stability in the country.

Nigeria has been on a constant fight against the Boko Haram insurgents who in 2014 kidnapped girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Northern Nigeria. In recent times, there have been multiple instances of kidnappings and violence against local communities linked to the same group.

Similarly the AWC through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze called on workers in Nigeria to join the protests saying ''we should not wait until we are personally touched, for an injury to one is an injury to all. We at the AWC commend the Catholic Bishops for this initiative and we cal on all workers in Nigeria to show solidarity for the clarion call. Workers should join the protests on Wednesday by putting black to show that they are not happy with the spate of kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes.''

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has called on labor leaders in Nigeria to redeem their image  by achieving the new national minimum wageto regain workers confidence.

The AWC made this call through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has declared that the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000 is capable of discouraging high productivity among workers.

The AWC made this declaration through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''What the Minister of Labor and the Federal Government do not know is that the poor pay of workers and the non-implementation of the N30,000 new national minimum wage  will not encourage  the high productivity of workers and this is also an indication of the failure of governance.''

''The pronouncement of the Minister of Labor, Dr. Chris Ngige is very unfortunate, though we are aware that workers of Grade Levels 01 to 06 in the Federal Civil Service have had their salaries adjusted with a very meager amount. To us in the AWC, the payment is just an award from government and until the new minimum wage issue is resolved, implementation is yet to commence'', Comrade Emelieze state.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has declared that  the scheduled meeting between members of the National Joint Civil Service Negotiating Council and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is inimical to the interests of Nigerian workers.

The AWC made this declaration known through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

‘’Meeting at this very critical period is very dangerous for the labour movement and Nigerian workers. We are afraid, government is attempting to buy over the labour leaders and so after the meeting labour leaders would start singing another song.’’

‘’We therefore urge Nigerian workers to be ready to take personal action in their various work places, while the AWC insists that workers would never accept another table that does not reflect the interest of Nigerian workers’’.

‘’To this end, we have started mobilizing in Ibadan, to lock up the Federal Secretariat complex indefinitely on Monday 29th July, 2019 in protest against the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage and insecurity in the country, if the meeting on Wednesday between the labour leaders and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is not positive.’’

‘’The AWC calls on workers across the federation to convoke meetings and decide their fate, irrespective of the agitations by the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) and the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Comrade Emelieze stated.

The Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita recently disclosed that the workers were making unrealistic demands.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to implementing the new national minimum wage and that is why the presidential committee on the consequential adjustment arising from the minimum wage has been sitting to deliberate on it.

“And in fact, it has sat with the union leadership within the public service to come out with the consequential adjustment arising from the new minimum wage. There were a few, what I will call unrealistic demands from the unions’’, Mrs. Oyo-Ita stated.

The Head of Service also disclosed that the new national minimum wage was targeted at the low income earners, and as a result the Federal Government would not allow the demands of the Senior Staff unions to affect its implementation.

The All Workers Convergence has expressed disappointment over President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to ensure the implementation of the N30,000 new national minimum wage very soon.

The AWC made its position known through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

‘’We the Nigerian workers are disappointed in Mr. President and we urge him to correct himself by ensuring that in the next seven days all the dust surrounding the payment of the new national minimum wage is settled, if actually he is serious with his promises. What we have been hearing from President Buhari is that very soon it shall become a reality. Workers are forced to ask how soon is very soon ?’’

‘’It should also be stated that how much is N30,000 that governments across the federation are expressing reluctance to pay, money that is not worth a living wage is what they are delaying. We the Nigerian workers can no longer trust Mr. President in the issue of the new minimum wage. He is playing on our collective intelligence, he is not ready to make workers smile’’, Comrade Emelieze lamented.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has advised married couples not to allow negative happenings in the society today to disintegrate their homes.

The AWC gave this advice recently,  through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''The AWC  advises maaried couples and families, most especially the young ones not to allow mounting negative happenings in society to erode family bond, unity and togetherness  to the extent of destroying their marriages.''

''However, even if we have to do otherwise, partners should recognize that they both have the right tom seek redress through legitimate means, not through extrajudicial means, so that the marriage would not result in self destruction because it is better to go one's way than to go through the path of destruction, when marrigaes are not working'', Comrade Emelieze concluded.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has declared that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration has lost the goodwill of past leaders and Nigerians as a whole.

The AWC made this declaration through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, in a chat with Poverty Line.

''Former Nigerian Heads of  State and Presidents no longer believe in the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration. President Buhari has lost the goodwill of past leaders and Nigerians as a whole. Nigerians no longer trust him.''

Nigerians are only hoping and praying for God's intervention, while the socially conscious ones have concluded that the problem with the country is President Buhari and the ruling class'', Comrade Emelieze noted