PAACA INAUGURATES TRADE UNION CONGRESS AND NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS LEADERS ANTICORRUPTION WORKING GROUP IN MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE.
On Saturday, August 8, 2020, A network of Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Labour Congress Leaders against corruption was inaugurated in Maiduguri.
The initiative was taken after leaders of the organized unions attended a one-day town hall meeting organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), with support from Action Aid Nigeria, geared towards co-opting the unions into the campaign against corruption and maximise their influence in the society as change agents in the anti-graft war.
Speaking at the event, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboajah, represented by Comrade Ishaku Monday, stated that corruption has been a persistent phenomenon in Nigeria, urging labour unions to join PAACA in the anti-graft war.
In his words, ”Corruption has stunted the growth of our economy, fostered insecurity, poverty, promoted job losses, unemployment and has also largely impacted negatively on the welfare of workers and all citizens of Nigeria.
At the event, labour leaders in Borno State were trained on how to use social audit as an impactful community led approach to fight corruption and bring the menace to the barest minimum in the state. The unionists were also tasked on how to develop and adopt an effective strategy in their social audit function as key stakeholders in the fight against corruption.
The Executive Director of PAACA, Comrade Ezenwa Nwagwu, stimulated participants on the need to unite in the anti-corruption struggle, stating that trade and labour unions in Nigeria have the intellectual capacity to fight corruption.
Speaking at the event, the Borno NLC chairman, Comrade Bulama Abiso, commended PAACA for bringing the town hall meeting to the state and pledged to carry all members of their respective unions along to ensure that social audit begins in the state with union members driving the initiative, to bring a positive change to their communities.
Also speaking at the event, the state TUC Chairman, Comrade Babayo Hamman said the townhall was a stepping stone to the next level of greater things to be achieved by the union, through commitment towards the anticorruption fight.
At the end of the meeting, PAACA issued a communique on their resolutions with the Labour and trade unions in Borno state, part of which is an inauguration of the Network of Trade and labour Unions against corruption, co-chaired by the chairmen of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Borno Chapter.
