Police operatives on Thursday sealed off the Adams Oshiomhole Labour House in Benin City, stopping the planned inauguration of a caretaker committee set up by the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress for its Edo State chapter.
The blockade, which labour leaders described as a deliberate attempt to frustrate their plans, is the latest twist in the leadership tussle that has split the union in the state.
The NLC headquarters had last week dissolved the state leadership and named a caretaker committee headed by Prof. Monday Igbafen.
But when national officials, led by Oluwole Sunday, arrived for the inauguration, the secretariat was locked and security men were stationed at the gate.
“They refused to release the keys to the secretariat. We had no choice but to move the exercise elsewhere,” Sunday said.
The committee was eventually inaugurated at a discreet location after an initial attempt to use the ASUU Secretariat at the University of Benin.
But Bernard Egwakhide, who insists he remains the legitimate chairman with the backing of the state government, dismissed the inauguration.
Speaking to journalists at the locked secretariat, he said, “From the directive and the letter sent by the National Secretary, it stated that they are coming to inaugurate a committee. We have been here since morning. Other workers have been here too. No one has come into this place to inaugurate any committee. So, we feel that there is nothing that has happened again. In all, I, Comrade Bernard Egwakhide, remain the chairman of Edo NLC.”
Egwakhide added that he emerged caretaker chairman after “43 affiliate unions gave him their nods” following the removal of the former chairman, Comrade Odion Olaye.
He also accused the Joe Ajaero-led national NLC of stoking crisis in Edo, saying, “They have flouted the Edo State House of Assembly resolution on the NLC leadership. The national body is trying to impose a structure instead of allowing peace to reign.”
