May 14, (THEWILL)- The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has said the union would disown Peter Obi if he adopts the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank if elected Nigeria’s President.
Obi was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last general elections in Nigeria.
Speaking on Tuesday, during an interview with Channels Television, Ajaero, who described the position of the NLC on the removal of petrol subsidy and electricity subsidy as ‘fixated’, said the labour union would have it tough with any president who implements the policies of the IMF.
His words: “He (Obi) is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party but does he own the NLC or the Labour Party? Why can’t you separate them? Whosoever is the presidential candidate or official of the Labour Party must buy into our projects. If he says he is going to undertake those policies, let him be elected and try such policies.
“Whether a presidential candidate of a party that Labour forms would dictate for Labour? The answer is known to everybody. The policies of Labour, the ideologies of Labour are clear and we are going to pursue it.
“If anybody is coming with another ideology, he is going to have it tough with us because that is not what we stand for. It (our approach) would have been the worst for anybody flying the flag of the Labour Party to come and implement these policies; to come and adopt the policies of the IMF and the World Bank.
“It would have been worse for the person. In fact, we would disown the person, he would be on his own. We have to make this distinction clear.
“Unknown to people, this issue of tariff increase is determined by inflation and the value of the currency.
“NERC takes these two major variables to determine tariff increase. Unknown to the same NERC, each time you increase the tariff, it leads to another inflation which, within a few months, they would see demand for another tariff increase. And this is happening on and on and there is no control over it.”
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
