Corruption: Jonathan, Labour leaders trade blame

President Goodluck Jonathan and the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, on Wednesday differed on the fight against corruption.
While President Jonathan charged the leadership of the organized labour to embrace peer review mechanism to check its members who engage in corrupt practices, Comrade Omar also accused the present administration of condoning corruption..
They both spoke at the 2013 May Day rally held at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
The NLC charged President Jonathan to be more proactive in the fight against corruption, saying the recent pardon granted the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, suggested a government condoning corruption.
However, President Jonathan also called on the organized labour to put in place mechanism to check its members, saying bulk of the corruption in the country is being perpetrated by both senior and junior workers who are members of the Organized Labour.
According to Omar, insecurity, unemployment and corruption remain the greatest obstacles to national development.
Specifically, he picked holes in Alamieyeseigha’s pardon, saying the decision was faulty and a tacit encouragement of corruption.
His words: “Government must not only make commitments to fighting it (corruption), government must demonstrate this commitment by its actions. By its style and by its body language in this regard, we find the pardon granted a former governor who was convicted for corruptly enriching himself as unfortunate and a major dent on the government’s commitment to fighting corruption.”
On his part, Comrade Peter Esele of the Trade Union Cingress enjoined the Federal Government to thread cautiously on the issue of amnesty being proposed for members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
President Jonathan reiterated the commitment of his administration to the fight against corruption.
He said: “Government is fully committed to the fight against corruption, which is ongoing. A lot of cases are going in courts across the country but since some of these corruption cases are perpetrated by senior and junior members of the Organized Labour, we urge Labour to do some peer review and help check the menace.”
He thanked the labour leaders for supporting his transformation agenda, assuring them that he would continue to entrench good governance for the well-being of Nigerians.
President Jonathan also urged them to always consider national interest during trade disputes, which he noted were “inevitable in all social environments, but with commitment to patriotic reason and dialogue, such disputes are easier resolved.
“In the interest of national development, I urge all the social partners – labour, employers etc. to embrace the rule of law in pursuit of their rights in the workplace. Due process would minimize the negative consequences caused by incessant industrial crisis in our nation.”