Abiodun Aladetan has emerged as the newly elected Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
Aladetan, who is an affiliate member of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), was elected alongside seven other executive committee members.
The election, which took place at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, on Thursday, had Chinatu Iregbeyen from the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) as vice-chairman; Hannah Omeje from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as secretary; Egbukichi Veronica from the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN); Samsondeen Ajala from the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) as treasurer; Salau Oladele from the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) as financial secretary; Kabiawu Gbolahan from the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) as public relations officer; and Martins Adesanoye from the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) as auditor.
Aladetan, in his acceptance speech, promised to enhance the welfare of his members, saying that his administration would focus more on areas, particularly in the private and informal sectors, where workers are being treated unfairly with unfavourable practices happening.
“We have a lot of challenges presently in the world of work. The world of work is going through a lot of transformation and automation, such as artificial intelligence (AI). We have seen a lot of workers’ rights being trampled upon, particularly when you look at employers from the private sector; workers are literally treated unfairly. It is one area I think this administration is going to focus on, because the practice over the years is that people attribute labour centres basically to public services. I think it is beyond that because most of our affiliates are actually not even in the public sector; they are in the private sector.
“So, for this administration, we are going to focus more on those areas so that we can help protect and safeguard the rights of Nigerian workers, particularly those in the informal sector,” he said.
The new Lagos TUC Chairman also said he plans to pursue the mega project on the mass housing scheme for workers and ensure the Council moves away from rented apartments to its own secretariat.
“Presently, we operate from rented apartments, but it is a goal that we must achieve to have our own secretariat. We also have a committee to ensure that we empower our members in terms of agriculture so that they can become self-sufficient even in retirement.
“Even our pensioners, there are existing discussions about ensuring that retirees enjoy certain benefits such as free medical treatment and free transportation. We will engage the government so that they can extend it further,” he said.
He dismissed claims about any faction, saying, “As far as Lagos State is concerned, there is only one TUC. Let me set the record straight. The guidelines of the TUC and the delegates’ list were released by the national secretariat. The first election was suspended. People showed interest in picking up nomination forms, and the nomination process was closed.
“It was based on that that the election we have conducted here today is in line with those who have obtained nomination. The records are there. You can confirm even from the security agencies. They have those reports even before today.
“The names of those who were declared here today are those who truly vied for those positions. There were attempts by some unions to manipulate the process to favour certain candidates, but when we saw what the people did, they came out and defended their rights. What we have seen here today is the triumph of truth over falsehood,” he added.
