Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has asserted that the labour union would have disowned the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, if he had adopted the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had he been elected Nigeria’s President.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief breakfast program, Ajaero emphasized the NLC’s firm stance against the removal of petrol and electricity subsidies. He indicated that any LP President who implements policies advocated by Bretton Woods institutions, which support the removal of such subsidies, would face significant opposition from the NLC.
Ajaero clarified that while Peter Obi is the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, he does not control the NLC or the party itself. He stressed the importance of distinguishing between the NLC and the Labour Party, underscoring that any candidate must align with the NLC’s principles and ideologies.
“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 was going to undertake those policies, let him be elected and try such policies,” Ajaero stated.
The NLC President made it clear that any attempt by a Labour Party candidate to implement IMF or World Bank policies would lead to disownment by the NLC. “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 them. If anybody is coming with another ideology, he is going to have it tough with us because that is not what we stand for,” he added.
Ajaero concluded by reiterating the NLC’s unwavering opposition to IMF and World Bank policies. “It would have been worse 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.”
This strong statement from Ajaero highlights the NLC’s commitment to its principles and its readiness to oppose any deviation from its established stance on economic policies.