Aishah Waliyyulah & Grace Adeleye
Crisis erupted on Thursday, at the election of the Ogun State chapter of the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) as key health sector unions staged a walkout, rejecting the process that led to the emergence of a former Vice Chairman of the council, Oladipupo Sanyaolu, as the new JNC chairman.
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in Ogun State faulted the election, describing it as lacking fairness, equity, justice, accountability and credibility.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that those who kicked against the process include the Chairman of MHWUN in Ogun State, Comrade Ayodele Odulaja; the State Chairman of NANNM, Comrade Adejoke Bello; the State Secretary of MHWUN, Comrade Suraju Alabi; and the State Secretary of NANNM, Comrade Salami Oluwaseun on behalf of the unions.
The union leaders said their decision to withdraw from the exercise was informed by the need to protect the collective interest of their members, warning that a flawed process could jeopardise ongoing and future agitations for workers’ welfare in the state.
Speaking with journalists after the walkout, the Ogun State Chairman of NANNM, Comrade Bello, said the association did not participate in the election that produced the new JNC chairman.
“We are here to inform the entire workers in Ogun State that we are not part of the just concluded election that brought about the emergence of the NCSU Vice Chairman as the new JNC chairman. We were not part of it,” Bello said.
When asked if an election actually took place, she responded, “We can’t say if there was an election or not because we were not part of the so-called election. We left the venue.”
Bello explained that she and the state secretary of the union, Comrade Salami Oluwaseun as well as other union leaders, walked out after raising objections to the nomination process.
“Before the commencement of the so-called election, we were asked to nominate those we felt should contest for the post of JNC chairman. A name was mentioned—Comrade Soyalu Oladipopo of NCSU—and another name was also mentioned. We raised our objection with the national representative sent to conduct the election, but when he said there was nothing he could do about it, we had to vacate the room,” she added.
She stressed that the JNC election involves 16 union leaders—comprising chairmen and secretaries of eight unions—make up the JNC in Ogun State.
“There are three councils in Ogun State, and accountability and credibility are very important if anyone wants to lead as a unionist. That is what we are kicking against,” Bello said.
On the next line of action, the NANNM chairman said the unions were not making any immediate demands but felt compelled to inform workers of their position.
“We have seen it on different platforms that someone has emerged as the new JNC chairman. We are only telling our people that we are not part of the election that brought him in,” she stated.
Also speaking, the Ogun State Chairman of MHWUN, Comrade Odulaja, said his union backed out of the election to protest what he described as an imbalance and lack of equity in the process.
“Yes, today is the JNC election. We were at the opening session and everything was going well. But when it came to nomination, issues of equity came up,” Odulaja said.
He explained that the JNC structure in Ogun State is divided into three councils, with council three comprising five unions, compared to council one with one union and council two with two unions.
“He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. Council three, which has the highest number of unions, should be able to produce the chairman.
“Our agitation is about the welfare of our workers. We want someone who can aggressively and vigorously fight for their rights,” he added.
Odulaja emphasised that the unions were not opposed to any individual but to the process that produced the new chairman.
“We are not interested in who emerges. It is the process we don’t agree with. Our members are not satisfied with the process, and that is why we are not part of it,” he said.
Reiterating the position of NANNM, Odulaja concluded that the essence of their action was to set the record straight.
“We just want our people to know that we are not part of the election that brought about the new JNC chairman in Ogun State,” she said.
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