Nigeria's Lawless Unions: Onovughe Igwe’s Candid Take
Nigeria and the Burden of Lawless Unions: Onovughe Igwe’s Candid Opinion
Written by Onovughe Igwe
If you say Nigeria is a lawless country, I totally agree. It is only in Nigeria where entire sectors are shut down because unions disagree with private companies or state governments. The ordinary man on the street pays the ultimate price, while the economy suffers with each round of strikes.
According to Onovughe Igwe, lawlessness is entrenched in the way unions wield unchecked power, often beyond their mandate. From the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to ASUU, PENGASSAN, and even state-level associations, strikes have become the go-to weapon, regardless of the economic impact.
Unions vs. National Interest
“It’s only in a lawless country where all petrol tankers would be told to stop working because of a dispute with a private oil company. They don’t care about the ordinary man on the street, and they don’t care about the economic impact,” Igwe lamented. He notes how disputes between PENGASSAN and private oil majors like Chevron have grounded oil production in the past.
In Kaduna, former governor Nasir El-Rufai’s attempts to reform civil service met massive resistance. Workers refused legal options and instead shut down the entire state. Even during disputes between ASUU (federal university lecturers) and the Federal Government, state universities that had no role in the negotiations were dragged into prolonged strikes. This, Igwe argues, is a symptom of “deep-rooted lawlessness.”
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A Culture of No Accountability
Onovughe Igwe did not mince words about civil servants: “Nothing is more lawless than government workers in Nigeria. They are the only ones that can publicly humiliate a sitting minister who questioned them for coming late to work. Nobody calls them to account for misused public funds. If you try, they fire you with all manner of strikes.”
For him, the tragedy lies in sectors like petroleum and steel. Nigeria’s four refineries have not produced a litre of petrol in nearly 30 years, yet workers there receive full salaries. Ajaokuta Steel has not produced a single bar of steel in 40 years, but staff are constantly paid and even expanded. “If you fire them, they will shut down Nigeria,” Igwe emphasized.
When Strikes Turn into Economic Blackmail
The commentary further pointed at threats by the TUC (Trade Union Congress), whose president once boasted that workers could ground Nigeria’s oil sector if their privileges were tampered with. “What is so important in revenue collection if they are not looting what they collected?” Igwe asked rhetorically, calling such threats economic blackmail against the entire country.
Union Power vs. Development
Unlike the United States where less than 15% of workers are unionized, Nigeria has over 80% union membership. According to Igwe, this imbalance creates fertile ground for abuse. “The US is rich because fewer workers are unionized. Nigeria is poor because our workers weaponize unions, holding development hostage.”
He insists that lawmakers have failed Nigerians since 1999 by refusing to reform labor laws. Instead, successive governments have been blackmailed into concessions that drain public finances and cripple industries. “It’s a big shame that we have had lawmakers for 26 years and none of them has addressed this menace,” he said.
The Way Forward
Igwe proposes a bold solution: remodel Nigeria’s labor laws after those of developed nations and empower law enforcement to end the tyranny of unions. “Our lawmakers must put their foot on the ground and model our labor laws to that of the US, and use law enforcement agencies to plug some sense into these senseless labor unions. This country can’t go anywhere with arrogant and lawless workers killing every facet of development,” he concluded.
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