Crisis rocks TUC as Ogun civil servants boycott delegates conference

 By Sam Peters

The crisis rocking the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria yesterday took a different dimension on Thursday as Senior Civil Servants in Ogun State boycotted the 7th triennial delegate conference of the union over zoning arrangements of key positions in the state executive council.

 The civil servants under the aegis of Senior Civil Servants Association of Nigeria, (ASCSN), Ogun State chapter, maintained that they would not tolerate any development contrary to the initial zoning arrangements earlier aggreed upon with them by TUC in the state.

 They accused the members of TUC of changing the previous arrangements the body had with them on key elective positions some few hours to the congress insisting that they won't deviate from their stand on the matter. 

 ASCSN's Chairman, Olude Isa while speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta, the state capital, said that his members felt cheated about the unfolding scenario arrangements hence the need to boycott the congress.

 Isa who said that his association which has the largest membership strength in the Ogun TUC threatened to post their protest on the portal of the National Secretariat of the congress to intimate them about the situation He said that they had agreed that members of ASCSN would get the chairmanship slot of TUC women chapter with other key positions but was surprised when the other members of the union changed the agreement by giving his members the position of secretary of the union without prior notice 

Although, the selection of officers into elective positions, it was learnt, was done through consensus because election could not be held due to COVID-19, but Isa described the process as an act of embarrassment to the union. 

 He said" All we want is to ensure that the position of chairmanship of women commission is given to our association. We are civil servants and we are together in the struggle. 

There can't be deviations among us." "

The list circulated yesterday was not our agreed list, hence we considered it necessary to walk out of the delegates conference." 

 "We are not fighting; we will come back to the round table and agree on something.

 If they gave us what we want, then we can work together as a team to benefit our members".

 "We are going to post our protest on the portal of the National Secretariat of the TUC informing them of the situation today, because the center belongs to all of us and no individual, no particular union nor affiliate can claim the ownership of TUC."

 "It came as a surprise to us today when they read the name of our member was read as the secretary to the commission instead of chairman." 

 "In the opinion of the association, there can't be leadership without followership and no single union can do it alone. 

We agreed on the chairmanship of the women commission." Reacting, the newly elected state chairman of TUC, Akeem Lasisi said the supposed agreement was not reached in the first place .

According to him there was realignment in the zoning of elective positions in the union so as to accommodate demands of other associations.

 Lasisi hinted that the union zoned the chairmanship slot of the TUC women commission to another association because members of ASCSN had occupied the position more than six times.