The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has accused his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo, of failing to demonstrate commitment to labour leadership, describing him as an absentee president.
Ajaero made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, amid the disagreement between the two labour centres over the N70,000 transport allowance approved for workers by President Bola Tinubu.
He alleged that Osifo, who he claimed resides in the United States, only returns to Nigeria to attend official meetings before travelling back abroad.
“He is an absentee president of the TUC; he doesn’t live in Nigeria. He comes in from the United States to attend meetings and rush back,” Ajaero said.
The NLC president also questioned how Osifo could effectively lead a national labour organisation while residing outside the country.
Ajaero challenged him to provide evidence of his residency in Nigeria, calling on the Nigeria Immigration Service to establish how much time the TUC president had spent in the country this year.
“You can’t be living abroad and then hold a position in a central-level organisation. I challenge him and the Nigerian Immigration Service to prove whether he has been in this country for four to five months this year,” he added.
