NLC: Neither show-off nor shut down
In a television network programme: ‘The Press’ the late Chief Bisi Onabanjo of Aiyekoto fame gave two reasons for his undoubted love for writing. First was the irresistible urge for deliberate mischief. The second was self indulgence for want of what to do! Until that historic telecast, sometime in 1988, I was always suspicious of top-desk ‘journalism by opinion and commentaries’ as distinct from heat-and-dust journalism via active reportage. Since then I have remained unserious about opinion peddlers, the club of which yours sincerely has also since enlisted!
Many comrades remain hard put with him, assuming Kabir Yusuf is still a comrade in this age in which comradeship is out of fashion. My counselling that his NLC piece (see Daily Trust 11/10/04) needed not be taken too serious judging by his self-confession of ‘aping’ Aiyekoto, (a clear metaphor for mischief and self indulgence) appealed to no one either! My real burden lies then in defending Kabir against himself.
Paradoxically he is randomly accused of the same smear show-off and show down. Comrades-on-comrades’ exchanges could certainly be uncharitable.
Critics say contrary to his claim, Kabir is the one in the real business of some loud show off. Why, would he go to the market place reminding readers about what is already so obvious to all or what has never been in doubt? Comrade Adams’ calling is inclusive of some showmanship! Trade unionism, for all you care, is certainly exclusive of obscurity. Leading four national strikes is not like presiding over an editorial board or sourcing adverts for the next edition, they argue. On the contrary, you must show up at mass rallies and occasionally have some dose of some tear gas! Just ask all mass actors since late Aminu Kano days to modern times of Balarabe Musa, late Okadigbo, Gani Fawehinmi, Soyinka/, General Muhammed Buhari and Wada Nas! No genuine struggling men and women (as distinct from top-desk or lap-top commentators)! voluntarily go underground, feel shy of ‘showmanship’, since the battle is in the open arena any way! Struggle is all about showing up to check blatant injustice!
In any case, oppressors are in most cases also men who wantonly taunt their injustices. Mandela the greatest ‘living showman for justice’ enjoins all freedom fighters to take the advantage (regardless of cheap blackmail of some onlookers!) of every forum from court room to prison yards to demand for justice, justice and justice! There is no better clarion call to all inclusive show-offs!
Happily Kabir himself concedes to Oshiomohle, who did unapologetically show-off at PDP victory party, making a case for ‘democracy and the rights of workers’! Since show-off needs not be divisible, we dare not prefer one show-off and scorn other-type; show-off is show-off! His own eminent show-off at some Presidential briefings is another example! In fairness he played a worthy people’s advocate at fora other journalists acted cheap slaves and minions! There is then much that binds Kabir and Adams in this business of show-off; capacity to remain steadfast in spite of all the temptations to the contrary!
Kabir’s critics are even unimpressed about his trivialisation. He is enjoined to appreciate that in most cases showmanship is imposed! Even in the current unhelpful star-words exchanges between Wada Nas and Oshiomhole, the former unconditionally gave his support for the legitimate struggle of labour. Apparently Wada Nas as a struggling man knows that an injury to a comrade is also an injury to a restless politician, a clear departure from Kabir’s muted celebration of Obasanjo’s opting for the ‘jugular’ via decapitation of NLC as a central organization!
While conceding the right to show off, critics again take a strong exception to Kabir’s style of show-offish ness. It is bad enough to exhibit the obvious; beat your chest that you are more catholic than the Pope. It is however unhelpful to inundate us with comrade’s Jeep (which everybody knows to be a means of mass transport for mass actions!), guest house (which must have proved valuable to Kabir as a guest once!) and a cook (who will not be paid as reference note for a good story!) Given the information overload-show-off in Kabir’s, critics insist that he is the legendary kettle eager to call pot black!
The class assumptions which inform his efforts at coming to terms with Oshiomhole, more than anything else make him more vulnerable to an accusation of showdown with labour. What with his exhibited prejudices and petty worries about comrade’s imaginary political ambition? Some critics are even more blunt. They ask; of what relevance is the speculation about the alleged ambition of a comrade in a country in which retired generals queue up in quick succession as if there is no vacancy for others? Which is more fashionable and worrisome; labour aristocracy or generals’ oligarchy? What then about ‘labour aristocrats’ aiming ‘..for a bigger price’ (sounds like market forces!) ?
Kabir is even accused of clear cut class arrogance true to the preference of political class! His worry about what a working man is up to in a democratic dispensation is seen as a diversion from his muted indifference about what big old political brigade boys are doing or not doing right today.
Critics say the free fall in national politics occasioned by mediocre politicians is the real food-for-thought rather than NLC’s show-off or showdown! They put it another way; the challenge lies in re-civilizing our democracy as well as reinventing the knowledge-driven civil democratic politics of Zik, Sardauna, Awolowo and Aminu kano to the benefits of all!
Lastly, critics note with dismay that Kabir carries mischief too far through neo-xenophobia about labour-civil society alliance over the fuel crisis. Who is complaining? He even dares to predict a failed strike restricted to his contrived new Nigerian map of ‘Lagos, the South West and Abuja!’ Haba! Many counselled Kabir not use his own standard to assess the NLC-civil society coalition. But if he insists he’s advised to do good to others as nothing bad is being said about him when he legitimately announced ‘aping’ Aiyekoto. Aiyekoto, we all know was the first confederate to demand for confederation and restructuring of the nation after the frustration with the 1983 elections! NLC as he readily accepts only enters into alliance with (not aping!) human rights groups (most chieftains of who are apparently Kabir’s friends!).
Whatever the merits and demerits of critics, as someone that is fully ‘involved’ (apology to Ojukwu) I still disagree with critics who hold that Kabir is for cheap show-off or showdown with his friends. Conversely I could not agree with him either that NLC’s consistent demand for good governance amounts to show off or showdown with government. I am certainly amused about the increasing riotous perceptions of trade union and trade unionists in recent times! On the one hand it shows that unions and unionists matter. On the other hand it shows labour proves all comers’ affair in which everybody is eager to cultivate unionists in his image rather than understanding the unions and unionists for what they are!
The perception of the labour movement as a product of straw men (often not women!) is entrenched but it is hardly useful. Were kabir not a friend, I would have mistaken him for the 13th disciple of President Obasanjo! His view of labour as show-off tallies with what Mr President once called labour’s bravado while his expected labour’s show-down is the elegant version of Fani kayode’s red herring about labour once there is an ultimatum and strike notice! It underscores how close we are but still quite far away.
Understandably, in this era of deregulation if you don’t hold fast to anything, you fall flat for the fad; the latest being labour bashing! I am even more scandalized that Kabir believes labour was set for imminent irrelevance on the behest of some silly labour bill! Where the combined forces of colonialists and hard-nose military dictators more than once failed, we can only multiply frustration. But memory is a luxury in this age of market forces! I seriously believe the real knowledge of labour movement must give way to current romanticisation (show-off!) and criminalization (show-down!) of labour. I recommend for Kabir the unpublished work of our mutual friend, Dr Yahaya Hashim; the State and Trade Unions in Africa. NLC and indeed labour is neither for show-off nor showdown as such!
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