 The Trade Union Congress, the TUC, has decreed increasing spate of insecurity nationwide. Chairman of TUC Cardinal State, Comrade Abdul-Lahi Danfulani, described insecurity and hunger as major challenges confronting Nigerian workers, on steps taken to cushion the economic realities of its members. He said that they sought funds from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FNBN, to help in securing housing to the tune of two billion Naira. He also listed other interventions to include the Central Bank of Nigeria anchor borrower program for its members to access soft loans for small-skilled businesses. Well, we're now being joined by Christiana John-Bauer, Secretary Cardinal State Council Nigeria Labor Congress. Good evening, Christiana Bauer. Good evening. Happy workers' day to you. Thank you. Well, workers have trooped out to mark the yearly May Day. Can you say there is really a need to celebrate? Yes, there is a need to celebrate. The need for this celebration is very, very important. Considering our founding fathers that gave their lives in the course of this workers' day, the course of the industries, and they were the ones that fought for this working hours, eight hours to live and public holidays, we have a lot to celebrate. We celebrate because we thank God we are alive. Despite the insecurity, despite the insensitivity of the government, we are still alive. So we have reasons to celebrate. Right. We hear about the delay in salary payment, especially for school teachers and health workers. Can you tell us how long this has been and what has been done as a survival strategy? Honestly, the delay in the payment of salaries of the local government workers, the primary school teachers, and the primary health care agency workers, the health workers, is very disturbing. As I speak with you, it was just last week, Friday, that they were able to get their March salary. While others are getting April salary, they are getting March salary. That delay is not healthy. That delay is not good for democracy because it is the same for allocation. That share allocation for state and for local government. For the delay, I want to say it's a man-made, and we are not happy over it. You are not happy over what you say. Well, generally, the NLC is perceived as being a toothless dog, as are many labor curses in the country, begging for attention, and all we hear from the labor of Congress is threats of strike. How do you respond to that? Well, I don't want to agree with that affection that NLC is a toothless dog that can only bark and cannot bite. Let me give you the scenario here in Kaduna. You will call that last year, we went on a warning strike, which lasted for three days. By the intervention of the ministers for labor, we suspended the strike. And we are invited in Abuja. A trepidate committee was put in place. We worked for five days in a week, and after three months, there was no report. Simply because the congress I refused to sign the report, on ground that we have to agree that they have been paid for the 2000 walk-ups, decided it's an engagement. And we said, no, it wasn't time for our agreement. It was not even why we went for the meeting. So we can include it in the agreement, and that is why the agreement was not signed. So people will think we didn't do anything. We have done a lot. But when the result is not out here, people will not even know we have done something. The aftermath of that meeting and that strike has made our workers that were retrenched, those that retired, we are being paid their allowance. That is the gratuity that they have not been paid. And that's ongoing, even though we are not happy with the way it's going, but at least they are paying the pensioners. Some of them, they are gratuity, batch by batch. Okay, the 2023 general elections is just around the corner. Very crucial in the history of this country. Is the NLC doing anything towards mobilizing and sensitizing workers to prepare and actively participate in this election? Yes, we are doing it a whole lot. Because at the national level, a committee has been put in place, a political committee to engage all the aspirants at the national level. At each stage, we are asked to set up that committee, which we did. Last week they were invited in Abu Dhabi for coming here for a meeting and inauguration. We have a chartered of demand by the National. And those chartered of demand will be brought down to the state and to the local government level to engage all aspirants. We will not allow people to get to office to decide whether we should be temporary or not. As soon as we are on strike, nobody is saying anything. So we want to engage those aspirants. If we give you our vote, what will you do for the working people? What will you do for the community? The insecurity in Kaduna here, we have 36 workers that were killed by this bandit. Should we allow it to continue? Should we allow the government that are not paying workers salaries to still go back into office? Should we allow those who have not implemented minimum wage to still go back into office? The 30 minimum wage is no longer obtainable. Considering the extent of dollar, 30,000, a batch of rice now is 35,000. The salary can only buy a batch of rice. So we need to engage the aspirants. And we are sending our members to join the politics. Let them buy for offices. They let some of them that are not buy for offices. Let them join political parties. Here, our voices will be heard. But whoever is calling will know that we work for him to call. And we have an agreement. We have an understanding with him. This is what he will do when he is voted out. In Kaduna, in 1999, when Makoto was coming on board, we had an understanding with him That's why he comes on board. Those workers that are made early, you think that he will re-insert them. What he did. So this is what we want to do. We will not keep quiet. We will not watch again. We will not sit on this train. All right. We want to be involved. To see who come on us. To come 2023. Very critical. Now let's move over to the asset strike. What is the position of Labour? Is Labour doing anything, saying anything regarding this strike? It is no longer in use that at a national level, a notice has been given for us to go on a solidarity strike because of asset. If you look at what asset we are asking for, is the implementation of agreement of 2009. Which is not too good. An agreement in touch. Look under Durez. And yes, in 2009 that agreement has not been implemented. There is something wrong with this country. I don't want to say it is APC issue because it started even from the PDC. So we don't even have government. The government are not, they are insensitive to the plight of the asset because they are children and not in cosmic university. They are children in private university. Most of them are in approach. So that is why they are insensitive. So we are waiting for national to give us direct. So when they give us direct, we are going into solidarity strike in full brunt. Well, Christiana John-Bauer, many thanks for your time. Thank you.