Our reporter
The crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) deepened on Thursday, 28 August 2025, as Comrade Ochei Oyenbuchukwu Mike, Chairman of the State branch of the Textiles and Garment Union, tendered his resignation from the controversial caretaker committee allegedly constituted by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Garment and Textile Union’s State secretariat in Benin, Comrade Ochei declared that his name was dragged into the committee without his genuine consent, insisting that he was coerced into what he described as a “contraption designed to serve the selfish interests of a few disgruntled elements within the union.”
According to him, the so-called caretaker committee was nothing more than a ploy for certain leaders to cling to power by proxy, a move he argued could only further destabilise the labour movement in Edo State rather than strengthen it.
“I never agreed to be part of the said caretaker committee. What we are witnessing is not in the interest of workers in Edo but a calculated scheme to undermine genuine unionism,” Ochei declared.
His resignation comes on the heels of earlier boycotts by two other supposed members of the caretaker committee, who openly rejected their appointments, dismissing the inauguration exercise as a “sham” incapable of driving progress for labour in Edo.
With three cracks already visible in its ranks, the credibility of Ajaero’s imposed committee now hangs in the balance, further polarising labour circles in the State. Union watchers fear the development may trigger a wider legitimacy crisis for the NLC leadership in Edo unless urgent steps are taken to restore confidence and unity among affiliates.
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