Lagos — How are the mighty fallen and the instruments of war destroyed. Times were when the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), spoke for the nation. Yes, it spoke and the nation reverberated in Unisom, poised for showdown with all enemies of the people and progress.

Times were when it spoke, and Nigerians stood up to be counted, calling the bluffs of even the military and their bullet. Times were when the NLC spoke, and gap-toothed and dark goggled dictators shivered and wetted their panties. Indeed, times were when the NLC's breathe caused tremors in the camps of the enemy.

But that was then- the fast fading good old days when workers' and national interest was always uppermost; when the NLC eschewed partisan politics, fought the course of the nation with clean hands and pure heart. Yes, looking at the present with the mirror of yesterday, memories of the NLC as the unarguable conscience of the nation and the memories of the vibrant and incorruptible leadership of its veterans come rushing back. In fact, the fast decadency of NLC under its present crop of leaders, makes the charismatic, focused, and trustworthy leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomole of just yesterday look like it occurred centuries ago. And it is a palpable sign of deterioration of any group when people begin to yearn for its past so passionately over its present. It means such a person, individual or nation has stopped making progress, just like a knocked car or dead clock. While such in some organisations may have minimal effects on the nation, same can never be said about the NLC and trade unionism in general, especially given the sacrifices and dependable leadership it used to provide in the nation's trying times.

That is why I am definitely paranoid over the growing loss of public confidence in the present crop of the NLC leadership headed by Comrade Omar Abdulwaheed. A giant in stature compared to Oshiomole, but it stops there. We are moved to understand, once again, that big frame neither makes big brain nor does it necessarily confer bigger leadership qualities. Here is an NLC leader that lacks charisma, character, and consistency- the most treasured qualities in labour leadership. An Oshiomole-like leader, for instance, would have provided a sound leadership in settling the comedies of the absurd its playing out over the Yar'Adua's French leave and protracted illness, by speaking up and acting vibrantly in the face of the abuse of our sensibilities by a few individuals who have grabbed the nation by the scrotum.

Worse still, the alleged N500 million bribery scandal is a big hole in the integrity vista of the NLC leadership. I have chosen to believe it didn't happen- lest I die of a heart attack. Wise people don't take bribes (cash or kind) from the government anywhere in the world. The result is always scandalous since the intentions are always to mess up the beneficiaries. The same government and its agents will leak the facts of the transactions and instruments of compromise to the press. But looking at the NLC's lukewarm attitudes on some recent national issues, the expunging of its statement of January 19, 2010 against deregulation from its website and the internal crises of confidence even within its leadership and between its leadership and affiliate organisations and the civil society allies, I grow paranoid. You look again at its folktale-like silence over the Yar'Adua saga so as not to overheat the polity and also to prevent a situation in which some nefarious interests would cash in on that to truncate our democracy, then you cannot afford not to pity today's NLC.

Unfortunately, just when we thought the National Executive Committee (NEC) convocation in Kaduna, last week, was to settle the bribery scandal rocking its ranks, re-strategize on means of self-rediscovery, the resurrection of its voice and vibrancy, it turned out that NLC woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and the whole meeting turned out to be about just one man- Maurice Iwu, not even the INEC as an institution. It is also ironical that their reason for planning to hold a march to call for Iwu's removal was over the Anambra election. I didn't really believe it, but now I do believe that some persons reason from the anus. So, of all the conflagrations of imminent problems facing the nation, all that seems most important to Omar Waheed's NLC leadership is to stage a rally against one man over an election local and international observers, including the UK High Commission and the Observation Board led by the NBA 1st National Vice Chairman, had adjudged free, fair, and credible? Something is definitely fishy!

It is becoming clearer by the day that the NLC leadership is bent on self destruction. Yes, that is the portion of every group or person when they trade the paths of shady deals or want to deploy privileged positions of leadership and trust to pursue personal interests or wage personal wars. That was exactly the source of Ezeulu's tragic end in Chinua Achebe's "Arrow of God". Against cautions by Ulu, the god of Umuaro which he ministers to, he chose recalcitrance and uses his privileged office to fight personal battles. Such examples also abound in the holy books. One would have expected the NLC to stage a march to the National Assembly to compel the 109 Senators and 360 Reps who feed fat on the tax payers and oil money to expedite actions on the electoral reforms and related constitution amendment which are very imperative for credible elections in 2011. NLC does not even consider it necessary to march to the Edet House to compel the Police to immediately complete investigation on myriads of unresolved political killings which have also picked up in various parts of the country as 2011 approaches and bring the culprits to book. People keep getting killed over politics and the Police only keep turning stones. Omar and his clique did not also consider it pertinent to even convoke a national conference of political parties and politicians to sensitise them against do-or-die politics. And if Omar and the NLC is so convinced Iwu must be sacked, why did they have to wait until they had disagreements with him over the outcome of Anambra election in which the NLC had publicly endorsed a candidate who eventually lost?

I conclude that these personalised attacks against one man- Iwu- bears every imprimatur of abuse of office. That is the bane of our nation and a sure path to self destruction. But Iplead that NLC should wake up, on the right side of the bed and repackage itself as an unbiased and potent voice of the masses.

Lawal , Public Analyst, wrote in from Ilorin