I very much hope that you will continue to exhibit the same passion and zeal as we set our sights on attaining positive transformation for our dear country,' President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has, in clear tone, told the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.This was contained in a letter written and personally signed by President Jonathan to the minister following amicable resolution of the N18, 000 National Minimum Wage agitations before snowballing into a serious industrial crisis with the organised labour.The letter from the President, was dated July 22, 2011 and addressed to Emeka Wogu, Hon. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Federal Secretariat, Sheu Shagari Way, Abuja.Referring to the minister as dear Hon. Wogu, the President titled his letter; 'Letter of commendation,' and expressed delight in the relief brought to him and his administration by the minister, after he successfully settled the issue before causing disruption to the system, politically, industrially and economically.The letter, which was also received and acknowledged on July 1, 2011 at the Office of the labour minister, described Chief Wogu's action as positive development which was due to his extra-ordinary efforts.The three-paragraph letter read: 'I note, with great delight and relief, the fact that the threat by organised labour to embark on a nationwide warning strike was called off at the last minute.'This positive development was due, in large measure, to the extraordinary efforts that you and the other facilitators deployed in the engagements with the leadership of the Trade Unions on the issue of the national minimum wage. Your exertions helped to avert what otherwise would have had a disruptive impact on social order and the national economy.'In particular, I note your personal devotion and patriotic commitment that contributed to the timely resolution of this matter. I very much hope that you will continue to exhibit the same passion and zeal as we set our sights on attaining positive transformation for our dear country.'Chief Wogu has had the luck, which many of his colleagues in the Federal Executive Council will better be described as misfortune of being posted to the Ministry of Labour, where you do much and earn little, twice.Of peculiar interest or misfortune for Wogu is that on both occasion, he resumed amidst labour crises. In his first term, he was posted as the minister of labour a day preceding the day a planned nationwide strike by all the eight unions in the public service was expected to commence. Being a new man then in the ministry, he had to invite the labour leaders for negotiation the day he resumed duty, thus his first official duty was to resolve that crisis, which he successfully did.Before he was re-posted to the ministry for his second term, the organised labour, under the Nigeria Labour Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had already gave a weak ultimatum to first commence on a three-day warning strike on the lingering payment of the N18,000 National Minimum Wage.The lingering crisis overwhelmed the Federal Government, most especially at a time when the government is facing myriads of problems, such as Boko Haram activities and bombing across the country.Assistant Director, Press, Ministry of Labour, Prince Samuel Olowookere, said it was important to note that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity in the present administration has played a very significant and strategic role in ensuring that there is peace and harmony in the nation's industrial sector through various successful dialogues, negotiations and strategies that have in no small measure sustained the present peace and tranquillity being experienced in Nigeria's industrial sector.Prince Olowookere said: 'The man in the middle of it all and the one President Jonathan has seen as a seasoned mediator, negotiator, conciliator and arbitrator per excellence to handle such important and sometimes volatile sector of Nigeria's economy is Chief Wogu, a lawyer who has in no small ways continue to prove his mettle in the area of handling disputes and mediating among the major players in the world of work (government, employers, employees, and the civil societies), better known as players in the industrial sector.'He said the ministry was very strategic to the Federal Government's efforts at ensuring and realising that Nigeria's vision of attaining the height of belonging to one of the twenty economies in the world by the year 2020 better known as (Vision 20:2020).'Chief Emeka Wogu has continually been working assiduously to ensure that the nation's industrial atmosphere remains calm and peaceful. Worthy of mention was the recent successful negotiations and dialogue that lasted for hours and days just to keep the country out of black- out and from experiencing what looks like a nationwide strike in all spheres of government and private sector employees.'With these, I will say that Chief Wogu through the support of Mr. President and other social partners averted what could have placed the nation's economy in a bad shape when considering the economic and manpower loss that would have been experienced through industrial actions.'As a two- term Nigeria's Minister of Labour and Productivity, it goes a long way to confirm the trust President Jonathan has in the ability and capability of the Aba- born arbitrator to regulate and pacify the various stakeholders in the labour sector in the face of disagreement and where varieties of interests arise or discordant tunes rare the ugly heads of strike and industrial acrimony.'The ministry was able to avert and curtailed the pressures posed by different form of workers' agitations under the minister with cooperation from the senior management and personnel in the ministry. This was achieved through hard work and cool-head personality who can take labour's tantrums in his stride; who can sit patiently for hours when labour unions abandon the negotiation table to consult or take unscheduled to annoy the opposing party. In this aspect, Chief Wogu has been able to weather the storm.
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