FOBTOB 2024 DELEGATES CONFERENCE: Participants call for more women inclusion in training, unionism

By allcitynews.ng

The 2024 Asaba Delegates Conference of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) might have come and gone. But the take home lessons by the participants would take very long time to be forgotten.

It would take long time to be forgotten because it was in this particular Conference which took place in Orchid Hotels, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, Friday 31 May 2024, that Comrade Jimoh Oyibo was re-elected as the President of the Union.

And also New executive members were sworn-in office with the President.

Speaking on the theme: Rescuing the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry from the Danger of of Collapse: Roles and Expectations of Stakeholders, captains of the manufacturing industry, policy enforcement agencies, Ministry and Labour leaders in unanimous agreement identified training, retraining and capacity building as veritable tool in building and sustaining industrialisation and job security in the country.

Participants not only reiterated their belief in targeted education and capacity building as veritable tool in tackling hardship and unemployment in the country but they called for more women participation in trade unionism.

Reemphasisimg the need for targeted education, they explained that skill acquisition especially in this current dispensation will boost employment opportunities in the digitalised era.

Speaking at this 15th Delegates Conference, the stakeholders admitted that teamwork can only be useful when both men and women are equipped with necessary skills, hence they suggested more participation of everyone in capacity building.

Similarly, they described inflation as a great threat against industrialisation and therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s regime to tackle inflation.

Likewise, they lamented against high cost of production as it is preventing consumers from buying produced products. This has been making manufacturers to incure loss due to unsold products.

Deputy Comptroller, Immigration

On his part, the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Mr Matthew Izediuno in his solidarity message appealed to trade union leaders to assist the agency by fishing out any firm that has violated expertrate.

Izediuno pointed out that his own people, as policy implementation agency can only deal with firms that have foreigners doing the same jobs at the detriment of qualified Nigerians.

Moreover, Izediuno said the agency can only arrest such foreigners when they seek renewer of their paper by the information from unionists.

Deputy Comptroller, Customs

And on his own part, and the Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Mohammed Madu Sarkiyo, during his solidarity message also sought the partnership of Labour Unions towards tackling expertriate abuse in workplaces.

Sarkiyo expressed the readiness of Customs to swing into action against those companies that are violating the expertrate quota or threat to the survival to the growth of local industries.

Keynote Speaker, Elhusseini

Also, on his part, Mr Wassim Elhusseini, the Managing Director of Nestle Nigeria Plc., advised the Federal Government to diversify energy and invest in boosting local resources to save the food and beverage industry from collapse.

Elhusseini, who was the keynote speaker made his presentation via online as he was held up at the Airport in Lagos, lamenting that the industry is being faced with numerous challenges, however assured that the industry would rejuvenate if the government could build strong and lasting infrastructure, and intensify efforts to strengthen the Naira while improving liquidity.

He said that the industry was faced with various challenges including high cost of raw materials and lack of access to foreign exchange.

Registrar of Trade Union

Likewise, the Registrar of Trade Union, Mr Amos Falonipe, urged stakeholders in the industry to take stock of past activities and chat new courses for the future.

7-up Managing Director 

On his part, the Managing Director of 7-up, Mr Ziad Maalouf, said it is when there is open door for innovation without gender bias would open doors for potential for development of the country.

FOBTOB President, Oyibo

In the same vein, the President of FOBTOB, Comrade Jimoh Oyibo who was re-elected in the Delegates Conference, while speaking on the theme: ”Rescuing the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry from Danger of Collapse,” lamented the country has continue to witness downturn despite all the fiscal and monetary policies.

He said that the country has remained in poverty level as over 71 million people are living in extreme poverty today because of bad leadership.

Oyibo lamented and expressed his worry over job loss as members are being affected almost on daily basis following companies that have been closing down or simply relocating to other neighbournouring countries.

“The continuous exit of multinational companies from the country over harsh economic environment has sent wrong signals to investors in the food and beverage sector.

“The fear has been aggravated by the latest factory shutdown by Kimberly-Clark, producers of Huggies diapers and sanitary pads.”

Reflecting on the state of the nation and the economy, the FOBTOB helmsman said from the last National Delegates Conference in 2021, the nation had witnessed a lot of upheavals occasioned by the political climate and various policies of government, from the naira redesign to the uncertainty of the electoral process and the abrupt removal of subsidy on petrol as well as the floating of the naira.

“The incessant epileptic nature of our electricity is a result of numerous collapses of national grid. The unrelenting corruption among most of our political class is an albatross that the nation has found so difficult to shake off.

“The stories about trillions of naira embezzled or misappropriated make one’s head spin. Many economists have expressed wonder at how this continues to exist with the amount of malfeasance uncovered daily.”

Furthermore Oyibo said “One can hardly pick up a newspaper and not be regaled with such tales, yet no one has been adequately punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

“Thus, the culture of impunity and blatant disregard for the rule of law by public office holders and law enforcement agencies is rampart, and this has trickled down to our youths whom we are quick to tout as the leaders of tomorrow. It is rather shameful that this is the kind of legacy we are leaving for them.”

The labour leader also noted that despite the various fiscal and monetary policies implemented by this government aimed at addressing various economic challenges, none had yielded the desired result.

“For a country generally acknowledged as the Giant of Afroca and blessed with numerous natural resources, notably crude oil, to have degenerated into a level that it now has the awful distinction of being the world capital of poverty, with 71 million people living in extreme poverty today (World Poverty Clock 2023) and a total of 133 million people classed as multidirnensionaly poor, according to National Bureau of Statistics data, is disgraceful.”

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