Mr Festus Osifo has been elected as the new President General of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC.
Osifo was elected as the preferred candidate at the 12th Triennial National Delegates’ Conference of the Congress on Wednesday in Abuja.
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The theme of the 2022 Conference: “The Working Class Amidst the Challenges of National Security, Unemployment and Democratic Development’’.
Osifo is expected to pilot the affairs of the labour trade centre for the next three years.
He is also the National President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Mr Shehu Mohammed, the returning officer, while announcing the results said that a total of 728 delegates participated in the election.
Mohammed said that Osifo pulled 688 votes to defeat his opponent, Mrs Oyikan Olasanoye, who polled 18 votes, while 22 votes were declared invalid.
Due to internal disputes, Wednesday’s election was held for only the office of the President General.
Osifo assumed office as President of PENGASSAN on August 28, 2020, and had also served amongst others, as PENGASSAN Producers Forum Chairman, between 2016 and 2018.
The new TUC President is a member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN) and Society for Petroleum Engineers (SPE).
In his acceptance speech, Osifo vowed to fight for the welfare of the masses as well as the protection of the interest of every Nigerian worker.
Osifo also promised to carry everyone along in his quest for a greater TUC while also pledging to “initiate a platform to placate all aggrieved comrades.
Earlier, Mr Quadri Olaleye, former TUC President in a goodbye note commended all members for their support, while calling on the incumbent to ensure peace for the union to move forward.
Some aggrieved affiliates of TUC had earlier written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to stop the scheduled TUC Delegate Conference from holding.
The affiliates also further obtained a court order to stop the conference from holding over failure to implement the agreement entered into in the last conference on which affiliate will produce the next president of the labour centre.
The affiliates include the Petroleum and Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN), Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), among others. (NAN)
