ON my part, I will do my very best within the possible ambit of rule of laws and international standards if given the time. I am a change agent, and I will add to what my predecessor has done with all honesty.” — Chukwuemeka Wogu

Chief Wogu, is a young man with the Midas touch and who never believes in impossibility or half-perfection since his younger days as a pupil, student and graduate of distinctions.

Since his assumption of office and as the Minister of Labour, Wogu has not deviated from his charted course despite resuming at the time the ministry was confronted by plethora of crises. He was in no doubt unmindful of the expectations of both staff and stakeholders looking up to him to wriggle out of the myriads of the crises even though his appointment to the ministry was considered “a volatile posting” by friends and folks.

Though, that portfolio is not envy of many, with time and due to his resourcefulness, determination and honesty, Chief Wogu has been able to achieve what many thought was unachievable as he tackled headlong all industrial crisis related problems with the resolve to restore peace in the nation’s industrial sector.

Chief Wogu has undoubtedly carved a niche for himself in the nation’s labour sector through his unprecedented achievements within the period of his appointment. Through his sagacity, he has been able to negotiate issues through and broker peace through several overnight meetings and negotiations with labour and other stakeholders.

Specifically, the minister focused on Productivity Enhancement, Promotion of Industrial Peace and Harmony, Employment generation and effective Social Security system.

His intervention ensured restoration of pay relativity in the salary of Federal Civil Servants, the enactment of a New National Minimum Wage Act which has led to increase in the minimum wage; the Employees’ Compensation Bill and the inauguration of the National Labour Advisory Council.

He also ensured local content initiative, which is a part of Policy on Employment Creation which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). This initiative made mandatory for all Ministries Departments and parastatals of government to state clearly the number of jobs created locally through their various projects, and it has recorded a huge success.

He ensures the approval of the draft National Policy on Productivity by the National Economic Council, the first of its nature in the country.

Chief Wogu is the Chairman National Employment Generation Council Committee, charged with the responsibilities of advising the Federal Government on Employment creation. He was Chairman Labour Structuring Committee of NITEL, and served in similar position with respect to Ajaokuta Steel.

He also served in Chief Shonekan’s Salary Review Committee, Justice Alpha Belgore Committee on National Minimum Wage and presently a member of the National Economic Management Team. As the minister of Labour, he chaired the White Paper Committee on Minimum Wage and also a member of the PDP Constitution Review Committee.

As the Minister of Labour and Productivity, he Chaired Committees on Presidential Task Force on NITEL/MTEL Labour Restructuring and Presidential Task Force on Labour Issues on Power Sector Reform. He also served as a member, Committee on Security Challenges in the North-East Zone.

Wogu has always demonstrated his love for Nigeria workers, at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity where he holds forte. Just recently, the minister ensures that the board of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Funds (NSITF) was inaugurated even when all other boards in the ministry are yet to be inaugurated.

As a friend to workers, Wogu ensured that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan approved the inauguration of the board of the agency aimed at providing social security Protection and safety nets for all Nigerians against deprivations and income insecurity in accordance with national and international laws, conventions and world best practices.

Wogu also worked assiduously to ensure that the erstwhile Workmen Compensation Act was replaced with Employee Compensation Act 2010 which is the new policy direction and responsibility of the NSITF. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Engineer Anthony Ozodinobi, acknowledged his efforts in this direction. He said: “This new scheme is another step in the furtherance of social safety net to all Nigerian workers by the government. History will remember his untiring efforts at lobbying and persuading the National Assembly to speedily pass the bill for Mr. President’s signature.”

Beside Wogu passionate interest in workers, the minister has also, with the cooperation and support of the entire tripartite constituents of Employers, Labour and Government waved the fine principles and philosophy of industrial relations with his legal experience to achieve the relative industrial peace and harmony in the country.

The amicable resolution of the recent general strike and mass protests by the organized labour was a pointer to this. At a time when oppositions thought the process will collapse, it rather resorted to a high power roundtable discussion to end the crisis and halt the dangerous trend that could have endangered the political system and governance of the country.

A Deputy Director in the Ministry of Information, Prince Samuel Olowookere said about him: “Chief Emeka Wogu has made his mark as evidenced in his role in the recent crisis that trailed the removal of fuel subsidy as a policy direction of the Federal Government. He reasoned, dialogued and engaged the organized labour on the expected benefits of the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

“While sharing due understanding on the anticipated short-term difficulty of the policy implementation, the Minister repeatedly appealed to members of his immediate constituent to trust government and give the policy a chance to yield the envisaged massive derivatives.”

The minister also broke record when a ten-year-old National Minimum Wage regime was reviewed and a new National Minimum Wage Act was enacted to give Nigerian workers a new National Minimum Wage of N18, 000.

This is not an accident of history. His desire to give a living wage motivated him to negotiate successfully with the members of the organized labour and employers with a view to raising the confidence, self esteem and productivity level of workers. He reasoned but carefully insisted that a well paid workforce is not only an important national asset but a veritable resource for wealth creation.

At the international stage, Chief Emeka Wogu gives quality representation as he often leads Nigeria’s delegations to International Labour Organization Conferences [ILC] and other African Regional Labour Summits. His dream to create jobs and source for technical support in the area of job creation resulted in Nigeria being picked by the ILO as one of the few countries considered for the take-off of the Global Job Pact.

Wogu, a de-tribalized Nigerian, is loved and adored both in his state and outside his state, having been conferred with the prestigious National honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), he is also the Nwadiala of Aba-na-Ohazu, Onwa of Aba Ngwa in Abia State, Amulutto 1 of Oshogbo and Etiufan Ufot Duke of Duke town, Calabar and conferred with Kofar Gusau by the Emir of Gasua Zamfara State among other chieftaincy titles awarded from across Nigeria.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Chief Wogu is a patron of a number of universities and church associations. He belongs to the prestigious IBB Golf Club and relax playing his golf at his private court in Asokoro. To cap it all, Chief Wogu is a philanthropist. He has a philanthropist organisation which takes care of indigent students, trains them and pays for their school fees.

The Permanent Secretary also said about him; “Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu is one of the younger generations of Nigerian leaders that is determined to add value to the transformation agenda of Mr. President. He is a devoted boss, an understanding arbitrator, a dogged tactician, a team player and a God fearing leader. He will be adding another year to his age on Sunday, 29th January, 2012.”

At 47, Wogu remains a rare breed in our political system, a patriotic, devoted, loyal and God fearing person, who is definitely determined to add value to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Without doubt, Wogu, the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, is a young man destined for greater things in the future.