By Olusegun Emmanuel, Abuja.
The National Assembly will continue to take all necessary legislative steps to promote industrial harmony in Nigeria,saying it was an important ingredient in fast-tracking the country’s transformation agenda.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu gave the assurance in Abuja at the public presentation of the book “National Industrial Court of Nigeria: Law, Practice and Procedure.”
Senator Ekweremadu said the desire to promote industrial harmony in the country informed the decision of the National Assembly to effect a Third Amendment to the 1999 constitution, to firmly make the National Industrial Court a superior court of record exclusively vested with jurisdiction over all labour, employment and ancillary matters.
He said: “We realised that for the Court to function appropriately and effectively, there was the need to confer it with constitutional status as a superior court of record and vest it with exclusive jurisdiction over labour and employment matters.
“The National Assembly believes that industrial harmony is an indispensable ingredient in our quest for national development. We believe that a labourer deserves not only his or her wages, but also working conditions and
environment that maximises his or her potentials for national transformation. And we also believe that employers of labour are also entitled to the services they pay for.”
Senator Ekweremadu described the book authored by the Lead Consultant to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review and a Professor of Law, Offornze Amucheazi and Mr. Paul Abba as a “timely effort to fill the attendant knowledge
gap regarding the adjudication of labour and employment matters in Nigeria under the new dispensation”.
The book reviewer, Prof. Maxell Gidado described the book as a sound effort in simplifying labour and employment adjudication under the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The event was attended by the President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Babatunde Adejumo; while the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and the Governor of Anambra, Dr Willie Obiano were represented.
