On labour relations

“We will:
1. Improve the protection available against unfair dismissal. We shall make the legislation apply from the time of employment. Reinstatement will be the normal outcome of a successful finding of unfair treatment. We will ensure that justice is done in cases where workers have been unfairly dismissed.
2. Extend employment protection to all workers and abolish all forms of casual labour in industries and companies.
3. Improve statutory protection in respect of health and safety at work.
4. Legislate on new provision for fair pay in our labour laws.
5. Strengthen the mediation process to put more emphasis on conciliation and arbitration.
6. Take steps to develop stable and effective negotiating machinery, promote trade union membership and organisation, and encourage union recognition by employers.
7. Restore the right to belong to a trade union to every employee.
8. Ensure that the law guarantees the essential legal freedom of workers and their unions to organise effective industrial action.
9. Provide a statutory framework of measures to underpin the participative rights of union members, for example by laying down general principles for inclusion in union rule books. These will be based on a right for union members to have a secret ballot on decisions relating to strikes, and for the method of election of union executives to be based on a system of secret ballots.
10. In consultation with the labour Unions, we will establish a new independent tribunal, presided over by a legally-qualified person. This will have the duty of acting on complaints by union members if they consider that these statutory principles have been breached.”

Excerpts from the manifesto of the Fresh Democratic Party (FDP), the party founded by Okotie, and on which platform he is contesting for president.

On Agriculture

“A more efficient agricultural industry can clearly make a valuable contribution to Nigeria’s recovery. We will support good environmental practices in agriculture. To give Nigeria’s producers the backing they need, the burden of agricultural support must be shifted from consumers, The direction of support must be shifted away from blanket support for commodities, towards helping the farmers who need it most, such as those who work on agricultural lands. To help bring this about we will introduce new, long-term programmes for agriculture.”

Excerpts from the manifesto of the Fresh Democratic Party (FDP), the party founded by Okotie, and on which platform he is contesting for president.

On Sports

“Our Sport programme will provide resources for physical education and training through more playing fields and facilities, better equipment and well-trained teachers and instructors. We will nourish special talents and encourage wider participation in sport.

“We will encourage schools to develop recreation facilities and to open up such recreational facilities to the whole community and prevent the selling off of school and other sports grounds. We will set up a Sports Trust to channel resources into the development of community sport, community sporting facilities and the attraction of major international sporting events to Nigeria.”

Excerpts from the manifesto of the Fresh Democratic Party (FDP), the party founded by Okotie, and on which platform he is contesting for president.

Christopher Okotie

Office

Election