…Insists on nationwide strike on 14
…Denies being partisan
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero has vowed that the Congress would not back out from its industrial action in Imo State until their demands are fulfilled.
Ajaero stated this on Friday, during a press conference at the NLC headquarters in Abuja, where he was appearing for the first time since his attack in Imo State.
The NLC president, who denied having any political interest in Imo, said that the demonstration was purely to get justice for workers who were owed several months salaries in the state.
Narrating his ordeal, Ajaero said he was arrested by the police and handed over to thugs who beat him up and dragged him on the floor while threatening to kill him and dump his body in a river.
He said: “We heard that the workers who arrived at the protest venue as early as 7am were beaten up, their belongings seized and they were chased away. So, I arrived there by 9am with about 20 security personnel and was about to address journalists on the situation, when the police and other people in mufti came in and withdrew all the security there.
“They arrested me and handed me over to thugs who dragged me on the ground, hit me with all manner of things and tied my eyes. There were about Seven of them.
“They started asking me why I was challenging the Gov. Hope and that I should say my last prayers and that they were going to throw me into Njaba River.
“From there, I did not know how the same people took me to the police headquarters.
The NLC President, who thanked God for his life, noted that the struggle would still have continued if he had died.
“Not even my death could have stopped the struggle for the payment of those workers. If I had died in the process, the people that would take over, would be more daring.
“Any of the deputies here that would take over, would have been more decisive. So, nobody is backing out, it is a question of allowing justice to prevail and paying the people you are owing.
“He (Uzodinma) said I am playing local politics. I do not know which one is local politics. I am not a card carrying member of any political party in Nigeria, and as a governor, he should be privileged to some classified information to be able to say which political party I belong to.
“But, I thank God that I am alive today. Whoever has diverted the workers money, has diverted blood money and has attracted generational curse. “ he stated.
Refuting claims that he was partisan, the labour leader said: “I am not sure that anybody from my village is contesting for any election, not to talk of my family members.
“Anybody that is supporting the non-payment of workers salaries, him and his family, if they work, they will not do it. That is the mission. It is a divine mission.
“I do not have any family members or whatever running for election but they are free to run if they are interested. If I want to run for any office tomorrow I will pick the form of any party.
“There is no law that forbids a civil servant from contesting elections. The appeal court has also made it clear that you do. It needs permission for a protest or rally. You only inform the security.
The NLC President also condemned the silence of the management of TVC and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) over the harassment of reporters that were covering the protest by the police.
He said: “There were some media organsations that their staff were humiliated on that day. Two TVC staff were handcuffed. Were they also playing politics? And the TVC has kept criminal silence about it.
“Why has the NUJ not said a word about the humiliation of journalists? And that is why these things keep happening over and over again”
Commenting on health condition, Ajaero said he would not be seeking medical care in other countries because the NLC is an association that kicks against medical tourism abroad.
“The NLC is one of the pan Nigeria organisations that has been speaking strongly against medical tourism abroad. So, at the risk of my life I am staying back here to get medical attention until it because absolutely necessary to travel out. “he said.
Also speaking, the General Secretary of the Congress, Emmanuel Ugboaja berated the Federal Government for its silence on the matter, stating that Tuesday 14 nationwide strike would be held as scheduled.
According to him, “We will not accept the torture, humiliation, brutalization of a citizen, a citizen that has global stature. There have been calls from all over the world to clarify what transpired and the state of Joe Ajaero. So, if people from across the world are calling, and your own country is not speaking, it means that there is something they know that we do not know.
“So, from Tuesday, the Nigerian workers will be withdrawing their services because the president of NLC and his team were used as the point of contact. Hundreds of workers were brutalized, their phones, money and wallets taken .Some were hospitalized. He is just the figurehead of what transpired. And as we speak, nothing has been done. So, we cannot continue like this as a nation.”
On Tuesday, Organised Labour ordered its members to immediately withdraw services and shutdown Imo state indefinitely beginning at midnight.
Labour also directed public and private workers all over the federation to join in withdrawing their services by Midnight Tuesday, the 14th of November, if their demands were still unmet.
The action by the Organised Labour followed the brutalisation of NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, last week in Imo State.
Labour also accused the Imo government of continued abuse and violence of workers rights in the state.
The leadership of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), reached the resolution after a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
The labour centres had given some conditions for calling of the strike which included, investigation and deployment of the Commissioner of Police in Imo; sack of the Area Commander of the Police and all other Officers and Men in Owerri through whom the Police Commissioner supervised the the attack; as well as the arrest and immediate prosecution of Mr Nwaneri Chinasa, aid to Uzodinma.
They also asked for an immediate, independent and unbiased thorough professional medical examination of all victims of the attack; immediate restoration of all properties lost and urgent implementation of all the outstanding Industrial Relations agreements previously entered with the state government.
Although the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun,at the weekend, redeployed Barde for what he tagged “neutrality sake” ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State, Labour had said the redeployment of the police commissioner alone was not enough.