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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a two-week ultimatum to Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to end the alleged harassment and ban on the Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria (MOUN) in the state.
In a letter dated 28th October, 2026, and signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the Congress warned that if the state government fails to act, it may not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in Delta State.
The letter, which was made available to newsmen in Warri, yesterday, was addressed to the Governor and copied to the Inspector-General of Police, Director-General of the State Security Service and the Federal Ministry of Labour. It accused the Delta State Government, through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), of unconstitutionally banning MOUN.
According to the NLC, MOUN has not only been purportedly banned by a ‘decree’ from the SSG, but its members have also been harassed, hounded, and thrown into detention on the orders of the SSG.
The Congress said the witch-hunt against members of MOUN stems from the SSG’s manifest interest in, and support for a non-trade union organisation, the Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association (COMTOA).
“We have written to complain that the Delta State Government, through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), has directly violated and breached Nigeria’s Constitution, which vests the power of workers’ representation in trade unions,” the letter stated.
The NLC said the SSG, through his proxies, maintains that MOUN is an illegal union whose aim is to divert revenue from the Delta State Government by selling illegal tickets to motorcycle operators, thereby threatening public peace.
He has also prosecuted the union and its members in various Delta State courts, the letter reads.
But the Congress dismissed the claim that MOUN was an illegal body, insisting that MOUN is a registered trade union affiliated to the NLC.
“MOUN, not COMTOA, has the legal backing to organise motorcycle operators and collect dues from them as prescribed in Section 12 of the Trade Union Act. As far as labour law is concerned in Nigeria, COMTOA is an alien body and a meddlesome interloper,” Ajaero said.
The NLC expressed surprise that the shadowy body is receiving the backing of high-ranking officials of the Delta State Government, describing it as completely unacceptable and a recipe for industrial breakdown.
The Congress recalled its earlier letters dated 30th September 2025 and 20th January 2026 on the same matter, noting that despite efforts to use social dialogue, the situation has further degenerated.
“Having exercised considerable patience for more than three years on this matter, we are constrained to issue a final two-week ultimatum for the Delta State Government to end the harassment of MOUN and motorcycle operators organised by the union. If you fail to do the needful, the Congress may not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in Delta State,” the letter read.
The NLC urged the Governor to rein in the illegal activities of a few high-ranking officials in his government whose actions, it said, are casting him in a very poor light.
