By Bimbola Oyesola, Ndubuisi Orji, Adanna Nnamani, Abuja and Chukwuma Umeorah
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has placed all its affiliates, state councils, civil society allies and the Nigerian populace on red alert in case the Federal Government failed to release its president, Joe Ajaero by midnight yesterday.
Arising from its emergency National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting last night, the Congress also summoned its highest organ, the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting for this morning to ratify the next line of action by the organised labour on the arrest of its leader.
Beside demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Ajaero, whose detention is claimed was an act of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent and stifling the labour movement’s voice in Nigeria, it also demanded the immediate reversal of the current hike in the price of petrol to N617/litre.
According to the NLC, “The provocation is another attempt by the state to scuttle the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage.”
A communiqué signed by the NLC’s Deputy President, Prince Adewale, titled: “The Council unequivocally condemns the brazen and illegal detention of Joe Ajaero by the Nigerian State without any legal warrant or justification, said:
“The NLC notes with grave concern that Ajaero was lawfully discharging his duties to represent Nigerian workers and had not committed any offence warranting such action. His detention is an affront to the rights of workers and the democratic principles of freedom of movement and expression.
“The NLC demands his immediate and unconditional release before 12 midnight today. The Council reiterates that Ajaero is not a fugitive or a criminal, and his detention is an act of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent and stifling the labour movement’s voice in Nigeria. NAC also demands the immediate reversal of the current hike in the price of petrol to N617/Litre.
“The Congress places all its affiliates, state councils, civil society allies, and the Nigerian populace on red alert. The detention of Ajaero is an attack not just on the NLC leadership but on the rights of all workers and citizens to organise, protest and express themselves freely.
“The NLC will not stand by while these rights are trampled upon. This provocation is another attempt by the state to scuttle the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage. The NLC reaffirms its commitment to defending the rights of Nigerian workers and citizens. The Congress will not relent in its efforts to oppose all forms of oppression.
“NAC-in-session, therefore, summons an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) by 9:00 am today, September 10, 2024, to take compelling action to engage the current forces of retrogression.”
Ajaero was apprehended by operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, on his way to the United Kingdom for an official assignment, yesterday.
In an earlier statement, the NLC labelled Ajaero’s detention as unlawful and an act of intimidation, saying he was not subjected to any legal warrant or declaration as a fugitive.
It also described the detention as a violation of the democratic principles and an affront to citizens’ rights.
The Congress called for his immediate and unconditional release and urged international human rights organisations to take note of the situation. It further asked its affiliates, civil society organisations and Nigerians to be on alert to the development.
“We wish to categorically state that Ajaero has been detained without any legal warrant or formal instrument. Ajaero is not a fugitive. His detention is, therefore, a brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation as he has not been declared wanted by any law enforcement body. His detention is a brazen act of intimidation and completely unjustified under the laws of our nation. The mere contemplation of not just stopping a lawful citizen from travelling but also sequestering his freedom is an affront to our democratic and natural rights as a people and as workers.
“This is an unmistakable demonstration of the height of lawlessness being perpetuated by the Nigerian government and its agencies in their bid to silence every voice of dissent and opposition in the country as the economic policies of the government continue to afflict the people with monumental suffering and hardship. Such actions are not only undemocratic but also immoral, as well as a direct affront to the fundamental rights of citizens and organisations to lawfully express their views and carry out their activities.”
•FG plotting against labour leaders
The Lagos State chapter of the union also accused the Federal Government of plotting to suppress the voice of Nigerian workers.
Its chairman, Funmi Sessi, in a statement expressed outrage over the arrest, describing it as a witch-hunt of the labour leadership.
“We are, indeed, pained and unhappy with this witch-hunting of labour leadership by trying to hang a crime on their neck all in a bid to silence the group,” the statement read.
According to Sessi, the DSS should have acted professionally by inviting Ajaero for questioning just as the police had done recently. She noted that the manner in which the situation has unfolded reflects a broader effort to discredit organised labour. “Ajaero is a soft target by the government since organised labour is the only large group, aside from the youth, that can pressure the government into submission on people-oriented policies,” Sessi explained.
The NLC called on the government to immediately release Ajaero and cease all forms of harassment against labour leaders.
“What the government should prioritise and focus their energy on is leading rightly and rescuing the nation from imminent economic collapse. Labour should be regarded as a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian project and should be treated as such. We equally urge the Nigerian government to release the youths arrested during the EndSARS protests and engage them positively. We are all interested in the survival of the nation.”
•TUC demands immediate, unconditional release
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) also described the arrest as unjust and called for his immediate and unconditional release.
The TUC President, Festus Osifo, who said he received the news of Ajaero’s arrest with grave concern, insisted that the arrest represents a clear violation of the rights to freedom of association and expression, which are fundamental pillars in any democratic society.
“Congress firmly condemns the arrest and calls for his immediate and unconditional release,” he stated.
According to Osifo, the arrest sets a dangerous precedent that threatens not only the leadership of the Nigerian labour movement, but also the voices of millions of working-class Nigerians, who rely on unions to represent and protect their interests.
He stressed that it was imperative for the government to respect the rule of law, democratic norms and the legitimate rights of workers and their representatives.
Noting that the labour movement had always stood for peaceful negotiations, Osifo urged the Nigerian government to prioritise dialogue and reconciliation over harassment.
“We stand in solidarity with the NLC and reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights and dignity of Nigerian workers,” he stressed.
• PDP cautions FG over arrest of citizens
In its reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cautioned the Federal Government on the arrest of citizens, in the aftermath of the #EndBadGovernance protest.
The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, noted that though the party was not fully abreast of the issues surrounding Ajaero’s arrest, the government should tackle the challenges confronting the country and there would be no need for protests by citizens.
“This is a breaking story. Let us see, hear what it is. We will find out. Let the government face the welfare challenges of this country, then there will be no protest.
“There is a need for caution. There was a protest in this country.You arrested some people and said they were terrorists and you charged them to court. You say some people were the sponsors of the protest.
“We know those who sponsored the protest. The sponsor is hunger. The President and his people should arrest hunger and there will be no problem.
“You wake up one morning, you cannot plan because the government is so insensitive and irresponsible. Without consulting the National Assembly, it comes up with policies that destroy the plan of the people and destroy the opportunity to have what we call pursuit of happiness.
“Why does the government exist? It exists for the welfare and security of the people. Now, we don’t have welfare. No security.”
Ologunagba further stated that it was regrettable that while the government was asking the people to make sacrifices, the top officials were living as if there were no financial challenges in the country.
“You must show leadership. You are telling me to tighten my belt and you are buying a new belt. This is a country that cannot pay N70,000 minimum wage according to them, but it can buy a US$150 million plane. The President is trying to test how good it is and he is flying everywhere.
“This is a country where you spend N21 billion to renovate the Vice President’s house. This is a country where they have no money according to them, but the President will buy a yacht. There is no water body in Abuja, so for the president to get to the yacht, he will have to travel one hour to Lagos.
“The yacht has 24 hours of security protection. Until we talk about these issues, the president should know that when he is in a position, it is in our interest that he succeeds. Because the success of the president is our success. Nobody wishes him failure, but if his decisions are such that it is causing Nigerians pain, we will speak.”
•It’s attempt to cause national anarchy – Coalition
The United Action Front of Civil Society, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mallam Hamisu Santuraki, frowned at what it called needless show of force by the DSS operatives in abducting Ajaero in a gestapo manner at the Abuja international airport.
“We wish to state that the DSS has for no reason broken the civil and conventional practice earlier adopted by the police as touching security issues with well known high profile citizens and leaders of the people like the President of the NLC by by extending invitations to them rather than employing dehumanising tactics, such as forceful abduction against them to embarrass and intimidate them like common criminals…”
“As a matter of fact, Joe Ajaero is a huge leader of both the labour movement and the masses of Nigeria, given his popular position as the President of the NLC, therefore he deserves to be treated with profound decorum and courtesy. Consequently, security issues with him should be handled with due process and not with gestapo tactics displayed by security agents today to cause national chaos
“For us in the organised civil society and pro democracy movement of Nigeria, the abduction of Ajaero today is brash and indecent on the part of Nigerian security operatives and should be condemned by all Nigerians. We, therefore, wish to unequivocally condemn this needless rascality employed by the DSS today against the President of the NLC which has already generated shockwaves through the length and breadth of the country, and may lead to mass resistance and civil disobedience in the country if Ajaero is not released immediately by the State
“Finally, as a major pillar of the Labour and Civil Society Front (LCSFront), we wish to call on our allies nationwide to immediately commence national consultations on how best to halt the growing police state in Nigeria as evidenced by the massive repression of civil and democratic space by state agent in Nigeria.”
