The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress has asked its members to be ready to commence a nationwide strike if need be by midnight of Tuesday following the ongoing face-off between it and Nigeria Police.
The labour centre said in a communique issued after its emergency National Executive Council in Abuja that it had directed all the state chapters and affiliates to mobilise workers for an indefinite strike from midnight if anything happened to the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, who was invited by the police for questioning over terrorism financing allegation.
The police invitation to Ajaero comes weeks after policemen conducted a night raid on the NLC national secretariat in Abuja.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, while justifying the raid, said the police were on the trail of one of the terrorists who masterminded the crisis in Sudan.
The police added that the raid was to search for seditious materials in connection to the recent nationwide #EndBadGovernance or hunger protest, which turned violent in parts of the country, particularly in the North, where some protesters were seen waving the Russian flag and demanding President Bola Tinubu’s resignation.
On Monday, the police said Ajaero should appear for questioning at 10 am over allegation of terrorism financing and treasonable felony.
But the NLC National Executive Council convened an emergency for Tuesday morning to weigh the situation.
Rising from the meeting, the NLC leadership, in their communique, said they viewed Ajaero’s summon as “a clearly unfounded and politically-motivated investigation.”
In the communique signed by NLC Deputy President, Ado Sani Minjibir, the congress warned that “it will not hesitate to take all necessary actions, including mass protests and industrial actions, to protect the integrity and independence of the labour movement.”
“The NEC directs all affiliates and state councils to immediately commence the process of mobilising their members across the nation.
“The congress will not hesitate to take all necessary actions, including mass protests and industrial actions, to protect the integrity and independence of the labour movement.
“If anything happens to the President of the Congress or any other leader of the congress in furtherance of these tendentious allegations by the state;
“NEC puts all its affiliates and state councils alert to proceed on indefinite nationwide strike action by 12:00 midnight today.”
The NLC also called on all civil society allies and the general populace to stand in solidarity with the union at “this critical moment”.
The meeting expressed grave concern ‘that rather than extending the demand by the congress for the earlier invasion of its national headquarters by security agencies, the Nigeria Police has chosen to embark on this spurious and fortuitous journey of intimidation, harassment, and witch-hunt.
“This is nothing but a travesty and a blatant attempt to stifle the voice of the working people and their leadership, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the International Labour Organization Conventions 87 and 98. In light of this, the NEC of the NLC resolves as follows,” it said.
NLC said that it had decided to honour the police invitation as a responsible labour centre committed to the rule of law and due process.
It however added that it would not sit idly while the rights and freedoms of its members and leaders were trampled upon with impunity by the state.
“The NLC shall honour the invitation extended to its President by the Nigeria Police but will demand for extension of time given the nature of the invitation.
“However, we wish to state unequivocally that this does not in any way legitimise the baseless allegations levelled against him.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress remains resolute in its commitment to defending the rights and interests of workers and the Nigerian people. We shall not be cowed or intimidated by these desperate attempts to silence us.
“The NEC strongly condemns the continued harassment of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and other Labour leaders. We view this as a calculated attempt to weaken and destabilise the labour movement, which has always stood as a bastion of democratic principles and the voice of the Nigerian masses.
