Nationwide protest looms as NLC gives 12 midnight ultimatum for Ajaero’s release

Joe Ajaero

The  Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday gave the  Federal Government up to 12 midnight for the release of the Joe Ajaero, the  president of union.

In a communique issued after an emergency meeting in Abuja on Monday, the National Administrative Council NAC of the NLC said it is giving the government up to 12 midnight to release its president

The NLC in the communique signed by Adeyanju Adewale, deputy president, said it is ” placing the nation on red alert.”

Recall that United Action Front of Civil Society and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP had earlier, in their separate reactions, described the arrest as “needless show of force by the Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS”

In a statement by Hamisu Santuraki, spokesperson of the National Coordinating Secretariat, United Action Front of Civil Society,  the organisation, decried  the abduction of the  NLC president, “Joe Ajaero in a gestapo manner at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on his way to attend the Conference of the Trade Union Congress, TUC in the United Kingdom, which is billed to commence today.”

“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 extending invitations to them rather than employing dehumanising tactics such as forceful abduction to embarrass and intimidate them like common criminals.”

The group described Ajaero as “a huge leader of both the labour movement and the masses of Nigeria given his popular position as the President of the NLC and therefore deserves to be treated with profound decorum and courtesy.

“Consequently, security issues with him should be handled with due process and not in a rough manner displayed by security agents today capable of causing national chaos and anarchy

” 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.”

The group condemned the ” 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

The group called for national consultation meeting of all the affiliate unions to ” halt the police action

” 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 democracy space by State Agent in Nigeria “

In a related development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also condemned the arrest and urged President Bola Tinubu to handle the labour issue with caution

Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesman, while also reacting to the arrest on Monday said: “There is need for caution, there was a protest in this country, the government did not do anything. “

” You arrest some people and said they were terrorists and you charge 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 arrest hunger and there will be no problem. Let your polices that are draconian, that are bringing people to their knees. This is the season school is resuming, we know what all of us are going through for those who have pupils in school.

“You wake up one morning, you cannot plan because the government is so insensitive and irresponsible, without consulting the National Assembly and come up with policies that destroys the plan of the people, destroy the opportunity to have what we call pursuit of happiness.

“Why do government exists, for the welfare and security of the people, now we don’t have welfare, no security. 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.

“Nobody really cares who the president of this country is, if the government provide us with the opportunity to pursue our own goals and aspirations. So we will as a party find out, since this is breaking and take it from there. Indeed if government is about welfare and the people are saying we are dieing, it is sane to review those policies.

“Then you must show leadership by saying okay, you are telling me to tighten my belt and you are buying new belt. This is a country that cannot pay 70,000 according to them, minimum wage. But this is a country that can buy 150 Million Dollars plane. The President is trying to test how good it is and he is flying everywhere. This is a country where you spend 21 billion naira to renovate the Vice President House, this is a country where they have no money according to them, but the President will buy a yatch. There is no water body in Abuja so for the president to get to the Yatch he will have to travel one hour to Lagos.

“The Yatch has a 24 Hours Security protection. Until we talk about this 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. We know the reality of Nigeria, with its constraints of tribe and  ethnicity, but it pales into insignificance with the reality of Nigerians. People are dying every day and you know that.”

NLC Emergency Meeting

In reaction to the arrest of the NLC President continue, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC has expressed concern over the arrest and detention of its National President, Jeo Ajaero, and summoned emergency of its Executive to a meeting over the matter.

Benson Upah, NLC head of information, in a statement, said: “Ajaero has been detained without any legal warrant or formal instrument”

Upah while noting that Joe Ajaero is not a fugitive, described his detention as ”  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 continues to afflict the people with monumental suffering and hardship. Such actions are not only undemocratic but immoral as well as a direct affront to the fundamental rights of citizens and organizations to lawfully express their views and carry out their activities.

” In light of this troubling development, the Congress puts all its affiliates, State Councils, Civil society allies and all patriotic Nigerians on the highest state of alert.”

Upah added that the ” Congress will not stand idly by while the rights of its leaders and members are trampled upon. Accordingly, we demand for the immediate and unconditional release of comrade Joe Ajaero.

” Furthermore, we call on the international community, human rights organizations, and all advocates of democracy to take note of this rising wave of authoritarianism in Nigeria. The world must bear witness to these assaults on human dignity, civil liberties, and the rule of law.”

He assured that the NLC remains resolute in its commitment to protecting workers’ rights and will not be cowed by the oppressive tactics of the state.

” Once again, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Joe Ajaero and the cessation of all forms of harassment against labour leaders and the Nigerian working class including innocent citizens who hold dissenting opinions.

“We equally demand that the state frees all Nigerians languishing in various prisons around the country for exercising their democratic rights to protest in the #EndBadGovernance rallies around the country. The Organs of the Congress are in a closed door meeting whose outcome will be made available to the public.”