The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ajaero

  • NLC strike: Ajaero’s attackers have been arrested – Ribadu

    NLC strike: Ajaero’s attackers have been arrested – Ribadu

    National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Wednesday, November 15, said attackers of the president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, have been arrested.

    The NSA also called on organised Labour to call off the ongoing nationwide strike, expressing worries over the impacts of the industrial action on the livelihood of Nigerians and the nation’s economic security.

    Ribadu called for an end to the strike and disclosure of the arrest of culprits in the attack on Ajaero in a statement issued by Zakari Mijinyawa, Head of Strategic Communications, in the Office of the NSA.

    According to the statement, the federal government and President Bola Tinubu’s administration will not condone lawlessness, as depicted in the attack on Ajaero during a protest in Owerri, Imo State, recently.

    Ribadu, who called on the leaders of the Labour unions to call off their nationwide strike, as an investigation into the assault on the NLC president is ongoing, appealed that the bodies should allow ongoing dialogues to be exhausted.

    He also assured that the results of the ongoing investigation into the attack will be made public as soon as it is concluded.

    Read Also: Popular rapper Oladips dies at 28

    The statement said: “The NSA is particularly worried about the implications of the strike action on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians and its potential impact on economic security and other strategic national interests.

    “As attested by the NLC leadership, the NSA immediately intervened on learning about the travails of the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joseph Ajaero, who was assaulted in Owerri, Imo State.

    “The NSA regrets the incident and condemns it in its entirety as it was against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression, subscribed to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration.

    “The federal government will never condone such an act. As a fallout of the incident, relevant authorities were directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault and bring to book the culprits.

    “Available update indicates that some arrests have already been made. The outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.

    “The federal government, through the Office of the NSA, therefore appeals to the labour leadership to call off the current strike action and allow the dialogue process underway to be exhausted.”

  • Oshiomhole to Ajaero, Osifo: strike is misplaced priority

    Oshiomhole to Ajaero, Osifo: strike is misplaced priority

    • Full, partial compliance in states
    • CONUA opts out
    • Affiliate unions join

    The ongoing nationwide strike declared by organised labour is a misplaced priority, Senator Adams Oshiomhole declared yesterday.

    According to him, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) should take up issues on workers’ welfare rather than what will portray them as partisan.

    Oshiomhole, who shot into the limelight as a labour activist, crowning his career as president of the NLC, wondered why the labour centres would not take on state governments that are not paying the N30,000 minimum wage but would embark on industrial action simply because its leader was assaulted.

    The former Edo State governor spoke at Aso Villa yesterday after a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima.

    The NLC and TUC called the strike yesterday to protest last week’s physical attack on NLC President Joe Ajaero in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

    Ajaero flew into Owerri to protest the non-payment of outstanding salary arrears to workers.

    Despite the workers’ leadership rejection of his intervention, NLC vowed to “occupy Imo State”.

    During his picketing at the airport on arrival, he was beaten up and the police took him into “protective custody”.

    A few hours later, a photograph of Ajaero’s swollen face surfaced on social media.

    He was not seen in public for days. On his return, he claimed that the police arrested him and handed him over to hoodlums who assaulted him.

    Although the police denied involvement, Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun redeployed Imo State Commission of Police Mohammed Barde and ordered an investigation.

    TUC President Festus Osifo announced the industrial action on Monday, saying it will be indefinite.

    But Oshiomhole said: “Unfortunately, this strike is not about those issues. 

    “And I think we have to be careful not to mix our political opinion with our responsibilities because the issues confronting workers are so many that they should become the priority.”

    Oshiomhole urged the NLC to prioritise holding state governments accountable to the N30,000 minimum wage agreement, which covers both local government and state workers.

    He wondered why the NLC was not mobilising workers against states still failing to implement the approved minimum wage while targeting the Federal Government.

    Advising union leaders to engage vigorously on issues like unpaid salaries, he cautioned against actions perceived as overtly partisan.

    He said: “The Federal Government had granted N35,000 increase. And those discussions were supposed to be for and on behalf of not only the Federal Government but on behalf of all workers in Nigeria, including those employed by local governments and state governments.

    “Additional revenue accruing from the withdrawal of subsidy should trickle down to the states and the local government areas.

    “I would have wished that somebody in the NLC recognises that the hunger in the stomach of federal employees is not any worse than the hunger in the stomach of those state employees, nor local government employees.

    “If these are the issues on the table, even as a senator, I will publicly support action against any government that thinks that we should lament away our hunger while the people do what they do.

    “Labour cannot be apolitical because politics is about the people. And I have argued when I was in NLC that nobody has a right to be partisan much more than those who turn the will of our industrial progress.

    “You have to be careful not to be seen to be doing the bidding of a particular candidate or a particular political party. As President of the NLC, I made no friends with any politicians.”

    He reiterated his stance against brutality against any Nigerian while stressing that addressing the hierarchy of workers’ needs should be NLC’s focus.

    “But, let me be clear. I do not support the brutalisation of any Nigerian. I emphasise, any Nigerian, including a journalist, including the unemployed. Of course, including a Labour leader,” he added.

     Affiliate unions join strike

    The strike got the support of affiliate unions.

    Oil, bank and electricity workers, as well as a section of university teachers, joined the industrial action in compliance with their unions’ directive.

    Read Also: First Lady’s RHI lifts 1,709 fallen heroes’ families with N427.7m

    Among Labour’s demands are the redeployment and investigation of the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command; arrest, prosecution and dismissal of all police officers involved in the incident; and arrest of all thugs who partook in beating Ajaero and other workers.

    Labour also demanded the arrest and prosecution of Mr Chinasa Nwaneri, Uzodimma’s aide on special duties who allegedly supervised the terror on workers and “bestial brutality” meted out to Ajaero.

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) asked their members to join the industrial action. 

    The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) and the National Union of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) joined the strike. 

    Federal workers were also asked to join the action. 

    General Secretary of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Joshua Apebo, directed federal workers to withdraw services nationwide. 

    But some federal workers showed up for work yesterday.  

    At the Federal Ministry of Education, offices were opened as workers went about their business.

    In the education sector, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics asked their members to stay off work. 

    Labour unions in the maritime and health sectors asked their members to comply with the directive. 

    The health sector is not left out as the nurses’ union asked their members to down tools. 

    Acting General Secretary of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Salihu Abubakar, said they would stay home. 

    The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives also asked its members to comply strictly with the directive. 

    The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) asked its members to shut the courts. 

    However, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) said it would not join the action because it was not yet an official TUC affiliate.

    Its National President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, said: “The position of CONUA is not to join the strike for the fact that we are yet to be an official affiliate of TUC even though our application is before them. 

    “TUC with whom CONUA submitted an affiliation request has not communicated this position on strike action to it. 

    “Distinguished comrades should therefore note that CONUA cannot be part of the strike action that is not communicated to it. 

    “In addition, the affiliation process with the TUC has not been officially established.”

    SSANU and NASU joined the nationwide strike.

    NASU Chairman, University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch, Abiodun Olayinka, told The Nation that the national body had directed all branches to join the strike.

    Other affiliates who joined the action are the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NURW), Nigeria Union of Food and Beverage Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), among others.

    But, unions in the aviation industry did not comply fully as there were no flight disruptions yesterday.

    Aviation unions affiliated with the labour movement were yet to meet on how to implement the directive by their parent bodies.

    Secretary General, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Abdulrazak Saidu said that was why there were seamless aerospace operations.

    All scheduled flights operated without hitches, while activities at the local and international airports in Lagos went on as usual.

    The strike went on despite Friday’s interim injunction granted by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) president, Justice Benedict Kanyip.

    He ruled on an ex-parte application brought by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on behalf of the Federal Government.

    The presidency and AGF Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) had reminded Labour that the restraining order was still in force.

    NLC to Presidency: we won’t be cowed

    Labour faulted the statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy Bayo Onanuga, saying contrary to the presidency’s position, the issues were beyond Ajaero.

    NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, said Ajaero does not work in Imo and is not owed salary but is fighting for civil servants that are owed.

    The Congress insisted the strike was far from personal.

    The union said: “Nigerians and indeed, the world to know that the joint national strike by the NLC and TUC is not about ego tripping move intended to blackmail the government as Bayo Onanuga mischievously describes it.

    “If Onanuga were not suffering from selective amnesia, Onanuga ought to have known that this government should remain grateful to the Organised Labour for its uncommon patience with a government that was not prepared for the consequences of its fundamentalist market policies.

    “The massive currency devaluation and subsidy removal which imposed on Nigerians social violence, upheaval, dislocation, displacement or punishment they never experienced.

    “Onanuga ought to have known that the Organised Labour, by not opting for a strike as a first option, acted as a bulwark against the rage of Nigerians thereby saving this government from itself.

    “Ajaero is not a member of any union in or outside Imo State nor is he owed a salary or pension payment arrears, but in his capacity as president of the NLC, he has oversight over all the unions affiliated to the congress including the civil servants and pensioners who have been owed in varying degrees of arrears.

    “We want Bayo Onanuga and those who sent him and the police much earlier to know that we shall not be cowed by anybody or force no matter the resources at that person’s disposal. 

    “No government can be bigger than the people over which it presides.”

  • Ajaero’s Waterloo?

    Ajaero’s Waterloo?

    Joe Ajaero, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, is a trove of historical allusions.  Poor Joe!  He looks like an actor, doomed yet merry, in a bizarre drama!

    Compared with Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), intrepid emperor of post-monarchy France, Ajaero craves the fear-no-foe local Labour(?) Napoleon, ready to cut-and-thrust, with whoever, whenever, wherever or however.

    Kamikaze Joe, daring master of crippling strikes-as-potent-blackmail!  He loves playing the Yoruba fly that taunts the man with the deep sore.  What happens when the man, demented with rage, starts gobbling up the pesky flies?

    But having run into a stiff jab at Owerri on November 1, had Ajaero, too soon, faced his own Waterloo, though unlike the French original, he has not exactly galloped from victory to victory, in his rather rashly chosen battles?

    If Owerri evoked the Waterloo of the original Bonaparte, pint-sized Ajaero, juxtaposed with equally pocket-sized Adams Oshiomhole, former NLC president, evokes no less Louis Bonaparte, pretentious Napoleon III, the emperor-wannabe, whose pitiful conceit  sparked that Karl Marx memorable put-down.

    “History,” the grand, old theorist of Marxism sneered, “repeats itself: first, as tragedy, then, as farce.”  So long for Butterfly Louis, kidding self as Eagle Bonaparte!

    Ajaero, drunk with Aluta wine and brimming with reckless verve, must have fancied himself some fiery Oshiomhole II, in charged Nigerian Labour agitations.

    In truth, Oshiomhole galloped from victory to victory in his fearless jousting with the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency, over the vexed issue of fuel pump pricing.

    But Oshiomhole’s times were the halcyon days, when Labour was not self-spiked with partisan politics; and the NLC picked its battle much more carefully.  Not any more!  

    If the Imo ditch can re-set NLC’s battle strategies, perhaps Comrade Joe can still regain his mission.  If not, not only Ajaero will sink.  Organized Labour too might.  

    That would be unforced tragedy — as the unforced error in the game of tennis — for workers and their causes.  That will just be too bad!

    Still, has Owerri taught Ajaero anything?  Very doubtful.

    To be sure, no citizen should get clobbered as Ajaero was.  Many days later, after he had re-found his voice, poor Ajaero wailed: alleged thugs pummelled him, hands tied, like a common felon!  He was the sad coquet, flirting with folks that had pity to spare!  

    Why, he even alleged that the Police arrested him, and passed him over to his alleged thug-pounders!  That’s a serious charge. The Police must investigate it — and it is just as well the Inspector-General (IGP) has promised a probe.  That should be prompt.

    Still, you see poor Ajaero, beaten and battered?  That’s how he himself had battered the law!  When you thumb your nose at the courts and their injunctions, you raze the social fabric, woven by the state via due process, to protect you!

    How?  A little, basic theorizing here.

    By the Social Contract, the very pillar of the pristine state, the people ceded a part of their rights to a central Leviathan (read power), in exchange for common protection.

    That power is the government which, pronto, erected many “safety nets” against the powerful, bullying the powerless.  One key “safety net”, so vital in a democracy, is the court of law, which even shields the citizens against the all-mighty government!

    Read Also:Ajaero: outlawry begets outlawry

    Yes, the government could play pranks with the courts, in terms of the so-called “jankara” (read rogue) orders or injunctions. Even if that happened — and it often does — the solution is not self-help, but a patient recourse to the courts for remedy.

    Indeed, self-help, in a clash between citizen rights (to not be bullied) and government rights (to assert its authority), often ends in self-pulverization!  That was the monster at Owerri — and it was ugly in our eyes!

    By pushing Aluta rights — the courts be damned! — Ajaero pulled rogue elements to deal him merciless blows, in a lawless jungle. Conveniently, the state looked elsewhere!

    But had Ajaero obeyed the National Industrial Court (NIC), and was less zesty to “shut down Imo” at all costs, he would have escaped that thrashing, for he wouldn’t himself have savaged the law.

    But that was even at the very surface.  That Ajaero and his Aluta army glibly boasted about truncating the Imo November 11 election, knowing how crucial that was to the democratic Republic, added a sinister motive to the entire misadventure.

    That sparked the merry tragedy of the parasite, giddy over the death of its host!  

    Labour rights are entrenched in, and best guaranteed by, a democracy.  But what happens when Labour threatens to subvert the very fundament that gives it life and nurtures its essence? Isn’t that a ghostly parasite dancing on the grave of its host, in fatal delusion it still had life?  Which parasite lives when its host is long dead?

    But beyond that fundamental blunder, Ajaero’s partisan dreams, pre-November 11, got buried under the thumping loss of Athan Achonu, the Labour Party (LP) candidate.  

    True, Achonu and co are replicating the Peter Obi bluff and bluster, thundering flowery polling-day allegations they hardly can prove, and claiming LP “won” — just as Obi did.  Like Obi at the presidency, Achonu came a distant third at the Imo gubernatorial race.

    An apple doesn’t fall that far from the mother tree, does it? 

    A victorious Governor Hope Uzodinma rubbed it in — Ajaero in the context of the Imo LP/NLC debacle!

    Flush with victory, the governor praised the Imo local NLC and TUC; but razed their national interlopers, who came launching an “evil conspiracy”, couched as workers’ wage mass action, against his government, close to a crucial poll.

    Indeed, Uzodinma duly earned his victory crow — the same nervy Uzodinma that apologized to Ajaero, over a battery he “knew nothing about”, when no one knew where the pendulum of victory would swing!

    You can’t really blame Achonu and co for bawling and kicking over LP’s crushing loss.  Politicians are born to cry wolf, when defeat hands them a thunder slap.

    But why drag NLC — and workers — into this political delinquency?  That is Ajaero’s cardinal crime, which organized Labour must sort out — and fast.

    By the way, what has happened to the NLC/TUC threat to start a national strike today, if their Imo “demands” were not met?  Both are too shame-faced to walk their talk?

    Besides, how do Labour undo their costly dance of shame at Abuja and Lagos airports on November 10?  How are those “Labourized” thugs, who disrupted flights in Abuja and Lagos, different from the thugs that beat Ajaero black and blue?

    Ajaero, by his rashness, is dragging organized Labour into a needless storm.  TUC, hitherto dignified and reasonable, is behaving as the stupid fly that would buzz and buzz, while following the corpse into the grave.

    When that storm finally comes, NLC will either keep Ajaero on its sinking ship or, as jetsam, toss him into the sea to save others.  Either way, workers will bear the brunt.

  • Ajaero: outlawry begets outlawry

    Ajaero: outlawry begets outlawry

    In the Joe Ajaero Imo odyssey of November 1, only one thing was clear: outlawry begot outlawry. Everything else was ugly controversy.

    Ajaero, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, flush with Aluta,  bucked a National Industrial Court (NIC) order, as he had always threatened to, often claiming such orders were “Jankara” — in local parlance: illicit injunctions procured in bad faith.

    So, Ajaero, an “agbero” (read reckless: thanks to another local parlance) Labour warrior in good faith, blundered into Owerri, ran into counter-”agberos” in bad faith, and got clobbered black and blue!

    When self-help clashes with self-help, it’s chaos in full technicolor! The only safe option is due process.  Yes, it may be slow, or even annoying.  But it gets you there in one piece: no puffy eyes, no broken bones and certainly no jeremiads after — due process!

    Yet, who dunnit?  That’s the big controversy fuelled by mutual finger-pointing.

    Ajaero and his NLC point irate fingers of guilt at Governor Hope Uzodinma and the sitting Imo establishment, who just triumphed at the November 11 poll.  They screech Hope and co have ugly motives to thrash Ajaero but look none the wiser.

    The Imo government returned the grim favour, in full measure.  Governor Uzodinma roasted Ajaero at his own Labour stakes.  

    The Imo local NLC had no problem with him, he claimed.  But joining the political fray, Ajaero had to create one, in alleged illicit aid of the Imo Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate, since Ajaero himself was an Imo native.  It was a rash plot gone awry, that allegedly sparked an intra-Labour “civil war”.  In truth, the Imo NLC had said they had no problem with the governor.

    Read Also: APC kicks as Diri coasts home to victory in Bayelsa

    Still, an incensed NLC charged back, even claiming that after the vile assault and battery on its president, the governor had allegedly tracked him to his Imo village, thinking he was there, to finish the job!

    Again, who dunnit?  That’s for the Police to find out — except that Ajaero and co are accusing the Police of complicity and called for — and got — the scalp of the Imo State Police commissioner!

    Still, let the Police investigate and dock anyone involved in the fracas.  But let Ajaero too hug wisdom.  

    Honestly, he has been too rash for his own good — and for NLC’s too.  Ajaero would threaten to call off talks with the Federal Government if the Labour and Employment minister sat on the panel.  He would buck an NIC order only to run into a storm.  After, he would threaten a national strike, post his Imo debacle, unless the Police boss was sacked!

    Ajaero had better pipe down before he undid himself — and NLC too.  That would hardly be in workers’ interest.  Already, the NIC has reiterated its injunction.  That’s a chilly warning to Ajaero to behave or take the knocks.  Whoever wants protection from the law must first respect the law.  The Imo excitement just shows that baiting anarchy is bad for everyone — especially the baiter!

  • Ajaero’s curious Imo story

    Ajaero’s curious Imo story

    Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), is so ubiquitous in the news that he must be feeling like president of the country. He and his union have threatened strike so many times that the media have lost count. In some parts of the world, rotten tomatoes and eggs are frequently hurled at leaders to no consequence; but spit on any NLC leader in Nigeria, and the country is bludgeoned with the threat of strike. Last week in Imo State, Mr Ajaero was beaten by thugs with the police allegedly conniving at the assault. The result is of course a national strike, with some old grudges thrown in for maximum effect and legitimacy. Mr Ajaero and his men have become untouchable.

    Read Also: Ajaero: IGP orders investigation into alleged assault of NLC president

    Before the NLC president came out with his own account of how he was assaulted, his men said that the police did the job of beating him up, and a strike was threatened and even declared. But by his account, the police merely aided the thugs by withdrawing the about 20 security men around him. How in the first instance did the police assign 20 policemen to one man? Are they so overstaffed? When he was freshly assaulted, Mr Ajaero mused that had God not made him differently, his backbone would have been broken. But in his few days of absence from the public after the beating, NLC officials said he was so brutalised that he would need foreign medical attention. Perhaps after the heat has died down, the real and true story of what happened in Owerri, Imo State, two Wednesdays ago, will be told.

  • Ajaero: IGP orders investigation into alleged assault of NLC president

    Ajaero: IGP orders investigation into alleged assault of NLC president

    Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered investigations into the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault on the person of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero.

    Egbetokun has directed the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department to take over the matter with the primary objective of ascertaining the true facts surrounding the incident.

    The investigation, the police boss said will also address any ambiguities that may exist as the Police has been inundated with different versions of the incident making investigations imperative to clear the conflicting accounts.

    A statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said: “The Nigeria Police Force understands the importance of transparency and accountability in maintaining public trust.

    Read Also: Footballers whose relatives were kidnapped

    “The IGP therefore assures the public, most especially the leadership of the organized labour, that a thorough and unbiased inquiry will be conducted to provide clarifications while urging organized labour and the public to remain calm, as he has personally intervened to address the issues surrounding this incident.”

    Adejobi who said investigation has commenced, added that the Nigeria Police Force guarantees that it will be followed to a conclusive end, and appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.

  • I was beaten, dragged on the floor like a common criminal by thugs – Ajaero

    I was beaten, dragged on the floor like a common criminal by thugs – Ajaero

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero has given an account of how he was beaten in Imo state by alleged thugs.

    Ajaero said he was arrested by the police in Owerri, Imo state capital and handed over to thugs numbering seven who “beat him and dragged him on the floor like a common criminal.”

    The NLC president gave the account at a press conference on Friday, November 10, in Abuja.

    He said the NLC wrote to all the security agencies before they went to the state for the protest last week.

    The NLC president said that workers who arrived at the venue of the protest on that day around 7 am were beaten up by thugs with their phones seized.

    Read Also: Pro-Biafra slams Ajaero over blackout in imo

    Ajaero said he got there around 9 am after he got the report of an assault on workers.

    The NLC president said the police arrested him and handed him over to thugs.

    He said: “I can’t explain the beating I received. They tied my hands and dragged me on the floor like a common criminal.”

    Ajaero said he is not a card-carrying member of any political party as alleged.

  • NLC, Imo Govt clash over ‘attack’ on Ajaero’s village

    NLC, Imo Govt clash over ‘attack’ on Ajaero’s village

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday accused Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinmma of sending thugs to attack the home of its President, Joe Ajaero, on Saturday. 

    But the state government denied the allegation, describing it as “cheap, baseless, and vicious propaganda”. 

    The NLC said the alleged attack on Azalla Owalla in Emekuku, the hometown of the NLC President, was “carried out under the misguided belief that Comrade Ajaero was still present”.

    Ajaero last Wednesday led workers to Owerri, the Imo State capital, to protest the alleged failure of the governor to pay salaries. 

    The protest turned violent as Ajaero was assaulted in the process, with the police taking him into “protective custody”. 

    The NLC accused the state government and Commissioner of Police of being behind the attack.  

    The NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) threatened to go on strike on Wednesday unless the Inspector General of Police redeployed the Commissioner of Police in Imo, among other demands. 

    NLC Head of Media and Information, Comrade Benson Upah, said in a statement that last week’s attack on Ajaero “stands as a stark reminder of the lengths to which they are willing to go in their pursuit of suppression and brutality”.

    The statement reads: “In a shocking turn of events, on the morning of November 4th, 2023, Governor Uzodimma once again demonstrated his utter disregard for human rights and democratic principles by invading and attacking the community of Azalla Owalla in Emekuku, Owerri, Imo State, the hometown of NLC President.

    Read Also: Ajaero: Assault on NLC president violation of trade union right – NASU

    “It is evident that the governor’s sinister objective is the assassination of the President of the Congress, a motive laid bare by this latest act of aggression on the community. 

    “This invasion was carried out under the misguided belief that Comrade Ajaero was still present, recovering from injuries inflicted by the police and hired thugs. 

    “The use of excessive force against citizens who hold differing opinions or dare to question the Governor’s governance style, particularly in relation to the inhumane treatment of workers in Imo State, is an affront to democracy. 

    “The current situation in Imo is nothing short of a descent into fascism, where terror takes precedence over reason, and dialogue is pushed to the sidelines. 

    “We urgently call on the Inspector General of Police to rein in the Imo Police Commissioner, preventing further abuse and desecration of the nation’s police force. 

    “The Commissioner has become a tool of oppression in the hands of the fascist governor, perpetrating intimidation and harassment on the people of Imo State. Immediate removal is essential to prevent an impending crisis.

    “The President of the Federal Republic and all patriotic citizens of Nigeria must not remain silent in the face of this bloodshed. It is imperative that the governor be held accountable. 

    “We believe that the President holds the means to rein in the excesses of the governor, and these measures must be swiftly employed to safeguard lives and properties in the state. 

    “The people of Azalla Owalla are entitled to their peace, and the continued occupation of their community by the Police and Uzodimma’s thugs, in the wake of the assault on their fellow citizens, constitutes an ongoing insult. 

    “The occupying forces must immediately vacate the territory, granting the people the freedom to engage in their socioeconomic activities without the looming spectre of terror. 

    “Governor Uzodimma should be under no illusion Nigerian workers remain steadfast in their commitment to protect the rights of Imo workers, undeterred by the current wave of violence he has chosen to pursue. 

    “We draw strength from the events of November 1, which will guide our future interactions with the governor. 

    “The workers of Imo will prevail, and Hope’s attempts to thwart our cause through intimidation and violence will be in vain.”

    But, the Imo government described the allegation that Ajaero’s home was attacked as a “falsehood”. 

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Declan Emelumba, said: “It is obvious that Ajaero and his band of alarmists have gone mad and have consequently thrown every decorum to the wind. 

    “Because the embattled NLC president is a card-carrying member of the Labour Party, it is not surprising that he is throwing up every possible blackmail and falsehood in the vein hope that such pranks will help his party on November 11. 

    “This latest allegation that the governor attacked his village on November 4th can only pass for cheap, baseless, and vicious propaganda. 

    “The earlier Ajaero woke up to the consequences of the divisions he created in organized Labour in Imo, which will continue to hunt him, the better for his badly bruised NLC Presidency.”

    Also yesterday, a House of Representatives member, Eugene Dibiagwu, accused Ajaero of working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Samuel Anyanwu, to cause anarchy in the state ahead of the governorship election.

    Dibiagwu, who is the National Convener of the Imo Progressive Movement (IPM), said the group uncovered shocking details of dirty roles assigned by PDP to Ajaero to cause anarchy in the state.

    He did not provide evidence of the allegations against Ajaero nor could his claims be independently verified.

    Dibiagwu, who represents Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Federal Constituency, alleged: “In clear terms, the summary of the deal is to throw Imo into darkness, anarchy and a very bitter political crisis to compel the Federal Government to sack the heads of the security agencies in the State. 

    “This is the only way the PDP is plotting to whittle down the effectiveness of the security establishment and pave the way for the importation of armed militants from Edo and Rivers states into the state for the governorship election.

    “Ajaero was promised that he would nominate the Secretary to the State Government in Imo if PDP wins the governorship election in the state. And, second, Ajaero was promised the PDP senatorial ticket for Owerri zone in 2027.”

    “These are the political motives that have driven Ajaero to break the law and lend himself as a vessel for the destruction of Imo state.”

    He urged the Federal Government to ignore the demand by the opposition to tinker with the security leadership in Imo, adding that it was a ploy to cause a breakdown of law and order during the election.

    “IPM passes vote of absolute confidence in the Imo State Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Security Service, and urges the Federal Government to completely ignore the mischievous demands by the opposition and their affiliates to tinker with the security leadership in Imo state,” he said.

    Imo PDP New Media Director, Lancelot Obiaku, denied the allegation that Ajaero was working for the PDP, saying that the party has no dealings with NLC.

    “Are you saying that people have no right to demonstrate in Imo again? It is freedom of expression. What is the state government afraid of?” he asked.

  • Ajaero partisan, says Onochie

    Ajaero partisan, says Onochie

    The immediate past Chairman of the governing Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie, has said that the National President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, is an unapologetic member of Labour Party (LP).

    Onochie, while reacting to the recent happening in Imo State, took to her official X, formerly Twitter, to make this known.

    “It’s not in doubt that Joe Ajaero is an unapologetic member of Labour Party,” said, Lauretta Onochie.

    She said Ajaero went round, campaigning with the former former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of Labour Party during the last general election.

    Read Also: NLC accuses Uzodinma of sponsoring attack on Ajaero’s village

    “He (Ajaero) went round, campaigning with Peter Obi, in their Labour Party Aso-ebi, during the just concluded election session.” Onochie said.

    Onochie added that Ajaero did not know that Nigerian workers belong to other parties than Peter Obi’s political party.

    “He didn’t know that Nigerian workers belong to other parties than EluPee,” said, Onochie.

  • NLC accuses Uzodinma of sponsoring attack on Ajaero’s village

    NLC accuses Uzodinma of sponsoring attack on Ajaero’s village

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused Imo state governor, Hope Uzodinma of allegedly attacking the village of its prresident, Joe Ajaero on Saturday, November 4.

    The NLC said the alleged attack on Azalla Owalla in Emekuku, the hometown of NLC president, was “carried out under the misguided belief that Comrade Ajaero was still present, recovering from injuries inflicted by the police and hired thugs.”

    The Head, Media and Information, NLC, Comrade Benson Upah made the allegations in a statement on Sunday, November 5.

    The alleged invasion of Ajaero’s village couldn’t be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

    The NLC president last week led workers to Owerri, the Imo State capital, to protest alleged failure of the Governor to keep to signed agreements and pay workers salaries.

    The protest turned violent as Ajaero was assaulted in the process.

    The NLC accused the state government and Commissioner of Police of being behind the attack on its president.

    The NLC and Trade Union Congress have threatened to go on strike on Wednesday except the Inspector General of Police redeployed the commissioner of police in Imo, among other demands.

    The statement by the NLC read: “The brazen and violent assault on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, and others on November 1st, 2023, inside the State Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Imo State, by Governor Hope Uzodimma, his thugs, and the State Police Commissioner, stands as a stark reminder of the lengths to which they are willing to go in their pursuit of suppression and brutality.

    Read Also: Ajaero: NLC, TUC list conditions to avoid nationwide strike Nov 8

    “In a shocking turn of events, on the morning of November 4th, 2023, Governor Hope Uzodimma, once again demonstrated his utter disregard for human rights and democratic principles by invading and attacking the community of Azalla Owalla in Emekuku, Owerri, Imo State, the hometown of NLC President.

    “It is evident that the Governor’s sinister objective is the assassination of the President of the Congress, a motive laid bare by this latest act of aggression on the community. This invasion was carried out under the misguided belief that Comrade Ajaero was still present, recovering from injuries inflicted by the police and hired thugs.

    “The use of excessive force against citizens who hold differing opinions or dare to question the Governor’s governance style, particularly in relation to the inhumane treatment of workers in Imo State, is an affront to democracy. The current situation in Imo State is nothing short of a descent into fascism, where terror takes precedence over reason, and dialogue is pushed to the sidelines.

    “We urgently call on the Inspector General of Police to rein in the Imo State Police Commissioner, preventing further abuse and desecration of the nation’s Police force. The Commissioner has become a tool of oppression in the hands of the fascist Governor, perpetrating intimidation and harassment on the people of Imo State. Immediate removal is essential to prevent an impending crisis.

    “The president of the federal Republic and all patriotic citizens of Nigeria must not remain silent in the face of this bloodshed. It is imperative that the Governor be held accountable. We believe that the president holds the means to rein in the excesses of the governor, and these measures must be swiftly employed to safeguard lives and properties in the state.

    “The people of Azalla Owalla are entitled to their peace, and the continued occupation of their community by the Police and Uzodimma’s thugs, in the wake of the assault on their fellow citizens, constitutes an ongoing insult.

    “The occupying forces must immediately vacate the territory, granting the people the freedom to engage in their socioeconomic activities without the looming specter of terror.

    “Governor Hope Uzodimma should be under no illusion Nigerian workers remain steadfast in their commitment to protect the rights of Imo State workers, undeterred by the current wave of violence he has chosen to pursue.

    “We draw strength from the events of November 1st, which will guide our future interactions with the Governor. The workers of Imo State will prevail, and Hope’s attempts to thwart our cause through intimidation and violence will be in vain.”