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Tag: NLC

  • Minimum wage: Katsina NLC threatens to join nationwide strike

    Minimum wage: Katsina NLC threatens to join nationwide strike

    The Katsina State branch of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to issue an ultimatum to the state government by Tuesday.

     The Union said that if no positive response is received, it will align with the directive issued by its national body during their recent meeting in Port Harcourt.

    Speaking with The Nation during a telephone interview, the NLC Chairman for Katsina State, Comrade Hussain Hamisu, expressed concerns over the delay in negotiations with the state government regarding the payment of arrears for the new minimum wage. 

    He also noted that the extension of the payment to retirees remains uncertain, despite the completion of work by the state’s implementation committee.

    He said: ’’The ongoing committee work on the implementation of the new minimum wage, inaugurated by the state government, has ended following the expiration of their deadline date’’

    ‘’Retirees payment must equally be considered during negotiations, considering the fact that there was a circular on their benefits and entitlements at the time of their retirements’’

    Read Also: Minimum wage: Sokoto directs NLC to submit proposal for implementation

    ‘’If by tomorrow Monday there were no positive indication from the state government, we  shall declare indefinite strike in compliance with the directive from the National Executive Council of the NLC at the last meeting in Port Harcourt

    The Nation recalled that the state government recently inaugurated a committee Katsina State Government took a step towards implementing the N70, 0000 national minimum wage when it inaugurated a 15-member committee to advise government on important strategies and modalities for its implementation. 

    The Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Farouk Lawal Jobe, has inaugurated a committee to develop strategies and modalities for implementing the new minimum wage, including consequential adjustments for workers at both the state and local government levels.

    The committee, chaired by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Abdullahi Garba Faskari, has been given a 21-day deadline to complete its assignment and submit its report.

  • Minimum wage: Sokoto directs NLC to submit proposal for implementation

    Minimum wage: Sokoto directs NLC to submit proposal for implementation

    The Sokoto State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been directed by the state government to submit a proposal for the new minimum wage to facilitate its implementation.

    The directive was issued on Monday night by Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto through his Deputy, Ahmed Idris Gobir, following a meeting with labour leaders in the state.

    Sokoto remains one of the few states yet to implement the N70,000 minimum wage recently approved by the Federal Government. 

    Gobir, speaking to reporters after the meeting, stated that the proposal would aid in harmonizing the process for implementing the new wage.

    Read Also: Sokoto: Lamido, Wamakko in supremacy battle

    He reassured workers of the state government’s commitment to adopting the approved minimum wage.

    In response, the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu Jungul, urged civil servants to remain patient as arrangements were underway to ensure the salary adjustment. 

    He confirmed that the union would promptly submit its proposed salary structure as requested by the government.

    Jungul also appreciated the government’s genuine commitment to addressing workers’ welfare, according to a statement by Garba Mohammed, Director of Press to the Deputy Governor.

  • DSS brokers truce in Ikeja Electric, NLC face-off

    DSS brokers truce in Ikeja Electric, NLC face-off

    An early intervention by the Department of State Security (DSS) yesterday averted what could have snowballed into a full-fledged industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Lagos Council and the management of Ikeja Electric (IE).

    NLC had early yesterday stormed the offices of IE, disrupting utility’s operations and forcing the workers out. They were protesting the violation of the terms of employment and working conditions, including an alleged victimisation of workers.

    Rising from a meeting held at the Magodo office of the DSS yesterday, the NLC Vice Chairman, Lagos Council, Bisi Idowu, in a phone chat with The Nation, said following the mediation by the DSS, and the signing of a communiqué by all the parties, the union was suspending its industrial action temporarily, to enable the IE management address the contentious issues.

    Read Also: Released protesters deny alleged torture, praise DSS Director

    Efforts to get IE response proved abortive, as several calls, including messages sent to the utility’s communications department were unanswered.

    However, a terse message sent to their consumers read: “Dear Esteemed Customer, due to the ongoing National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) picketing of our offices today, please be informed that our Customer Care walk in and contact centre operations will be impacted. We regret the inconvenience, while assuring you that normal operations will be restored as soon as the picketing is over.”

  • NLC gives governors Dec 1 ultimatum for minimum wage payment

    NLC gives governors Dec 1 ultimatum for minimum wage payment

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given state governments an ultimatum of Dec.  1, to implement the new minimum wage.

    The NLC made this known on Sunday in a communique signed by its President, Mr Joe Ajaero at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    Ajaero, who expressed dissatisfaction over the delay by some states to implement the new wage, said workers in affected states were finding it difficult to sustain themselves given the worsening state of the economy.

    “The NEC notes with deep frustration the persistent delay and outright refusal by some state governments to implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act.

    “This betrayal by certain governors and government officials across the country flies in the face of both legality and morality, as workers continue to be denied their rightful wages amidst rising economic hardship.

    “It is a blatant disregard for the law and the lives of millions of Nigerian workers, who are being exploited by the very leaders sworn to protect them.

    “The NEC therefore resolved to set up a National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee that will commence a nationwide assessment, mobilisation and campaign to educate citizens on the need to resist this assault on their dignity and rights.

    “Furthermore, the NLC shall initiate a series of industrial actions in all non-compliant states and shall not relent until the minimum wage is fully implemented across Nigeria.

    “To this end, all state Councils where the National Minimum Wage has not been fully implemented by the last day of Nov. 2024 have been directed to proceed on strike beginning from Dec. 1,” he said.

    He called on government to embark on a wage review and immediately implement concrete interventions that would relieve the sufferings of Nigerians.

    Furthermore, he said the NLC would initiate a series of industrial actions in all non-compliant states and would not relent until the minimum wage is fully implemented across Nigeria.

    “Inflation continues to rise unchecked, with the costs of basic necessities spiralling beyond the reach of the average worker.

    “Millions of Nigerians are being driven into destitution, forced to choose daily between feeding their families and seeking healthcare.

    “Access to energy has become a mirage while workers become increasingly poorer even as they work longer hours to meet their other basic needs.

    “As a result, nutritional diseases like Kwashiorkor and Marasmus have resurfaced in Nigeria,” he said.

    The NLC president, while calling for immediate, concrete interventions from the Federal Government, called for the implementation of comprehensive social protection policies to shield Nigerians from poverty and ensure a living wage.

    He decried the fact that the current price of fuel is significantly higher than the real market price.

    “NLC demands appropriate pricing of petrol and calls for the public domestic refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna to quickly come back on stream to break-up the monopolistic stranglehold the big players have on the industry.

    “The NLC stands in solidarity with the workers and people of Rivers State. We demand an immediate resolution that allows the state to continue to have unfettered access to its rightful revenue allocations,” he said.

    Read Also: Minimum wage: Osun NLC keeps mum, civil servants fate hanging

    He called on President Bola Tinubu to release the remaining protesters in various jails across the nation as NLC had severally demanded earlier and creating adequate safeguards to avert future occurrence.

    “NEC -in- session expressed its appreciation to the federal Government for providing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to the Congress but noted that they are grossly inadequate to address the huge gap in transportation.

    “It also noted the apparent CNG infrastructure deficits around the country which may scuttle the entire CNG objectives.

    “Inflation continues to rise unchecked, with the costs of basic necessities spiralling beyond the reach of the average worker.

    “The Nigeria Labour Congress remains unwavering in its commitment to the wellbeing and dignity of Nigerian workers.” he said.

    (NAN)

  • NLC urges Lagos govt to suspend ban on single-use plastics

    NLC urges Lagos govt to suspend ban on single-use plastics

    The Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the state government to suspend its planned ban on single-use plastics and carry stakeholders along to discuss alternatives.

    The umbrella union’s state chairman, Mrs. Funmi Sessi, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.

    NAN reports that the state government recently announced plans to ban single-use plastics and sachet water by next January.

    The government had said the policy was aimed at establishing sustainable guidelines for managing plastic wastes while protecting public health and the environment.

    Sessi said: “There are implications for this government decision. That is why government should carry along all stakeholders.

    Read Also:  NLC to workers: have faith in Nigeria

    “The number one implication it is going to have on the people is that by the time government lays a ban on this, many job losses will happen.

    “That is why I am appealing to the government to have a rethink because at this particular time, those who are working in all these companies producing single-use bags, nylons, sachet water, you want to throw them into the unemployment market again.

    “I use this medium to appeal to our ever-listening government to suspend that action because there has been much of hunger and anger in the land.”

  •  NLC to workers: have faith in Nigeria

     NLC to workers: have faith in Nigeria

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged Nigerians not to give up hope on their country.

    In a statement by its President Joe Ajaero to workers and other Nigerians on today’s Independence anniversary, the congress stressed that it was sad that “the leading political elite are not ready to do the right thing”. 

    The statement reads: “On the occasion of Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary celebration, we congratulate all Nigerians, especially the workers, for their sacrifice, resilience or robust spirit, despite serial acts of betrayal of monumental proportions by the political leadership at various times and levels.

    “We urge downtrodden Nigerians who bear the marks or burden of these broken promises, exploitation and corruption to not give up hope on their country. 

    “In light of the fact that their sacrifice has been taken for granted for so long, they should learn to protest within the limits of the law against injustices and subversion of democratic norms, culture, and values by the dominant political elite.

    “It should be apparent to the citizenry that the leading political elite are not ready to do the right thing except they are compelled to do so.

    “In the same vein, we would like to sound a note of caution to our political elite whose preoccupation is to circumvent the principles and practice of popular democracy that undermining our democratic institutions can no longer be business as usual.

    “The consequences of their acts of commission or omission brought us this far. It is time to turn a new leaf. Let it be the beginning of a new low.”

    Glo hails Nigerians’ industry

    Telecommunications company, Globacom, has saluted Nigerians’ industry, commitment, passion, and diligence in its 64th Independence anniversary message to the nation.

    The company noted that the passion, patriotism, industry, resilience, and enterprising spirit of Nigerians over the years are values that have kept the country going despite its challenges.

    The company hailed compatriots who have continuously brought honour and fame to the country in various fields of human endeavour, saying: “There is no area of human endeavour that you will not find an outstanding Nigerian making waves globally.

    Read Also: NLC to workers: don’t give up on Nigeria

    “We all must imbibe the spirit of excellence, commitment, hard work and vigilance in order to make the country fly higher.”

    IBEDC promises to improve power supply

    The management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc yesterday assured its customers of improved power delivery and service.

    In a statement by its Acting Managing Director Francis Agoha, the company emphasised its unwavering dedication to the nation’s growth and development.

    “As we celebrate Nigeria’s independence, it is vital to uphold the principles of integrity, hard work, and patriotism.

    “Electricity is the backbone of any nation’s economy, and IBEDC remains committed to powering Nigeria’s progress by delivering services that enhance lives and support economic growth,” Agoha said.

  • NLC, Ajaero, media and Tinubu presidency

    NLC, Ajaero, media and Tinubu presidency

    If President Bola Tinubu had adjusted fuel price marginally, declined to float the naira or minimally depreciated it, pandered to powerful interests within and outside the ruling All Progressives Congress, and grovelled before one or two former presidents, he would have remained a darling of the media and leading opinion moulders, while the country went slam-bang downhill. But he would have been untrue to himself, and would probably have ended up a very dissatisfied man and president. Instead, as he is wont, he chose the more difficult option. The consequence is that he is having a running battle with the trade unions, is having a hard time reining in inflation and lowering the cost of living, and has attracted much derision from impatient and frustrated Nigerians uninterested in growth figures and balance of trade statistics that have not translated into anything meaningful for them.

    With perhaps the exception of one or two media outfits, the president is roundly condemned in the media, whether traditional, social, or online. In fact sections of the media show their detestation by remaining silent on the president’s achievements and successful policies, while focusing almost exclusively on the hardships his policies with higher gestation periods have engendered. The president and his administration are blamed for the inability of local governments and states to conceive, execute and operate subsidised public transport systems, as well as ensure adequate food production. Decades of misbegotten unitary governance begun under the military and perpetuated by elected governments have encouraged a shift of blames away from the lower rungs of government, the so-called federating units, to the centre. Uncritical thinking has also meant that the great and beneficial byproducts of the radical, if not revolutionary, policies have been totally ignored or downplayed.

    In just one exemplifying day last week, the traditional media, particularly the newspapers, completely and unapologetically skewed their headlines against the Tinubu administration. They are of course not under obligation to support or praise the administration, for they may also have been hard hit by the government’s policies, but they owe their readers objectivity. On the arrest of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president Joe Ajaero by the Department of State Service (DSS) last Monday, the newspapers screamed various revelatory headlines after he was released. One paper psychoanalysed the Service by emblazoning its front page with “DSS succumbs to pressure”. What if other considerations, including legal, prompted the release? Another screamed “Crackdown on NLC, SERAP sparks tension” in their report of the arrest of the NLC president at the airport on his way to the United Kingdom. Though the NLC reached a wage negotiation deal with the government in July and opted out of the August 1-10 protests, it has pleased the union to equate the ordeal of their president with the fate and fortunes of the NLC. Many newspapers unfortunately and hastily draw the same parallel.

    Read Also: Lagos orders demolition of structures on Gbagada wetland

    Yet another newspaper, in a headline rider, regurgitated the untested and unverified submission of Amnesty International which concluded that the Tinubu administration was “Setting new record of impunity”. The main headline itself was that “Ajaero arrested, released, CSOs condemn action”. When the newspaper reported that CSOs condemn what befell Mr Ajaero, the devil was of course in the detail. How many CSOs? Perhaps a handful, maybe two or three. Well, it is a headline, isn’t it? But it cleverly fits the overall agenda of the newspaper and its detestation of the administration’s policies. Such biases, other media establishments in the world have shown, appear permissible. Here, however, it may be necessary to consider just how tenuous Nigerian unity is, and how increasingly unstable the polity has become in the face of unremitting ethnic and religious rivalry and provocations. The government may bear the higher responsibility for stabilising and unifying the country, but media organisations also have a huge role to play, particularly in calibrating the tenor of their reports and headlines.

    Still on the same subject of Mr Ajaero’s arrest and release, one other newspaper growled “Ajaero released as outrage trails arrest”. There is nothing anyone can do to coax the NLC executive committee to separate the foibles of Mr Ajaero from the fate and future of the union. The union members and executive committee believe that the administration is persecuting Mr Ajaero. But regardless of the pains caused by the Tinubu administration’s policies, should the goal of objectivity not lead the media to a higher degree of discrimination in news reports and headline casting? Outrage is a strong word involving disgust and revulsion. Did the media find out exactly why Mr Ajaero was arrested? Did they, by their reports, other than the conclusions of the union, investigate whether the DSS and police were not acting within the remit of their founding laws in inviting Mr Ajaero for questioning? Or are the media convinced that the fleeing Andrew Wynne, the Briton connected to terrorism financing and who had rented a space in Labour House, told the true story about his work in Nigeria and relationship with the NLC president?

    A day before Mr Ajaero’s arrest and release, and writing on petrol price hike, another newspaper cast the headline “Nigerians at breaking point, NLC, Atiku warn”. Of course the headline, though attributed to politicians and unions, was inciting. It is one thing for politicians to give vent to their frustrations, indulging their excesses without a care in the world, but it is another thing for a newspaper to cast a searing and provocative headline that inferred its association and even agreement with the union’s and politicians’ sentiments. The question is, who measures the alluded breaking point? By just feeling the vibes or looking at the scowl on people’s faces in commuter buses and at bus stops? Do newspapers not owe the public and their readers the duty of deconstructing the government’s policies, and to present the pros and cons in such a manner that the reader would draw their own inferences without being prodded or incited?

    Whether it acknowledges it or not, the Tinubu administration has remained unpopular nearly everywhere. But its policies have, to many knowledgeable Nigerians, been largely appropriate in tackling decades of economic distortions stifling growth as well as correcting the fiscal, and to some extent monetary, excesses of the past two administrations. Not only is the fuel supply situation normalising, as marketers encouraged by a realistic pricing regime have begun to import fuel, local production is also gearing up, thus freeing funds for rapid development. The job of local, state and federal governments is to ensure subsidised and modernised public transport systems. If they do, they will lessen the impact of fuel price hikes on the populace. Indeed, already, petrol pricing has begun to impose lifestyle adjustments that curb wasteful use of funds and eliminate needless travels, while encouraging efficient deployment of private and public resources. Even the ballyhooed electricity tariff hikes are leading to more efficient use of energy in homes, companies and public institutions. The administration’s tough measures may have their downsides, but they also have their benefits, radically affecting the way Nigerians have lived wastefully for decades. The media has, however, turned a blind eye to some of these beneficial and revolutionary changes.

    The Tinubu administration may not have got many of its priorities right, especially in terms of cost-cutting and the shock absorbers needed to be emplaced before reengineering the country’s public finance. The administration may also have engaged in wasteful and haphazard distributions of palliatives in a desperate plan to assuage public disaffection. But its economic measures, ridiculed as Bretton Woods imposition, have been largely interventionist and effective. Nigeria’s public finance is being restructured for the future; it would be a shame if newspapers, which should know better, are co-opted into scuttling the brave effort. The financial reengineering of the country has imposed hardship and suffering, particularly on the poor and vulnerable, but it may be time for the Tinubu administration to begin rearranging the country federally in order to reduce the obsession with Abuja. States and local governments should feed their people, and the jobless and the underpaid who are crying about hunger must also find succour in their states and local governments instead of taking refuge in the disgraceful opportunism of protest merchants fixated on Abuja and unmindful of the consequences of their actions.

  • Don’t silence NLC — CISLAC tells police

    Don’t silence NLC — CISLAC tells police

    The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International Nigeria have advised against any attempt to silence the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

    Their reaction follows an invitation to the president of NLC, Mr Joe Ajaero by the police as part of its investigation into terrorism financing in the country.

    Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director, CISLAC, said in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday the oragnisation was concerned by what he described as attempts to incriminate, silence and blackmail the leadership of NLC.

    He, however, said CISLAC was not against the investigation.

    “CISLAC recalls that on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, the NLC complex, popularly known as Labour House, was besieged by heavily armed security personnel.

    Read Also: NLC threatens industrial actions over police invitation of Ajaero

    “This invasion occurred just hours after the NLC’s National Executive Council meeting, where members condemned the heavy-handed tactics employed by security agents during the #EndBadGovernance protests.

    “The President NLC, Joe Ajaero, has been summoned by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), over allegations of “criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.

    “The invitation, detailed in an official letter, requires the President of the NLC to appear for an interview on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at the IRT Complex in Guzape District, Abuja,” Rafsanjani said.

    Rafsanjani said investigation must continue so that Nigerians can clearly see that the government was not fabricating allegations, adding that the integrity of both the NLC and the police was at stake.

    “Only through a transparent and credible investigation process can Nigerians regain confidence in our security agencies.

    “The government and security agencies must do everything possible to restore trust and confidence in our criminal justice system, as citizens are rapidly losing faith in its ability to deliver justice fairly,” he said.

    He said it was important of the police to prove that it was not being used as a tool to undermine the legitimate struggles of the citizenry.

    “This action worries us, as it has the tendency to further damage the global reputation of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, being seen as an attempt to suffocate civil space.

    “This could have severe consequences for Nigeria’s image on the international stage.

    “We advise that the President must make a personal effort to checkmate those who are demarketing his administration,” he said.

    (NAN)

  • Labour House raid

    Labour House raid

    Security operatives penultimate Wednesday, i.e. 7th August, raided Pascal Bafyau Labour House where the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has its national headquarters and secretariat in Abuja. The 10-storey building in the vicinity of the Federal Ministry of Finance, in the federal capital’s Central Business District, houses NLC’s offices on its three topmost floors with tenants occupying other spaces.

    It was the NLC itself that broke the news of the raid. In a late night statement on the said day, the congress made known that heavily armed security agents at about 8:30p.m. stormed its offices in a raid it suspected linked to its sympathetic disposition towards then roiling hardship protests that began across the country on 1st August. NLC spokesman, Benson Upah, said in the statement that the security squad – initially assumed to also involve Department of State Services (DSS) agents – “swooped on the 10th floor of the NLC (building) and arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.” The statement further said when NLC’s security man told the invaders he had no such keys on him, they broke into the second floor and ransacked the bookstore located there, carting away hundreds of books and other publications. “The invading troops claimed they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance protests,” it added.

    According to the congress’s spokesman, the raiding party produced no legal document enabling their invasion. He argued that the labour body’s national executive had only that afternoon held a meeting where it slammed the high-handedness with which security operatives tackled the hardship protesters and imputed treason to the motivation of some. The labour house raid was thus viewed as a reprisal for that stand, and the statement warned that it portended danger for “democratic rights, freedom of speech and association, and the unimpeachable right of citizens to protest peacefully on any issue they feel strongly about.”

    Read Also: Labour condemns invasion of NLC Secretariat by Police

    The DSS was swift to deny that its agents partook of the operation. The police, however, confirmed that its personnel conducted a raid targeted at a foreigner who is a prime suspect of cross-border criminalities, and who happened to be tenanted at labour house  and was allegedly using the bookstore and publishing business being conducted there only as a façade. Force Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), in a statement explained that the labour body was not the target of the raid. According to him, a prime suspect in an ongoing investigation was traced to a shop within the building that turned out to be labour house. The police spokesman argued that detectives armed with “appropriate legal authority” conducted the raid, adding: “This well-coordinated, lawful operation was solely aimed at apprehending the prime suspect – a foreign national implicated in numerous criminal activities across Nigeria and other African countries… The NLC secretariat was not the focus of the operation, which was targeted at a rented shop within the building used by the suspect as a front for his criminal activities in Nigeria.”

    The statement by the police strained to explain the high-risk potential of the suspect and solicited NLC leadership’s cooperation in efforts to safeguard this country. “The high-profile nature of the suspect poses a significant security threat to Nigeria and other African nations, making this investigation crucial for the safety of all involved, including the NLC,” it said. “The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to upholding the rule of law, maintaining professionalism and respecting human rights in the discharge of our statutory duties,” the statemen added, as it urged civic vigilance such that property owners would conduct security profiling of persons seeking to rent spaces from them.

    Labour leadership dismissed the police’s narrative as an afterthought aimed at covering up the real motive for the raid. NLC General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja was reported insisting that contrary to the claim that police detectives raided only the bookstore on the second floor and spared the congress’s offices on the upper floors of the building, they indeed forced their way into those offices during the raid. The labour body demanded public apology from the Federal Government and police authorities for the invasion. In a communique after an emergency meeting of its national execute council some days following the raid, the congress said it rejected the police’s explanation for the invasion and alleged “a pattern of intimidation, brutality and deceit against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigerian people” under the present national leadership dispensation. The communique signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero, which also copiously dwelt on fallouts of the recent hardship protests, said the congress was indefinitely suspending operations at its national secretariat over safety concerns pending a forensic audit.

     Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has since weighed in on the discourse and affirmed that the police were on the trail of a man who was actively involved in the Sudanese crisis and is currently in Nigeria. He did not disclose details of the suspect’s identity, but he said the fellow was mobilising to destabilise this country and was tracked to the shop located in labour house that he was using as a decoy. Responding to a question at a youth summit organised by the police early last week in Abuja to review the hardship protests, he stated inter alia: “We had intelligence at our disposal that some agents of destabilisation are ready to use the hardship protest to destabilise our country. I won’t be able to share the details yet because we are still on the trail of these individuals. Some of them are already out of the country, and they immediately escape. Some of them are even foreigners.”

    The police boss said one of the suspects was traced to labour house and wondered at the uproar over the raid. “We raided only a shop that the individual was using as a front and we have been monitoring his activities. He was very active in the Sudan crisis and he’s in Nigeria mobilising people to destabilize our country,” he said, adding: “We traced him to that shop and our detectives raided his shop. We recovered valuable documents, so there was no need for the noise about the raid on labour house.”

    Journalists who visited the multi-storey labour house following the controversial raid corroborated the police’s account that detectives ransacked only the second floor where the bookstore said to be operated by a foreigner was located. That does not necessarily invalidate the claim by Labour, though, that the squad struck first at the 10th floor from where they commandeered its security man on duty to the second floor that was their target and demanded of him access keys. It is not unreasonable to expect that as the landlord’s representative on site at the time, the security man could be in possession of spare keys, and the detectives thought to get him to produce the one for where they aimed to access but drew a blank. That by no means constituted premeditated violation of NLC’s offices and shouldn’t be so regarded.

    But there are germane questions thrown up by the police’s modus operandi in the labour house raid. The Force’s narrative was that the raid aimed at apprehending a prime suspect whose activities had been under its radar. The Force also didn’t deny that the operation was executed at very late hour (i. e. 8:30p.m.), and you would wonder whether purported surveillance of the suspect had suggested to the  detectives they could find him on location at such time of the day to be apprehended. Besides, courts of law are known to issue search warrants and not raid warrants, and search warrants are typically executed by first being shown to the subject whose facility is up for a search. It, therefore, stands to reason that when detectives invaded labour house at such ungodly hour, they hardly had the mind to properly execute a search warrant if indeed they had one. The operation was incorrigibly outside due process, and was one that typified the tendency of the police to muscle through its operations rather than be guided by fine constraints of law.

    Still, there is room for remediation and reconciliation of interests. The police should produce to the NLC the “appropriate legal authority” by which it conducted the raid; and this should in turn obligate the labour body to facilitate police hunt for the suspect because it is an indictment that it tenanted a national security risk without due diligence profiling. In all, the interest of this country must be paramount.

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  • National security: The police and NLC

    National security: The police and NLC

    There have accusations and explanations over the invasion of the Nigerian Labour Congress House, Abuja, last week, but, it seems the union won’t have none of that writes Assistant Editor EMMANUEL BADEJO

    The bustling vicinity of Central Business District within the nation’s capital, where the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) complex, popularly known as Labour House is situated, stood still last week Wednesday evening, when heavily armed security personnel besieged the premises sending shock waves down the spine of many commuters, business owners and residents of the area.  The 10-storey edifice that houses NLC headquarters and other business outfits, is specifically located at Plot 829/821, Central Business District, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

    The invasion occurred just hours after the NLC’s National Executive Council meeting, where members condemned the high-handed manner in which security agents handled protesters during the #EndBadGovernance protests.

    It was gathered that the operatives arrested the security guards, forcing them to hand over keys to the offices on the second floor, broke into the floor, ransacked the bookshop, and allegedly carted away hundreds of books and publications.

    The operation that occurred in the wake of crack down of suspected sponsors of the protests, has elicited several responses, as many Nigerians have condemned the Gestapo style with which the operatives carried out the task.  Yet, a few individuals have spoken in defence of the Nigerian Police Force, which had since owned up to the invasion.

    Few hours into the invasion, NLC had accused the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force for illegally occupying its property.

    According to a statement by NLC spokesperson Benson Upah, late on Wednesday, the union condemned the invasion, stating that it was illegal and a violation of democratic principles.

    The organisation demanded an international inquiry into the incident and the return of the materials taken away.

    Read Also; Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea to sign youth development agreement

    The statement read “This evening at about 8.30 pm long after the close of work, a troop of heavily armed security operatives invaded the Labour House, Central Business District, Abuja which serves as the National Headquarters and secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

    “The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts presumably from the Department of State Services and others on outright mufti swooped on the 10th Floor of the NLC and arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.

    “When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor carting away hundreds of books and other publications. The invading troops claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance protests.

    While claiming that the operatives did not show any legal document permitting them to invade the premises, it in strong terms condemned the operation.

    While the DSS denied its involvement in the raid, some hours after the incident, the police justified the operation.

    Refuting its alleged involvement, the Secret Service Spokesperson, Peter Afunnaya stated that the agency had no hand in the operation.

     “Good morning dear friends. Please note that the Service (DSS) did not carry out any operation at the NLC office in Abuja,” Afunnaya said in a brief statement.

    Giving an insight into the operation, the Inspector General of Police(IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, explained why the police raided the property.

    Egbetokun, who denounced the allegation that the raid was targeted at the NLC leadership, explained that the police was in the trail of a suspect actively involved in the Sudan crisis and planning to do the same to mobilize efforts and destabilize Nigeria.

    The IGP, made this known while answering journalists questions at the Youth Summit organised by the police in Abuja.

    Egbetokun, who maintained that the raid was not targeted at the NLC leadership, said, “We had intelligence at our disposal that some agents of destabilization are ready to use the hardship protest to destabilize our country.

    He said “I won’t be able to share the details yet because we are still on the trail of these individuals. Some of them are already out of the country, and they immediately escape.

    Continuing, the IGP said “Some of them are even foreigners. One of them was traced to the labour house the other day, and I was just wondering why the noise about the raid on the Labour House after the police raided the complex. We raided only a shop that the individual was using as a front and we have been monitoring his activities.

    “He was very active in the Sudan crisis and he’s in Nigeria mobilizing people to destabilize our country. We traced him to that shop and our detectives raided his shop. We recovered valuable documents, so there was no need for the noise about the raid of the labour house”.

    Similarly, a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, corroborated the IG’s explanation. The PPRO on national television added that the police have power of ingress, which means, authority to break into any premises where criminal activity is suspected. “There are certain cases where we don’t need court order because we have power of ingress and that is power to break into anywhere at any point, any day, if we notice any criminal activity around a place.”

    But the union countered, saying the police was trying to cover motives behind the invasion. Therefore, the workers’ union demanded a public apology from the federal government and the police authorities for the invasion.

    “The NEC consequently demands apology from the police and the Federal Government on this once again unwarranted invasion and desecration of the headquarters of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),” read the communique signed by the NLC president, Joe Ajaero,

    Ajaero said while the union would exercise restraint in the face of provocation, “the response of the government to our queries will determine what our next line of action will be in the coming days.”

    The Labour union said the police’s explanation was “an afterthought and an attempt to cover the hidden motives behind such action as it raises more questions than answers.”

    The questions remain: should any private or public building be precluded from invasion if the need arises? If the claim of the police is eventually found to be true, will the NLC be willing and ready to offer an apology for raising a false alarm? Can the police hiding under security threat arbitrarily invade places without following the due process? Will the police open up to the public on its discovery at the end of its investigation?  These, and many questions beg for answer.

    Sections 214 to 216 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria provide for the Nigeria Police Force. The Police Act, however, regulates the Force. Section 4 of the Police Act provides that, ‘The police shall be employed for the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged….’

    Experts are also of the view that the courts have a supervisory role over the police in the exercise of their duties and powers. For instance, for some offences, a suspect cannot be arrested without a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate. Likewise, search of premises must be conducted with a warrant.

    However, Sections 24(1) and (2) of the Police Act provide for arrests, with or without a warrant: “In addition to the powers of arrest without warrant conferred upon a police officer by section 10 of the Criminal Procedure Act, it shall be lawful for any police officer and any person whom he may call to his assistance, to arrest without warrant in the following cases.

    But pundits say that the power to prevent and detect crime does not give the police carte blanche to violate the rights of citizens in the name of crime prevention and detection. There are guidelines and provisions of statute to ensure that suspects are treated with dignity and police investigations do not violate their rights.

    Searches of a premises also require the approval of a judge or magistrate. The police make a complaint, stating the basis for their suspicion that unlawful activities are being carried on on the premises or material evidence is being hidden on the premises or any other reason for which they wish to enter the premises to conduct a search. The judge or magistrate assesses the complaint presented and decides whether or not to grant the request to issue a search warrant.

    However, there are certain circumstances where a senior police officer may authorise the search of premises. Section 28 of the Police Act provides that a superior police officer may by authority under his hand authorise any police officer to enter any house, shop, warehouse, or other premises in search of stolen property, and search therein and seize and secure any property he may believe to have been stolen, in the same manner as he would be authorised to do if he had a search warrant, and the property seized, if any, corresponded to the property described in such search warrant.

    In his reaction, the former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, faulted the police operation saying it was illegal for anyone to invade anybody’s premises or homes without a valid court order.

    “Nobody has any right to invade anybody’s property or premises without a valid court order.  Did the police secure a court order before the invasion?  If they didn’t, we are heading into hell in this country. Everybody is just exercising power he does not have. Only a judge or magistrate can give a valid order that can grant them access.  If that was not available and the police went there, NLC should sue the police and demand for huge damages.

    “This country should be a country of law where nobody should do anything he or she likes. 

    George, who retired as a senior naval officer and ex-military administrator of  Ondo State, however, commended the Lagos State Commissioner of Police over his conduct and comportment during the last #EndBadGoveranance in Lagos.

    “The current commissioner of police in Lagos is an epitome of a civilised officer. First, he waded off touts away from the protesters.  He also bought water for the protesters.  This is the kind of character we need in the police force, and not those who take laws into their hands.

    “Those that invaded that property violated the space of civility and sanity in our country and such acts must stop.”

    On the power of ingress, George said that was misplaced and misinterpreted. “What power of ingress without a court order? No! This won’t happen in civilised cities. Where you fail to follow the procedure, you’ll be punished.”

    But, Senior Partner, OKC Attorneys, Mr. Oluwole Kehinde, said the police have general power to arrest, conduct searches and also to investigate cases that are linked to crime.  He, however, warned against procedural infractions. “Yes, we all know that the police have the general powers to conduct searches, investigate cases of crime, and make arrests. But in doing that the police must follow due process by keeping to the dictate of the law.

    “Having gotten the necessary processes, the manner in which the police go about executing the assignment is another thing.  This is because in the course of executing their functions, they must ensure that the rights of others are not trampled upon.  So, if indeed, the police got information that relates to the crime commission, the next thing is to identify the suspect.  The question is what did the police do in this case? Did they identify the suspect and if they did, why did their action materially affect other occupants of the building, knowing that they were actually looking for another occupant and not NLC leadership?

    “The operational style of our law enforcement agents is unfortunate, to say the least.  Often, they display a show of force. That may be a carry over from the military era.

    Asked if the police should have notified the union before storming the complex, Oluwole said, he does not think the police needed to do that.  “No, the police do not need to inform anybody before carrying out an investigation or operation as that may lead to loss of vital evidence. In situations of commission of crime such that someone is with guns, or with illegal firearms, the police in such cases do not need any court order before swinging into action.

    “But, in this case, the police got discreet information, they could have visited the place discreetly without instilling fear on the people within and around and raising the tempo of anger already bottled up in many people due to the protests. But with the way the police swooped on the premises, the NLC can be justified with its response.

    “The police should also know that people find it very difficult to trust them, especially when they have to be giving excuses and explanations. People believe that those explanations are afterthoughts.  Therefore, the police should be more circumspect in observing the details of the rule of law, due process and procedure, especially when human rights are affected, when carrying out their statutory functions. It is illegal to use state power to co-toe somebody to do what he does not like to do voluntarily.

    On a call for apology by the NLC, the senior lawyer said: “That depends where the pendulum swings. If the police, from the available evidence, confirm that the officers that went there overstepped their bounds, apology should not be too much for them to do, because it is one thing to give order and another thing the way and manner the order is executed.  But, if the NPF is sure that it has good grounds and those that executed the order conducted themselves within the confines of the law, I don’t think the NLC should insist on an apology.”