The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reacted to the claim by the presidency that the nationwide strike was called to blackmail the federal government.
Recently, labour unions, including the Trade Union Congress
(TUC) said they were going on a nationwide strike to protest the alleged
brutality of Joe Ajaero, president of the NLC in Imo state.
The strike was scheduled to commence at midnight on November
14.
However, on November 5, the national industrial court in
Owerri, the capital of Imo, issued a restraining order to prevent labour unions
from embarking on strike in the state.
The federal government also secured an order stopping the
unions and their affiliates from embarking on the strike.
But on Monday, Festus Osifo, TUC president, said the labour
unions would continue with the planned industrial action despite the court
order.
Reacting to the development, Bayo Onanuga, presidential
aide, described the decision of the unions to embark on strike as “an
ego-tripping move” and “clearly unwarranted”.
He accused the unions of trying to “blackmail the
government” and “punish a whole country of over 200 million people over a
personal matter”.
On Tuesday, media reports showed that there was partial
compliance with the strike in many government offices.
NLC REACTS
In a statement released on Tuesday, Benson Upah, media head
of NLC, said the declaration of strike was not initiated to “blackmail” the
government.
Upah said organised labour has no reason to “blackmail” the
government, adding that the strike is not a “personal matter” as
“mischievously” stated by Onanuga.
“Blackmail the government over what? A bribe or a favour
organised labour asked for and did not get it or what?” Upah asked.
“If Onanuga was not suffering from selective amnesia, he
ought to have known that this government should remain grateful to the
organised labour for its uncommon patience with a government that clearly was
not prepared for the consequences of its fundamentalist market policies of
massive currency devaluation and ‘subsidy’ removal, which imposed on Nigerians
social violence, upheaval, dislocation, displacement, or punishment they never
before experienced.
“Onanuga, similarly ought to have known that 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.
“Organised labour is
not unaware of the misdirected anger of Nigerians for not going for the jugular
of this government for justifiable reasons: inflation moved from 19% to 29%;
exchange rate from N400 to N1,300; and pump price of PMS from N187 to N700, in
the first five months of this government!”
The NLC spokesperson faulted the police’s investigation of
the incident that happened to the president of the congress in Imo when the
federal government had “already found Ajaero guilty”.
“So the police will
now be the judge, jury, and jailer in their own case? What a country we run!
Secondly, what per chance, will the police be investigating when the
government, by the admission of Onanuga, has already found Ajaero guilty,
arrested him, convicted him, and punished him through torture for “planning to
incite the workers in Imo State into a needless strike”,” he said.
“We concerned Nigerians are not interested in a charade. We
demand an honest and thorough investigation by competent and independent
professionals (with free and unfettered access to information, people, and
materials) from within and outside the country. Comrade Joe Ajaero holds offices
on the international circuit.”
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