The National Administrative Council (NAC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued an urgent demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC President, before midnight on Monday. This call comes after Ajaero’s arrest and detention at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, while he was en route to the United Kingdom to attend the Congress of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Britain.
Comrade Ajaero’s arrest, which took place without any prior warrant or legal justification, has sparked outrage within the NLC and across the labor movement. He was on his way to represent Nigerian workers in critical discussions on workers’ rights and social justice at the international forum when security agents detained him at the airport.
Following the development, the NAC held an emergency meeting on Monday, during which it condemned the arrest in the strongest terms. In a communiqué signed by Comrade Adeyanju Adewale, Deputy President of the NLC, the Council described Ajaero’s detention as illegal, baseless, and an attack on the democratic rights of Nigerian workers.
“The Council unequivocally condemns the brazen and illegal detention of Comrade Joe Ajaero by the Nigerian State without any legal warrant or justification,” the communiqué read. “Ajaero was lawfully discharging his duties as the leader of Nigerian workers, and his detention is not only unwarranted but also an affront to workers’ rights and the fundamental principles of democracy, including the freedoms of movement and expression.”
The NAC warned that if Comrade Ajaero is not released by midnight, they will convene an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, to decide on “compelling action” to address the situation. While the nature of this action was not explicitly stated, the tone of the communiqué suggests that the NLC is prepared to mobilize its members and allies for a significant protest or nationwide strike.
The communiqué further emphasized that the detention of Ajaero is not an isolated act but part of a larger pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing the labor movement and stifling opposition to government policies. It called the detention “an act of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent and stifling the labor movement’s voice in Nigeria.”
In addition to demanding Ajaero’s immediate release, the NLC renewed its call for the reversal of the recent hike in the price of petrol, which now stands at N617 per liter. The congress criticized the government for its handling of the fuel subsidy removal and other economic measures, arguing that the increase in fuel prices has further worsened the plight of Nigerian workers and the general population.
The communiqué also placed all NLC affiliates, state councils, civil society allies, and the Nigerian populace on high alert, warning that the government’s actions could provoke widespread unrest. “The detention of Comrade Ajaero is an attack not just on the NLC leadership but on the rights of all workers and citizens to organize, protest, and express themselves freely,” it stated. “The NLC will not stand by while these rights are trampled upon.”
The arrest of Ajaero, the congress argued, is part of an ongoing attempt by the Nigerian government to undermine the labor movement, particularly in light of the recent national minimum wage negotiations. “This provocation is another attempt by the State to scuttle the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage,” the NLC warned, adding that the government’s strategy appears to be one of delaying or obstructing reforms that benefit workers.
