Strike is Protest Against Official Impunity, Not About Ajaero, Says NLC
By Our Reporter
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Tuesday explained that the industrial action being observed nationwide was a protest against official impunity and not the personal agenda of the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
The NLC said the brutalization of the NLC President, Ajaero was a sponsored act of terror which was not just against an individual but the freedom of peace loving Nigerians.
The strike was called by both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) which set up committees which enforced compliance.
But the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused the labour unions of punishing 200 people Nigerians over a personal matter.
Onanuga claimed that Ajaero’s error of judgment led to his assault in Imo state.
But in a statement the Head of Information in NLC Benson Upah, said Nigerians should not quickly succumb to the narrative coming from the federal government , adding that this was to discredit the nationwide strike.
In a statement, Upah said, “It is in light of this we would want the world to know that Onanuga’ s sadistic comment is a Freudian slip, as this is the way his principals view the Imo State triple-digit tragedy: the non-payment of workers/pensioners benefits; the choking/stifling environment that leaves workers and citizens gasping for air; the license for impunity that covers murder and attempted murder of dissenting voices, including Comrade Joe Ajaero, which the Nigerian state now passes off as a ‘personal matter.’
“When we first heard through the grapevine that glasses were clinked and pleasantries earthily exchanged by the powers that be following the arrest and torture of Comrade Joe Ajaero, we thought it was one of those rumours but with this confirmation from Bayo Onanuga, we now know better!”
He added, “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, punished him through torture for ‘planning to incite the workers in Imo State into a needless strike.’
“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. Ajaero holds offices on the international circuit.”
The nation’s ports are also closed following the strike.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Tuesday explained that the industrial action being observed nationwide was a protest against official impunity and not the personal agenda of the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
The NLC said the brutalization of the NLC President, Ajaero was a sponsored act of terror which was not just against an individual but the freedom of peace loving Nigerians.
The strike was called by both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) which set up committees which enforced compliance.
But the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused the labour unions of punishing 200 people Nigerians over a personal matter.
Onanuga claimed that Ajaero’s error of judgment led to his assault in Imo state.
But in a statement the Head of Information in NLC Benson Upah, said Nigerians should not quickly succumb to the narrative coming from the federal government , adding that this was to discredit the nationwide strike.
In a statement, Upah said, “It is in light of this we would want the world to know that Onanuga’ s sadistic comment is a Freudian slip, as this is the way his principals view the Imo State triple-digit tragedy: the non-payment of workers/pensioners benefits; the choking/stifling environment that leaves workers and citizens gasping for air; the license for impunity that covers murder and attempted murder of dissenting voices, including Comrade Joe Ajaero, which the Nigerian state now passes off as a ‘personal matter.’
“When we first heard through the grapevine that glasses were clinked and pleasantries earthily exchanged by the powers that be following the arrest and torture of Comrade Joe Ajaero, we thought it was one of those rumours but with this confirmation from Bayo Onanuga, we now know better!”
He added, “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, punished him through torture for ‘planning to incite the workers in Imo State into a needless strike.’
“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. Ajaero holds offices on the international circuit.”
The nation’s ports are also closed following the strike.
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