In a significant show of solidarity, leaders from various industrial unions affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), alongside workers, civil society allies, and legal representatives, are set to converge on the Force Headquarters today.
This gathering comes as NLC President Joe Ajaero honours a police summon related to allegations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime. The invitation by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) was extended 11 days prior.
NLC has instructed its state council leaders nationwide to mobilize and lead peaceful processions to state police commands, where they will hold prayer sessions in support of Ajaero and the broader labor movement.
In a directive issued by its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, the NLC emphasized the need for unity and calm: “In response to the recent summon by the Nigeria Police Force for our President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, to appear for interrogation on trumped-up charges on Thursday, August 29, 2024, we call on all NLC affiliates and state councils to mobilize their members in Abuja and across the states to show solidarity.”
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The statement further instructed members: “All CWC members resident in Abuja and other members are expected to assemble at the National Headquarters of the NLC by 8:00 am on Thursday (today) to accompany the President to the Police for the scheduled interaction. In state capitals, members should gather at their respective state secretariats. From there, they will embark on a peaceful procession to their state police headquarters where they will hold a prayer session until the President’s interaction with the Police is concluded. This peaceful march is a united stand against the unjust actions aimed at intimidating our leadership and stifling the voice of Nigerian workers. We urge all members to remain peaceful and orderly throughout the procession and prayer session. If for any reason, the President is detained; all workers nationwide shall proceed on indefinite strike.”
In a parallel move, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on its Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter to rally Abuja-based journalists to the Force Headquarters in support of the NLC and Ajaero.
NUJ’s National Secretary, Achike Chude, stated: “We have been watching with trepidation great angst and baited breath, the unfathomable macabre dance exhibited by the nation’s police force against the leadership of the Nigerian workers, most notably President of NLC, Joe Ajaero. Our seeming silence was observed in the hope that the police would beat a hasty retreat from their actions and tread the path of caution and civility. We have no bones to grind with the police authorities and, as citizens of this greatly beloved but much beleaguered country, we are ever willing to cooperate with the authorities whenever demanded by national imperatives and exigencies, the police included. But it must never be at the expense of our union, our people, and our country.”
The call to action follows an earlier police invitation on August 19, which required Ajaero’s presence at the Force Headquarters on August 20. However, human rights activist and NLC lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, provided reasons for Ajaero’s inability to attend. Today’s mobilization by the NLC and its affiliates underscores the growing tensions and concerns over what they view as an attempt to intimidate and suppress the labor movement in Nigeria.
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