Agents imported to scuttle our peaceful protest – NLC President Ajaero

Agents imported to scuttle our peaceful protest – NLC President Ajaero

 

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, says the congress has evidence of the importation of agents mobilised to cause violence against their two-day nationwide peaceful protests.

He said the organisation was threatened not to go ahead with protests against hardship and insecurity in the country.

“We were threatened with all manners of consequences that would be meted on us if we went ahead. We were, however, not perturbed as lifting the heavy yoke of suffering upon Nigerian workers and masses left us with no option than to press on,” Ajaero said at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

He added, “God is, however, always a step ahead of the enemies of the workers and the Nigerian people. That was also one of the reasons we had to restructure on the second day of the nationwide protest.

“You may have noticed that almost all the routes to our office have been militarised this morning. It took a lot of time to access our office. These are not things you expect from a democratic society.

“We want to reiterate that if the government fails to comply within the specified time frame, the NEC will convene again to decide on the next line of action.

“The NLC remains steadfast in its commitment to defending and promoting the interests of Nigerian workers and the downtrodden masses, who will not succumb to intimidation.”

The NLC declared a two-day protest for February 27 and 28, over the high cost of living being faced by Nigerians since the removal of subsidy on petrol in May 2023 by President Bola Tinubu.

On Tuesday morning, the protesters commenced their march from the Labour House, Abuja while chanting solidarity songs and slogans.

Similar rallies were staged in some state capitals across the country.

In a communique issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday, the NLC announced the suspension of the second day of the protest, adding that its objectives were achieved on the first day of the rallies.

While responding to why the Trade Union Congress (TUC) was not part of the protest, Ajaero said, “The NLC is not under any centre. We may decide to collaborate with anybody, any organisation, NGOs, or human rights organizations. But we don’t owe them any explanation on the action we decide to take. And those organisations can still take their action and we will not query them.”

He insisted that the Federal Government was yet to meet the October 2023 demands going by feedback from its members.

He said: “The people they paid the wage award were not up to 40 per cent. It is not on board that any state government or Private Sector Company has paid wage awards. The Federal Government is both an employer and regulator. If an organisation is not paying it is the duty of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to nip the crisis in the bud.”

He hailed the conduct of the security agencies during the nationwide rally.

The Labour leader said the conduct of the security agencies was above board.

The NLC president said while the Congress will continue to attend meetings with the federal government, it will no longer do so on the eve of any of its actions.