The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the federal government of threatening and intimidating the union’s leadership regarding the recently suspended strike action.
The NLC president, Joe Ajaero, decided to suspend the two-day nationwide strike due to what he considered a successful first day.
Ajaero also presented new demands and gave a 14-day ultimatum to the Bola Tinubu-led government to address the growing economic challenges in the country.
However, Ajaero claimed that the government was trying to undermine the union’s efforts through tactics like divide-and-rule, and that the strike was called off because of threats and intimidation.
Ajaero expressed concern that both the union’s headquarters and state offices had been heavily controlled by the federal government, but he stated that the members of Congress would not be intimidated by any threats.
Ajaero mentioned that Labour would no longer attend night meetings called by the government before any planned nationwide actions, as he believed it was a way to deceive them.
He emphasized that the NLC leadership would only participate in meetings with government officials if no action had been declared.
“Each time they invite us for meetings, we will attend and listen to them because if we don’t attend, they will blackmail us. You are aware that they held a meeting with us till late on Sunday. While that meeting was on, they wrote letters to all the unions to undermine us,” Ajaero said.
“You’re meeting with the leadership of the NLC, and you’re still inviting every union in the country to undermine us. Even at that meeting, where I was talking, they wanted two of my deputies to be talking, so that we don’t have leaders, but we survived all that.
“There is nothing on earth they have not done to subvert the NLC. Nothing! And we’re still waxing stronger. So, if they invite us for a meeting, we will still go and listen because we have our views, we have our positions, and we will still gently present our positions. We won’t say we’re not going except when we realise that…”
The labor leader stated that from now on, the NLC will not be willing to attend meetings right before taking any action. It was deemed as a waste of time and energy, with no positive outcomes.
“It was to delay us, to demobilise us, and to make people have the impression that we went there to discuss other issues, apart from the issues on ground. This is our new resolve.
“You (FG) can no longer call us for a meeting when we have action tomorrow or next tomorrow, and you delay us till 11pm, 12am in the night, so that we won’t come out to mobilise for action. Such a strategy is obsolete. I think they should adopt new strategies.”
Ajaero, accompanied by well-known activist Femi Aborisade and other labor leaders, claimed that government officials have attempted to undermine the NLC by using divide-and-rule tactics, such as sending individuals to stage a counter-protest on Tuesday.
He also mentioned that the government has a history of breaking agreements and laws, citing the example of the Port Harcourt refinery, which was supposed to start operating last December but remains non-functional.
“I was there when President Tinubu asked the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, about when the refinery would work. As we’re talking, no drop of fuel or PMS has dropped from that refinery! They should stop lying to people,” Ajaero said.
