Joe Ajaero, President of Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, will this morning, report at the IRT Complex, Abbattoir by Guzape Junction, Abuja, to honour the August 20 invitation by the Police at 10:00
BusinessDay gathered that Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, and renowned human rights activist will lead the NLC legal team to the police station.
The NLC asked its members to be on standby for further instructions, should the federal government decides to maltreat the NLC President.
The Police threatening that a warrant of arrest would be issued against him if he failed to report.
Following the invitation, the NLC threatened to mobilise its members for a mass protests, including industrial action, shoukd anything happen to Joe Ajaero, the NLC President
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting of the NLC signed by Sani Minjibir, Deputy President of the NLC, said “ it will not hesitate to take all necessary actions, including mass protests and industrial actions, to protect the integrity and independence of the labour movement, if anything happens to the President of the Congress or any other leader of the Congress in furtherance of these tendentious allegations by the State; NEC puts all its affiliates and state councils to proceed on indefinite nationwide strike action by 12:00 Midnight today.
“The NEC calls on all civil society allies and the general populace to stand in solidarity with the Nigeria Labour Congress in this critical moment. The fight against injustice and oppression is a collective one, and we urge all Nigerians to rise in defense of our shared democratic values.
Femi Falana, lawyers to the NLC, also wrote to the Nigeria Police on detailing why the NLC President was unable to honour the invitation, on the 20th of August.
Falana, who is Solicitor to the NLC, in the letter signed by Samuel Ogala, a Principal Partner in the Falana and Falana Chambers, said “ We have the instruction of Comrade Joe Ajaero to inform you that he is unable to honour your invitation on Tuesday, 20th August, 2024, in view of the fact that your invitation letter was received by him yesterday. He has an engagement that had been fixed before the receipt of the invitation letter.
“Therefore, Comrade Ajaero is prepared for your invitation on Wednesday, August 29,2024.
“Further more, in accordance with the position of section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered, Comrade Ajaero requests for the details of the nature of the allegations of criminal conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion and Cybercrime, leveled against him”.
Police had invited the NLC President for “interview” on charges connected to “criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, reasonable felony, subversion and cyber crime “.
But the labour Union, in a communique issued after its emergency meeting, said it is ready to honour the invitation, but asked for an extension of the time given to appear before it.
The Police directed Ajaero to report at the IRT Complex, Abbattoir by Guzape Junction on Tuesday, August 20th at 10:00 threatening that a warrant of arrest would be issued against him if he failed to honour the invitation.
But the Ulunion described the invitation as “witch hunting, intimidation and harassment”, even as it called on it members nationwide to be on standby.
The Congress noted that the invitation is premised on a “clearly unfounded and politically motivated investigation into alleged terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.
NLC stated that it noted with grave concern that “rather than extending the apology demanded by the Congress for the earlier invasion of its national headquarters by security agencies, the Nigeria Police has chosen to embark on this spurious and fortuitous journey of intimidation, harassment, and witch-hunting.
The Union said the invitation was nothing but a travesty and a blatant attempt to stifle the voice of the working people and their leadership, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98.
“We Shall Honour the Invitation: As a responsible labour centre committed to the rule of law and due process, the NLC shall honour the invitation extended to its President by the Nigeria Police but will demand for extension of time given the nature of the invitation. However, we wish to state unequivocally that this does not in any way legitimize the baseless allegations levelled against him.
The NLC also strongly condemned the continued harassment of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and other Labour leaders. We view this as a calculated attempt to weaken and destabilize the labour movement, which has always stood as a bastion of democratic principles and the voice of the Nigerian masses.
“The NEC warns the state to desist from its evil intentions and stop the ongoing witch-hunt against the leaders of the Congress forthwith. The Congress will not sit idly by while the rights and freedoms of its members and leaders are trampled upon with impunity by the State.
“The NEC directs all affiliates and state councils to immediately commence the process of mobilizing their members across the nation.”
The communique said the NLC “ remains resolute in its commitment to defending the rights and interests of workers and the Nigerian people. We shall not be cowed or intimidated by these desperate attempts to silence us. We stand firm in our resolve to uphold justice, fairness, and the rule of law in our beloved country”.
