Workers Announce Nationwide Strike Following Attack on Ajaero

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have jointly declared a nationwide strike in protest of the attack and abduction of their President, Joe Ajaero. The strike, scheduled for Wednesday, November 8, 2023, was announced during a press briefing held on Friday.

Leaders of the labour unions have put forth a six-point demand to the Federal Government, which includes the immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police in Imo State and the Area Commander, among other officials. They accuse these officials of complicity in the brutalization and humiliation of Ajaero and other workers.

The incident in question unfolded as Ajaero was apprehended by the police during a protest regarding non-payment of wages by the Imo State Government in the state’s capital.

In response to Ajaero’s arrest, the NLC has accused Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma of conspiring with the state’s Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Barde, to ‘abduct’ their President. The NLC has repeatedly urged the governor to settle the unpaid salaries of state workers.

In a statement titled “The President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero has been abducted by Hope Uzodimma and the Imo State Police Commissioner,” jointly signed by the Secretaries of both unions, Emmanuel Ugboaja (NLC) and Nuhu Toro (TUC), the unions expressed their displeasure at Ajaero’s detention and called for the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.

Despite these allegations, both the state’s Police Command and the governor have vehemently denied any involvement in Ajaero’s arrest. The police contend that the NLC President was in Owerri as part of the Congress’s plans to organize labourers for a massive protest demonstration in the state. During the planning stages, there were discussions about potentially disrupting critical facilities, including the state’s airport.

Declan Emelumba, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, has disavowed any responsibility on the part of the governor, dismissing those who accuse the government as “perennial mischief makers always crying wolf where there is none.”