National Executive Council (NEC) of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) may call an indefinite nationwide strike by midnight today, 20th September, 2024, should anything happen to their President or any other leader of the Congress in furtherance of the tendentious allegations by the state.
The threat is contained in communique issued on Tuesday after an emergency meeting of NEC of the apex labour union, signed by it National Deputy President, Comrade Ado Sani Minjibir.
The NEC warned the state to desist from its evil intentions and stop the ongoing witch hunt of leaders of the Congress, as the Congress would not accept the violation of the rights and freedom of its leaders and members with impunity by the state
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned, in very strong terms, the continued harassment of the leadership of the Congress and other labour leaders by state actors, describing it as a calculated attempt to weaken and destabilize the labour movement, which had always stood as a bastion of democratic principles and the voice of the Nigerian masses.
This deliberating on the recent invitation of the President of the Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, by the police, which it noted was premised on a clearly unfounded and politically motivated investigation into alleged terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy and treasonable felony
NEC further noted with grave concern that rather than apologize to the Congress for the earlier invasion of its national headquarters by security operatives, the police had chosen to embark on the spurious and fortuitous journey of intimidation, harassment and witch hunting, which it viewed as travesty and a blatant attempt to stifle the voice of workers and their leadership, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Concessions 87 and 98.
The NLC said as a responsible labour center committed to respecting the rule of law and due process, its President would honour the police invitation, but demanded an extension of the time given in view of the nature of the invitation.
The NEC warned the state to desist from the evil intentions and stop the ongoing witch hunt of leaders of the Congress, as the Congress would not accept the violation of the rights and freedom of its leaders and members with impunity by the state
The NEC has therefore directed all affiliates and State Councils to immediately commence the process of mobilizing their members across the country, stressing that the Congress would not hesitate to take all necessary actions, including mass protests and industrial actions, to protect the integrity and independence
The NEC also called on all Civil Society allies and the general public to stand in solidarity with the NLC in this critical moment, insisting that the fight against injustice and oppression should be collective, requiring all Nigerians to rise in defense of shared democratic values.
The NLC vowed to remain resolute in its commitment to defending the rights and interests of workers and the generality of Nigerians, promising not to be cowed or intimidated by desperate attempts to silence the labour movement.