The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared that Joe Ajaero’s imprisonment is unlawful and a violation of worker rights as well as democratic values of freedom of expression and movement.
This was stated in a press release issued by NLC Deputy President Mr. Adeyanju Adewale during the National Administrative Council (NAC) of the Congress’s emergency meeting on Monday in Abuja.
According to Adewale, Ajaero’s detention was an attack on everyone’s ability to organize, protest, and express oneself freely—not just on the NLC leadership.
He claimed that the State was attempting to thwart the introduction of the new National Minimum Wage by using the incarceration as cover.
Recall that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Britain invited the NLC president to travel to the United Kingdom, where he was allegedly detained at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
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Following careful consideration, the NAC categorically denounced Ajaero’s unauthorized imprisonment, according to Adewale.
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NLC expresses great concern over the fact that Comrade Ajaero was lawfully carrying out his representational duties for Nigerian workers and had not committed any crimes that would have called for such action.
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Before midnight today, the NLC demands Comrade Joe Ajaero’s unconditional and immediate release.
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“The Council reaffirms that Joe Ajaero is neither a criminal nor a runaway, and that his arrest is an act of intimidation intended to crush opposition and stifle the voice of the labor movement in Nigeria.
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Therefore, the Congress issues a red alert to all of its affiliates, State Councils, allies in civil society, and the Nigerian people.
“In order to take decisive action against the current forces of retrogression, NAC-in-session hereby calls an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, September 10,” he declared.
The NLC, he continued, would not watch as these rights are violated.
When the NC is in session, it insists that the recently passed New National Minimum Wage be put into effect right away.
“We further demand that the present increase in the price of gasoline to N617 per liter be immediately reversed.
The country’s democratic fabric is under jeopardy, thus the NAC further asked the Nigerian government to buck this dangerous trend of authoritarianism and lawlessness.
He declared, “NLC will not waver in its duty to protect workers’ rights and the freedom of all Nigerians.”
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