The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the arrest and detention of its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, by the Nigerian government, labeling the action as an affront to workers’ rights and democratic freedoms. In a communiqué released after an emergency National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting, the NLC announced its National Executive Council (NEC) would convene on Tuesday at 9 AM to determine a decisive response if Ajaero is not released.
Comrade Ajaero was detained at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while traveling to the United Kingdom for a critical Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Britain meeting. The NLC strongly criticized the arrest, asserting that Ajaero was lawfully representing Nigerian workers and had committed no offense.
The NLC’s Deputy President, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, expressed alarm at what he described as “a blatant act of intimidation” aimed at stifling the labor movement. The Congress demands the immediate release of Ajaero by midnight and condemned the recent fuel price hike to N617 per litre.
The NLC has placed all its affiliates, state councils, and civil society groups on high alert, warning that the arrest threatens workers’ rights to organize, protest, and express themselves freely. NAC emphasized that this move by the government is a provocation designed to derail the implementation of the new national minimum wage.
The labor union remains resolute, declaring it will not allow workers’ rights to be trampled on, and is prepared to take action to counter the current challenges facing Nigeria’s labor movement.
