Nationwide strike looms as NLC asks FG to release Ajaero by midnight

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the Federal Government to release its President, Joe Ajaero by midnight as labour unions prepare to deal with the situation.

Ajaero was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday, September 9, 2024, while on his way to the United Kingdom to attend a Trade Union Congress meeting.

In a communique by the congress’ Deputy President, Adeyanju Adewale, the NLC’s National Administrative Council described Ajaero’s arrest as “brazen and illegal.”

The council said his arrest was an “affront to the rights of workers and democratic principles.”

The council also called for the reversal of the recent petrol price hike to ₦617/litre.

The communique reads in part, “The NLC demands the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Joe Ajaero before 12 midnight today.

“The council unequivocally condemns the brazen and illegal detention of Comrade Joe Ajaero by the Nigerian state without any legal warrant or justification.”

Should the government fail to release Ajaero by midnight, the NLC said its affiliates, state councils, and civil societies have been placed on red alert, vowing it won’t stand by while workers’ rights are trampled upon.

The council said it has summoned an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council to take further action against the government’s “authoritarianism and lawlessness.”

Earlier, the United Action Front of Civil Society condemned Ajaero’s arrest, describing it as a “needless show of force” and a deliberate attempt to incite chaos in the country.

Background

Recall that recently, Ajaero was invited by the security outfit for questioning on issues allegedly linked to the #EndBadGovernance protest and other allegations.

Ajaero, who honoured the invitation, was accompanied by senior lawyer Femi Falana and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju.

However, before Ajaero acknowledged the DSS’s invitation, the NLC threatened to shut down the country in a full industrial demonstration if the security outfit detained their leader.