By Ken Afor
Nigeria has implored the leadership of the nation’s organised labour to terminate the ongoing strike action and enable the existing dialogue process concerning the matters at hand to be accomplished.
The federal government made the move through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) head d by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu,
Ribadu in a statement by Mr. Zakari Mijinyawa, Head, Strategic Communication Office of the NSA, expressed his deep regret and strongly condemned the incident resulting in the maltreatment of Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)
Ribadu stated that the attack and torture of Ajaero violate the rule of law as well as the freedoms of expression and association, and he has instructed the relevant organisations to take action such as making several arrests of the culprits.
He said, “The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is concerned by the declaration of a nationwide strike by the leadership of the Organised Labour led by the NLC and TUC.
“The NSA is particularly worried about the implications of the strike action on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians and its potential impact on economic security and other strategic national interests.
“As attested by the NLC leadership, the NSA immediately intervened on learning about the travails of the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajero who was assaulted in Owerri, Imo State.
“The NSA regrets the incident and condemns it in its entirety as it was against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression subscribed to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration.
“The Federal Government will never condone such an act.
“As a fallout of the incident relevant authorities were directed to conduct thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault and bring to book the culprits.
“Available update indicates that some arrests have already been made in this regard.
“The outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.
“The Federal Government, through the Office of the NSA, therefore appeals to the labour leadership to call off the current strike action and allow the dialogue process underway to be exhausted.”
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, the NLC and its affiliate unions including the Trade Union Congress (TUC) embarked on a nationwide strike with the aim to paralyse the economy following the incident on November 1 when Ajaero was physically assaulted by some thugs in Imo State.
