Organised Labour Fixes Tuesday For Sympathy Strike For Ajaero

By Ayodele Oni

Organized Labour is insisting on its planned nationwide strike to protest against the harassment of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero in his State, Imo, last week.

The NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), on Tuesday, declared a total nationwide strike effective from next Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

The Leadership of the two Unions resolved this after an extraordinary National Executive Council, (NEC) meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ajaero, who was in Imo state to mobilize workers in the state was abducted by policemen, who later claimed that he was taken to protective custody.

However the NLC raised alarm that its President was assaulted and brutalised by his abductors. Ajaero was first taken to the Police Hospital, and later to the Federal Medical Centre Owerri. He has since returned to Abuja where he is being treated at a private hospital.

There have been widespread outrage by the Organized Labour accusing the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Mohammed Barde of complicity in the recent attack on Ajaero, in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

The Organised Labour last Friday handed the Federal Government a five-day ultimatum to replace the Police Commissioner, while also blaming the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma for the attack on Ajaero.

The Governor, however, had since said he had no hand in the attack on the Labour Leader, as is being alleged.

The Organized Labour also demanded the arrest and prosecution of some of the governor’s aides and threatened to embark on a nationwide industrial action if their demands were not carried out. However, it has since been discovered that none of the Governor’s Aides, especially, his Special Assistant Special Adviser, Special Duties, Chinasa Nwaneri, was present. At the time of the attack, Nwaneri was in Abuja.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Sunday, redeployed Barde to Force Headquarters for “neutrality’s sake” ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State.