By Ayodele Oni
- Imo Elders Visit Ajaero
- Chinasa Nwaneri Not In Imo Day Ajaero Was Brutalised
The National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, AIG, rtd, has succeeded in leading a Federal Government Team which met with the Leadership of the Organized Labour, and convinced Labour to call off the excruciating nationwide strike Workers embarked upon on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
The meeting which held in the office of the NSA was attended by Labour Leaders, as well as Federal Government Officials which included the Minister of Labour, Simon Lalong and the Minister of State, Honourable Nkeiru Onyejeocha.
How It Started
The Organized Labour made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, and their affiliates had, on Tuesday, embarked on a Nationwide strike to, among other things, protest the brutalization of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, in Owerri, Imo State, on 1st of November, 2023.
Ajaero and a couple of other Labour Leaders had gone to Owerri to mobilize workers to embark on a strike action against the Imo State Government over some sundry labour issues including, alleged, non-payment of salaries of some workers for 42 months. The State Government denies the allegations, especially, that of 42 months non-payment of salaries.
However, on arrival at the NLC State Secretariat to organize the protest, the Labour Leaders were met with violence. Their overall Leader, Ajaero, was reserved for special treatment. He was beaten black and blue and needed a serious medical attention in hospitals in Owerri and Abuja.
Who “dunnit?”
Identifying those responsible for the unprecedented incident depends on who one listens to. The State Government which washed its hands off the ugly incident insists that Ajaero was beaten during an altercation between the NLC leaders and their supporters on one side, and Imo State Workers on the other side which degenerated to a physical combat. It said that Imo State Workers who were, according to it, opposed to the strike action, confronted those who were bent on organizing it. The Government said it was when the altercation degenerated that the Police waded in to save the situation. The Government accused Ajaero, a native of the State, of mixing his leadership of the NLC with getting involved in local politics. The Government, also, accused him of dancing to the tune being played by the Labour Party, an allegation Ajaero denies and insisted “I am not a card-carrying member of the Labour Party.”
However, the Labour Union dismisses the Government’s version of what happened. In series of statements and interviews, the Union insists that thugs, accompanied by Police Operatives of the Imo State Police Command, invaded the NLC State Secretariat, and pounced on the Labour Leaders. The Police, the Union said, and confirmed by Ajaero joined in beating the NLC President, and later arrested him.
According to Ajaero, they dragged him on the ground, blindfolded him, put him in a vehicle where they beat him some more. He said he was sure he was being driven to a river where his body would have been thrown into after he must have been killed, but for a sudden intervention through a phone call, speculated to be at the instance of NSA Ribadu, who warned that he be released immediately.
Ajaero said the driver of the vehicle quickly made a sharp turn-around and took him to the Imo State Police Command, Headquarters where the now-removed Commissioner of Police Ahmed Barde, played ignorance of his ordeal. Ajaero was able to identify the Police Operatives who, he said, either dealt with him, or watched as he was being dealt with.
But, the Imo State Police Command tells a different story. In a statement by its Spokesperson, Henry Okoye, it claimed Ajaero was not arrested. It said the Police took him into protective custody to stop his being lynched by a mob. The statement did not say why no member of the murderous mob was arrested by them.
The After-effect
The manhandling of Ajaero was greeted with outrage by many individuals and associations, especially, Ajaero’s Owerri Zone and the Labour Unions. While Owerri people, especially, in the Diaspora, under the World Owerri Peoples Congress, WOPC, were enraged and condemned the incident in very strong language, they also asked for a thorough investigation and justice for Ajaero. The WOPC described Ajaero’s brutalization in his own home, as an affront to Owerri Zone.
Yet, the most punishing after-effect of the incident came from the Labour Unions, especially, against Imo people. First the NLC, TUC and their affiliates plunged Imo State into darkness. They continued by disrupting all flights to, and from, Imo Airport. And, finally, on Tuesday, November 14, they grounded the Nation by a nationwide strike action.
Council of Imo Elders Visit Ajaero
To calm the situation, appease Ajaero and appeal for peace, the Imo State Council of Elders visited Ajaero. The Council, led by its Chairman, HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, apologized to the NLC President, who is their son, over the attack on him in the State. Obviously with the endorsement of the State Government, the Council Members who were on the team included former Inspector General of Police, rtd/ former Chairman, Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro, former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Maurice Iwu, former Minister for Aviation and former Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Dr Kema Chikwe, Chief Henry Njoku and more.
Oshiomhole Differs
While a robust debate on the appropriateness, or otherwise, of the strike action by the Organized Labour was raging, a former President of the NLC, Adams Oshiomhole, slammed the Leadership of the Labour. He accused Labour of playing politics over the strike actions which began in Imo State, and literally accused it of partisan politics and blackmail. He said they were not fighting for either the Workers or the masses but playing a selfish game which almost borders on blackmail. For his opinion, Oshiomhole, a former two-term Governor of Edo State, former National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and now, a Senator, was verbally attacked by his former Comrades.
Enters NSA, Softening The Ground
On Wednesday, the second day of the strike action, the Federal Government saw the urgent need for a truce.
It invited the Labour Leadership to a meeting against Wednesday. To soften the ground for the meeting, Ribadu, in an unusual statement same day, just before the meeting, disclosed that arrests have been made in connection with the recent attack on Ajaero. The Inspector General of Police,Dr Kayode Egbetokun, had earlier promised a thorough investigation.
The NSA, in the statement, expressed concern over the ongoing industrial action initiated by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and NLC, and revealed that investigations have been launched into the incident. He promised would take more than a passing interest in it.
The statement, released by Zakari Mijinyawa, Head of Strategic Communication Office of the NSA, conveyed the NSA’s call for the Labour Unions to reconsider their strike and condemned the assault on NLC President Ajaero.
The statement read in part:
“The Office of the National Security Adviser is concerned by the declaration of a nationwide strike by the leadership of the Organized Labour led by the NLC and TUC.
“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.”
Assuring the public of a transparent investigation, the NSA affirmed that details of the probe would be made public once concluded.
He urged the labour leadership to call off the strike, emphasizing the government’s commitment to the dialogue process.
“As a fallout of the incident, relevant authorities were directed to conduct a thorough investigation.
“Some arrests have already been made in this regard. 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.”
Labour Makes New Demands
However, just before the meeting with the FG delegation led by the NSA, the NLC made new demands under which it would call off the strike action.
The demands, shared in a post on X include:
- The arrest, prosecution and dismissal of all Police Officers involved in the brutalization of the NLC President and other Workers in Imo State.
- The arrest and prosecution of all thugs involved in the brutal attack.
- The arrest, prosecution and dismissal of the Chief Security Officer of Government House, identified as SP Shaba who the Union, alleges, provided a cover for thugs to brutalise Workers.
- The arrest, prosecution and dismissal of the Police Area Commander, Owerri, who the Union alleges led the brutalization of Ajaero.
- The investigation of the immediate past CP, Imo, Ahmed Barde.
- The arrest and prosecution of Nze Chinasa Nwaneri, SA Special Duties to Governor Hope Uzodinma who, it alleged led the thugs who attacked Ajaero and the Workers.
The Union, also, accused the Police Headquarters, Abuja, of involvement in the ugly incident, and noted: “The brutalization and deadly attack on NLC President and other workers in Imo State is not a local issue but a national matter. The National Police were involved. The Federal Police were fully involved in the brutalization of NLC President and workers in Imo State. Imo State has no State Police.
Chinasa Nwaneri Not In Imo On Day Of Incident
But a reliable source told this medium that the allegation against Chinasa Nwaneri is false. He said the false impression is based on the wrong perception of Nwaneri as the Governor’s “man-friday.”
He said that Nwaneri was neither present at the venue of the incident nor was he, even, in Imo State.
“Nwaneri was in Abuja with the Governor on that day. The Governor was in Abuja to receive his flag from the President as the APC Governorship flag bearer. Unless Chinasa is a spirit, they are giving him powers that he does not possess. He was not there.”
Details Of FG’s Meeting With Labour
After the meeting, it was the President of the TUC, Festus Osifo, the Leader of the Unions’ team, who told Journalists that Labour had a robust discussion with the Federal Government delegation.
The decisions reached at the meeting he said, will be communicated to the Union’s respective organs.
Osifo: ” We just came here for a meeting. NSA invited us to a meeting, and as you can see, two Ministers from the Ministry of Labour and Employment also participated.
“We had a lot of robust conversations where a lot of assurances were given in furtherance to the release that the NSA issued this morning that some people have been apprehended, and that he would coordinate the investigation.
“We also told him our part of the story. At the end of the day, they made several appeals to us and several promises on what and what they are going to do and the ones they have done currently.
“We then said let’s go back; we will appraise the conversations that we’ve had, and we will communicate accordingly. The strike was caused by something. The strike is a symptom of problems. So. It is the problems we came here for, to have a conversation on.
“With all the assurances they have given us, with the office of the NSA promising to coordinate everything, every discussion we’ve had here, we need to take it back to our organs.”
Strike Suspended
Same Wednesday, however, the Organized Labour suspended the strike action after a virtual joint National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of the NLC and TUC. It said it suspended the strike based on its meeting with NSARibadu, to give him room to resolve the issues raised.
