NLC Makes Six Demands to Thwart Nationwide Strike

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has listed six conditions that must be met before the ongoing nationwide indefinite strike can be called off.

The demands were listed in a post via its official X, formerly known as Twitter, handle on Wednesday, the second day of the strike.

The NLC said, first, Mr Chinasa Nwaneri, a Special Adviser on Special Duties to Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, who allegedly led the attack on the NLC president, Mr Joe Ajaero, and other workers in the state, must be arrested and prosecuted.

The union also said all police officers as well as thugs involved in the attack on the labour leader should be arrested, prosecuted and dismissed.

It also demanded the arrest, prosecution and dismissal of the Chief Security Officer in Imo State Government House simply identified as SP Shaba.

“He led, participated and provided cover for thugs to brutalise workers in Imo State,” the NLC alleged.

Another condition given by the labour union was the arrest, persecution and dismissal of an unnamed police area commander who it said supervised the brutalisation of the NLC president and other workers in the state.

The sixth condition for peace was that the former Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Mr Ahmed Barde, must be investigated and prosecuted for his alleged involvement in the assault of the NLC chief.

“Our demands are simple. We want justice,” the group wrote in the X post seen by Business Post.

Recall that the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and its affiliates, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, on Tuesday, began a nationwide strike, in defiance of a restraining court order barring them from embarking on the industrial action.

The two major labour unions, NLC and TUC, had declared the strike to protest the brutalisation of Mr Ajaero in Imo State on November 1.

Mr Ajaero was attacked in Owerri, the state capital, during an NLC protest against the Imo State Government over alleged maltreatment of workers in the state.

The NLC also accused the Imo State Governor of mobilising the thugs and the officers to attack its leader to frustrate the planned protest in the state.

But the police later denied arresting Mr Ajaero, saying they only placed him in protective custody to shield him from attack by the thugs.

In his comment, Governor Uzodinma blamed Mr Ajaero for his alleged partisanship in the state.

The unions on Monday directed its members to down tools across the country from Tuesday.

It proceeded with the action despite a restraining order issued by the National Industrial Court, in Abuja, on Friday, stopping the labour unions from embarking on the strike.

Earlier on Wednesday, the National Security Adviser, Mr Nuhu Ribadu, interfered in the crisis, calling on the workers to end the strike, and announcing the arrests of some suspects behind the assault.

“The outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded,” Mr Zakari Mijinyawa, the NSA’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“As attested by the NLC leadership, the NSA immediately intervened upon learning about the travails of the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joseph Ajaero 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,” Mr Mijinwaya wrote.