The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday asked the federal government and the police high command to immediately release all arrested Nigerians that were involved in the just-concluded #EndBadGovernance protest.
It also demanded immediate apologies from the duo over the recent invasion of the headquarters of the NLC by the security operatives, stating that it would hold the Nigeria Police Force responsible for any incident at the building.
Benson Upah, the Head of Information at the NLC Headquarters, told journalists at a press briefing in Abuja that the government should stop criminalising lawful protests and put an end to the continued harassment of people who hold dissenting views to the government.
Daily Trust reports that operatives of the force had last Wednesday raided NLC’s office at about 10pm over allegations that the leadership of the organised labour sponsored the nationwide protest.
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Speaking at the briefing, the NLC official said members of the organised labour rejected the police explanation for the invasion of its secretariat, wondering why police would say there were terrorists among its members.
“We reject the police explanation for the invasion of our secretariat as well as make a number of demands including the following: The return of the books, publications and other items or valuables removed from the congress premises; an immediate apology from the police and the federal government to congress for the invasion and desecration of the congress headquarters; immediate and unconditional release of everybody detained in connection with the protest,” Upah said.
The NLC described as “provocative” a situation where the government and the police high command ignored its demands five days after the invasion, saying it was a sign that a war had been declared on the labour movement.
He said, “We want to inform you that five days after these demands were made, the government is yet to meet even one suggesting what we had suspected from the beginning, a declaration of a hybrid war against Congress.”
The NLC also criticised government’s attempts to interfere with the organisation’s internal affairs, including a proposed reduction in the tenure of trade union leaders, arguing that this violates labour laws and international conventions.
Upah stated that the NLC reiterated its demands for a stakeholders’ conference to address pressing national issues, including hunger, poverty, and insecurity.
The official also advised the government to stop meddling in the affairs of opposition parties and to focus on dialogue with honest Nigerians.
He said, “The Registrar of Trade Unions acting on orders from above wrote a letter of threat on our relationship with the Labour Party, citing Section 15, Sub-Sections 2, 3, 4 of the Trade Unions Act.
“In their bid to suppress our voice, they forgot the provisions of Sections 39 – to 40 of the 1999 constitution as amended, the Supreme Court decision on the right of public servants to hold political views, the provisions of African Charter on People and Human Rights as well as ILO Conventions 87 and 98.
“Government is also frantically working to reduce to two the number of years trade unionists could hold office. This constitutes a gross interference in the internal running of the trade unions in violation of the corpus of Labour Law and ILO Conventions.
“We want to reiterate that even though we are the owners of barricades, we did not participate in the End-Hunger protest. Government therefore should not rope us into something we knew nothing about. Accordingly, we ask the government to release those in its custody including a NUEE executive (Comrade Opalua Eleojo) who was arrested at a social spot in Abuja.
“We advise the government to stop further acts of intimidation against the Nigeria Labour Congress and indeed against the generality of Nigerians.”
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