The unwarranted physical assault on the person of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), in Imo State, was barbaric and totally condemnable. Ajaero was in Imo to lead a rally slated to demand better wages and welfare of workers who are owed about 48 months of salaries, pension and arrears. The union leader was arrested at the Imo State Secretariat of the NLC by the police, taken away, roundly assaulted and dehumanised.
A video trending online and front-page pictures of national dailies showed a swollen bloodshot face in the right eye of the veteran unionist. This act of brigandage was an insult not only to the person of Ajaero but to the organised labour and the entire Nigerian workers. This is lawlessness and an act of barbarism taken too far. Once upon a time, labour issues were treated with utmost respect and pronouncements of leaders cast on stones. Notice of industrial action and civil disobedience gives the government and employers sleepless nights. Many employers of labour and even the government no longer take labour seriously anymore. Labour no longer stands for the truth, the rights of the workers and defence of the poor.
The union has made itself an old basket, therefore, employers and the government now use it to dispose of dirt. Their position on current policies of the government which created hardship is neither here nor there.
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The culture of labour’s sense of purpose has eroded completely. However, their shortcomings should not warrant any assault and grievous injury to any worker, official or the president for that matter. The trio of organised labour, police and the Imo State Government have traded blame over the incident. The police have denied any involvement in the assault on the union leader claiming the NLC president was taken into protective custody, not arrested. The government has in the same vein exonerated itself from any complicity. Reacting to the incident, a joint statement issued by NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) leadership had put workers on alert for immediate nationwide action if Ajaero is not released by the end of Wednesday.
They said, “We call on Nigerian workers, wherever they may be; in the respective industrial Unions; the state councils and the branches to be on alert for an immediate nationwide action if by the end of today, the President of the Congress is not released. We cannot be at work while our president is in the gulag and we cannot be at peace when the Government of Imo State continues to disrespect workers and treat them with utter disdain. With this statement, we want to put the Nigerian Government on notice that we want the President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) immediately released.”
The union should not stop demanding the release of Ajaero. Imo State should be shut down completely. November 8 is the day of reckoning – earmarked for a nationwide strike to protest the attack on Ajaero.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy Imo State, Declan Emelumba, while briefing newsmen on behalf of the government noted that; “those accusing the government were perennial mischief makers always crying wolf where there is none.” Emelumba denied any involvement of the state government, noting that it was the handiwork of mischief makers. The commissioner recalled that the purported strike action in the state had been stopped by the National Industrial Court in Owerri, which makes the planned action illegal.
He also noted that the government complied with the court order, while the Imo State chapter of the NLC announced pulling out of the strike. He wondered what Ajaero was doing in Owerri in defiance of the court order, which warned of severe consequences against disobedience. He said information at the disposal of the government indicated that there might have been a fiasco between lawful workers of Imo State and lawless invaders from Abuja, which led to police intervention to maintain the peace.” Emelumba stated categorically that the state government has no hand in the arrest since it believes in the rule of law.
The Imo State Police Command also in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer, Okoye Henry, read in part: “The Imo State Police Command wishes to clarify some sketchy reports alleging the arrest of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in Owerri. It is pertinent to state that the NLC President was in Owerri as part of arrangements of the Congress to mobilise workers for a mega protest rally in the state. In the course of their planning, it was reported that suggestions arose for the lockdown of some essential facilities particularly the airport which led to some workers and other individuals resisting the picketing process, leading to scuffles and heated arguments and an eventual attack on the person of the president by a mob. Upon receiving this report, the Imo Police Command swiftly deployed police operatives to the scene where the Officer in Charge exercised his operational discretion by taking the NLC President into protective custody at the State Command Headquarters to ensure the protection of his life and that he was not lynched in the scuffle that followed…”
After he was released from police custody, Ajaero told reporters that, “I was mercilessly beaten by the police. God must have taken time to create me or else, I wouldn’t have endured the torture from the police. Interim order from the court was read to me and I was questioned why I defied the order.”
Meanwhile, an official of the Imo State Government was allegedly quoted to have said that Ajaero brought this calamity upon himself. Organised labour unions also alleged that Ajaero was whisked away by the police who stormed the Imo State secretariat of NLC in the company of a special adviser to the governor and some notorious thugs who thereafter inflicted bodily injuries on him. There are legal processes laid down to punish anyone who disobeys a court order.
When has it become the norm for police and thugs to enforce court orders even when the issuing court was not aware of any disobedience of its orders? What happened to Ajaero was the usual brazen show of power and overzealousness by the police and politicians. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun will need to personally interrogate the act of lawlessness that took place in Imo and discipline officers involved for deterrent.
The government of Hope Uzodimma and the police cannot exculpate themselves from what transpired. It is unheard of that a state government will feign ignorance of security breaches in its domain. This is an indictment of the police and government. The right to protest is an inalienable one. Nobody can take it away from the people, not even the government. Who attacked Ajaero? Why?
Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, a Media and Development Communication Specialist, wrote via [email protected]
