The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has denounced the detention of its President, Joe Ajaero, calling it an unlawful act against workers’ rights and democratic freedoms. According to Adeyanju Adewale, NLC Deputy President, the detention was a deliberate attempt to obstruct the forthcoming implementation of the new National Minimum Wage.
Ajaero was arrested on September 9, 2024, at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while on his way to the UK for a Trade Union Congress (TUC) meeting. The NLC views this action as an assault not only on their leadership but also on workers’ rights to organize and protest.
In a statement following an emergency National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting, Adewale condemned the detention for lacking legal grounds and for being a tactic of intimidation intended to stifle dissent. He stressed that Ajaero was fulfilling his responsibilities to represent Nigerian workers and had not committed any offense that justified such an action.
The NLC has demanded Ajaero’s immediate and unconditional release and has issued a red alert to all affiliates, state councils, civil society allies, and the Nigerian public. The NAC has also called for an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on September 10, 2024, to address the situation and take necessary measures.
Additionally, the NLC is advocating for the prompt implementation of the new National Minimum Wage, which has already been signed into law, and a reversal of the recent increase in petrol prices to ₦617 per litre. They have also urged the Nigerian government to confront what they perceive as dangerous trends of authoritarianism and lawlessness that threaten the country’s democratic principles.