The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday alleged the Federal Government of attempting to undermine it through tactics of division and manipulation. They stated that the two-day protest was called off due to threats and intimidation.
The NLC also expressed worry over the militarization of its headquarters and state offices nationwide by the federal government, asserting that members of the congress will not be intimidated by any form of threat.
Furthermore, the leadership of the Labor center pledged to reject any invitation from the federal government to attend nocturnal meetings preceding any nationwide mass protests, viewing it as a ploy to deceive them.
Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, revealed this during a press briefing at Labour House in Abuja, emphasizing that the NLC leadership would only engage in meetings with government officials when mass actions had not yet been declared.
He said: “Each time they invite us for meetings, we will attend and listen to them because if we don’t attend, they will blackmail us. You are aware that they held a meeting with us till late on Sunday. While that meeting was on, they wrote letters to all the unions to undermine us.
“You’re meeting with the leadership of the NLC, and you’re still inviting every union in the country to undermine us. Even at that meeting, where I was talking, they wanted two of my deputies to be talking, so that we don’t have leaders, but we survived all that.
“There is nothing on earth they have not done to subvert the NLC. Nothing! And we’re still waxing stronger. So, if they invite us for a meeting, we will still go and listen because we have our views, we have our positions, and we will still gently present our positions. We won’t say we’re not going except when we realise that…”
It’s worth remembering that just hours before the start of the two-day protest, the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) summoned the Congress leadership to a meeting that extended into the late hours of the night, apparently aiming to disrupt the rally.
Ajaero characterized the meeting on February 26th as an “outdated tactic” employed by the federal government to stall, weaken, and discourage discontented protesters across the nation.
The labour leader, while responding to enquiry, said: “Henceforth, the NLC will no longer be comfortable attending meetings on the eve of any action. Never again! It was a waste of time, waste of energy and nothing comes from such meetings.
“It was to delay us, to demobilise us, and to make people have the impression that we went there to discuss other issues, apart from the issues on ground. This is our new resolve.
“You (FG) can no longer call us for a meeting when we have action tomorrow or next tomorrow, and you delay us till 11pm, 12am in the night, so that we won’t come out to mobilise for action. Such a strategy is obsolete. I think they should adopt new strategies.”
Ajaero, accompanied by prominent activist Femi Aborisade and other labor leaders, further claimed that government officials had attempted various divide-and-rule strategies to undermine the NLC. This included allegedly orchestrating a counter-protest on Tuesday.
He also accused the government of repeatedly violating agreements and laws, citing the example of the Port Harcourt refinery, which was announced to commence operations last December but remains non-functional.
“I was there when President Tinubu asked the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, about when the refinery would work. As we’re talking, no drop of fuel or PMS has dropped from that refinery! They should stop lying to people,” Ajaero said.