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In the event that Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), is taken into custody, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has vowed to shut down the power industry.
Ajaero was invited to be questioned on Monday, August 19, by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) over criminal conspiracy, financing of terrorism, treasonable felonies, subversion, and cybercrime.
In a statement, Acting General Secretary of NUEE Igwebike Dominic expressed his dismay at the political maneuvering surrounding the police invitation of Comrade Joe Ajaero, who is also the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress. The investigation is allegedly politically motivated and aims to clear Comrade Ajaero of charges of financing terrorism, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.
The statement said that rather than publicly apologizing to the Congress and its leadership for the illegal invasion of the NLC National Headquarters a few days ago, the Federal Government of Nigeria had resorted to name-calling, harassment, and witch-hunting tactics that were not only embarrassing but also naive and childish.
The statement said that it was extremely shameful for the administration to have chosen to suppress free expression and labor in the nation in order to force Nigerians to suffer in silence in the face of unpopular policies.
The statement said, “Those in government, especially elected leaders, should be mindful of their actions in times like this, if they have the love of the country at heart.”
It bemoaned that what Nigerians had was only the government of the chosen few, acting for themselves against the people, and emphasized how terrible it was to watch this happening in a democracy when it is meant to be “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
The Acting General Secretary of the NUEE stated that it was an obvious violation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution and the conventions of the International Labour Organization, particularly conventions 87 and 98, and that it would be fiercely opposed.
The Union vehemently denounced what it described as the government’s meddling in the labor movement nationwide by using official harassment and intimidation tactics against labor leaders, and it issued a warning that in the event that Comrade Ajaero is arrested, they will have no choice but to go with the NLC directives.
In the event that Comrade Joe Ajaero is arrested, NUEE called on the leadership of its National, Zonal, State, and Chapter to mobilize their team members immediately in the areas of Generation, Transmission, and Distribution to withdraw their services.
In addition, they urged the federal government to exercise prudence because the country’s famine and hyperinflation had already inflamed tensions and angered the whole population.
According to NUEE, “The rights of citizens must be respected and guaranteed if the country must move forward.”
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