The Presidency contends that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) decision to strike in response to the assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero is not only unwarranted but also perceived as an attempt to manipulate the government.
In a statement on Monday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, expressed bewilderment over why labor would impose a nationwide strike affecting over 200 million people in response to a personal matter involving the NLC President.
Onanuga highlighted the government’s stance against violence and assault on any Nigerian, acknowledging that the Inspector General of Police, Kaode Egbetokun, has initiated an investigation into the incident.
Despite this, the government questions the appropriateness of the labor unions’ decision to penalize the entire country for an individual incident.
The unions had announced last Tuesday their intention to initiate a nationwide strike on November 14 to protest against the brutalization of Mr. Ajaero in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, the previous week. The government remains puzzled by the unions’ choice to escalate the matter to a national scale.
“While the federal government does not condone any form of violence and assault on any citizen of Nigeria regardless of his or her social and economic status, it is on record that the Inspector General of Police has ordered investigation into what happened to Mr. Ajaero while the Commissioner of Police in Imo State under whose watch the incident happened has been transferred out of the state,” the statement said.
The presidential aide said “calling out workers on a national strike over a personal issue of a labour leader despite a clear court order against any industrial action amounts to an abuse of privilege. Power at any level should never be used to settle personal scores. Rather, it should be used to promote collective progress and advance national interest.”
Mr Onanuga said the planned strike is immoral, unjustifiable and irresponsible.
The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), similarly, on Monday, advised the unions against strike, asking them to respect the subsisting court order retraining them from embarking on the planned industrial action.
