The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to stay clear of its internal affairs, warning against steps by the government at imposing the tenure of union leaders in Nigeria.
Mr Benson Upah, NLC Head of Information who made this allegation while addressing newsmen yesterday (Thursday, August 15) in Abuja, the FCT, charged that a plot is afoot by the federal to impose a two-year tenure on labour leaders, warning such a step would amount to meddling in the internal running of trade unions and a gross violation of the corpus of Labour Law and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.
“The federal government should put an end to the ongoing alleged hybrid war against Congress,” Upah chided. “However, if the government feels that two years is the best tenure to go, it should be two years for everyone including ,the office of the President and principal public officers as well.”
He also warned the government to stop meddling in the affairs of the Labour Party (LP) and end the destabilisation campaign against opposition parties, insisting the Police must tender unreserved apology to NLC for the invasion of its headquarters, or risk an industrial action or other options open to Congress to express its dissatisfaction.
He described the explanations by the police for the invasion as poorly scripted, expressing his sadness that the police would lie about obtaining a court order to invade the Labour House just to cover up its blunders.
“Beside government’s silence on our patriotic and well thought-out demands, the police have since come out to make further comments on the raid, instead of an apology,” Upah sneered.
“A statement signed by ACP Olumumuyiwa Adejobi claimed that the raid had no connection with the NLC secretariat, workers, or leadership, but a prime criminal suspect in an on-going investigation traced to a shop within the building which they claimed was on the 2nd floor.
“We find the claims contradictory, self-serving and face-saving and intended to cover up their blunders.
“What were the security personnel doing on the 10th floor when the shop they were after was on the 2nd floor?
“If the police truly had credible intelligence and if Congress was not their target, what was wrong in taking the leadership of Congress into confidence.
“if they felt that would jeopardise the operation, couldn’t they have confided in the leadership?”
He therefore called on the federal government and the police not to rope Congress into what it knows nothing about.
Also on the protest, Upah urged the federal government to desist from playing on the intelligence of Nigerians by attempting to divert their attention from the real issues of bad governance and hunger, that still stare the people in the face
The NLC spokesman told the government to stop diverting attention and accept that it is its economic policies that have continued to unleash hardship on the people, forcing them to take to the streets, and nothing else.
According to Upah, the Congress demands that the government release those in its custody in relation to the protest, including a member of the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE)’s executive, Mr Opalua Eleojo who was arrested at a social spot in Abuja.
“We are entitled to safety and protection. The arrest is not good PR for this country. People are laughing at us,” he said.
