By Joan Nwagwu
THE NIGERIA Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the federal government not to take steps at interfering in the tenure of union leaders in the country; Comrade Benson Upah, NLC’s Head of Information, made the call while addressing journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
Upah alleged that the government wanted to impose a two-year tenure on labour leaders. He said such action 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. However, if government feels that two years is the best tenure to go, it should be two years for everyone including, office of the President and principal public officers as well,” Upah said.
He also appealed to the government to stop meddling in the affairs of Labour Party and as well, end destabilisation campaign against opposition parties.
Upah said 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 added that the explanations by the police for the invasion have consistently failed to add up, including the purported legal documents from a court of jurisdiction permitting the raid.
“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.
“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 said.
He, therefore called on the federal government and the police not to rope Congress into what it knew 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
He reiterated that it was economic policies of the government that have continued to unleash hardship on the people.
Upah said the Congress called on the government to release those in its custody in relation to the protest, including a member of the Nigeria Union Electricity Employee (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 (NAN)
