The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and affiliated unions have issued a strong warning to take action against Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma in the aftermath of the brutal assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero in Owerri, the state capital. The incident occurred when Ajaero was mobilizing workers for a strike.
Governor Uzodimma responded to the crisis on Thursday by accusing Ajaero, an indigene of Imo State, of interfering in the state’s politics. Uzodimma emphasized the need for Ajaero to differentiate between his role as a labor leader and his involvement as a partisan from Imo State.
The governor further accused Ajaero of attempting to blackmail his government over salary payments, asserting that all Imo workers have received their wages.
Ajaero had previously accused the Imo State government of violating the rights of Nigerian workers in the state and pledged to rally union members in the state for a strike during a press briefing on Sunday.
Benson Upah, the Head of Information of the NLC, revealed that Ajaero was apprehended at the NLC state secretariat in Owerri and taken to an undisclosed location, only to reappear later, having suffered brutalization. The NLC accused the state government of orchestrating the attack, which resulted in Ajaero’s injury and hospitalization.
Governor Uzodimma denied these allegations and contended that Ajaero’s actions were politically motivated. He mentioned that the NLC Imo State chapter disapproved of their national leadership’s actions and decided to dissolve them and appoint a caretaker committee.
Uzodimma affirmed that he did not interfere with labor matters and emphasized the trust he had earned from workers in Imo State, citing endorsements from the labor congress and the Union of Pensioners.
In response to the situation, the NLC and its affiliated unions have declared their intent to take action and will make further decisions following meetings of their respective organs.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has also condemned the attack on Ajaero. ASUP stated that it would await directives from the NLC on how to proceed and called for the swift intervention of the President of Nigeria in the matter.
