The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sharply condemned the arrest and detention of its President, Joe Ajaero, by the Nigerian government, calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Ajaero was detained at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja as he was en route to the United Kingdom for a Trade Union Congress meeting.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the NLC’s National Administrative Council, through Deputy President Adeyanju Adewale, labeled the detention as “brazen and illegal” and an “affront to the rights of workers and democratic principles.”
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The council has demanded Ajaero’s release by midnight and is also calling for the reversal of the recent petrol price increase to N617 per litre.
The NLC has put its affiliates, state councils, and civil society allies on high alert, warning that it will not tolerate any infringement on workers’ rights.
Additionally, the council has convened an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council to strategize further action against the government’s “authoritarianism and lawlessness.”
Reaffirming its commitment to protecting workers’ rights and resisting oppression, the NLC urged the government to reverse its “dangerous trend” and implement the new National Minimum Wage.
The communiqué stated, “The NLC demands the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Joe Ajaero before 12 midnight today.
“The council unequivocally condemns the brazen and illegal detention of Comrade Joe Ajaero by the Nigerian state without any legal warrant or justification.”
