The Nigeria Labour Congress has instructed its affiliates and all workers nationwide to immediately shut down the economy if the Nigerian Police arrest the Congress President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
The police had invited the NLC President to their headquarters last night for questioning regarding allegations of terrorism financing, among other charges.
In response, the NLC convened an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Labour House, where the Congress decided to request an extension from the police to consult with their lawyers.
During a briefing with workers who gathered at Labour House in solidarity and to accompany Ajaero to the police station, NLC Deputy President Kabiru Ado Sani stated that the invitation to Ajaero was essentially an invitation to all workers.
Sani explained, “At the end of the meeting, we reached certain resolutions. Part of the resolutions is that, as a committed labour center that we agreed or that we abide by the rule of law and due process.
“We will honor the invitation of the Nigerian police, because we are not a faceless organization, but we believe that we need an extension of time, after consultation with our lawyers, because this invitation was extended to the Congress President yesterday and asked to report at the police by 10am today.
“So we are already working with our lawyers to look for an extension of time, but this does not legitimize the charges by the Nigerian police against the Congress leadership. Secondly, we resolve that in the event our Congress President is arrested or detained at any moment, we will put our affiliates on red alert to mobilize our members across the country, so that all workers in this country should down tools.
“This is the resolution because Comrades, this organization belongs to all of us, therefore we should do everything possible to safeguard the safety of this organization. We therefore thank you very much, and you should wait for further directives from our leadership.
“Whatever happens, we will communicate with your leadership, and your leadership will communicate with you. So we urge you to remain calm and return peacefully to your workplaces and await further directives.”
