The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has warned that it will shut down the power sector if its General Secretary, Joe Ajaero, who is also the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), is arrested on what it describes as “trumped-up charges” of terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.
This threat follows an invitation issued on Monday, August 19, by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigerian Police Force, summoning Ajaero for questioning on August 20 regarding the alleged charges. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, IRT, indicated that Ajaero would be arrested if he failed to appear.
In response, NUEE’s Acting General Secretary, Igwebike Dominic, expressed deep concern over what he called the “political machinations” behind the police invitation, which he views as part of a broader campaign of harassment and intimidation against labor leaders. Dominic criticized the government’s actions, calling them “embarrassing, childish, and clueless,” and accused it of attempting to stifle labor rights and free speech.
“It is not only embarrassing, but childish and clueless for the Federal Government of Nigeria to take to the antics of witch-hunting, harassment, intimidation and name-calling instead of coming out openly to apologize to the Congress and its leadership for the unlawful invasion of NLC National Headquarters few days ago.
“The choice by the Government to stifle labour and free speech in the Country as a tool to compel Nigerians to continue to suffer in silence in the face of government policies that are not favorable to the people is quite deploring.
“Those in government especially elected leaders should be mindful of their actions in times like this, if they have the love of the Country at heart.
“It is so painful to see this happening in a democracy where it is supposed to be ‘Government of the people, by the people and for the people’.
“However, what we have is simply the government of the selected few, for themselves against the people.
“This blatant abuse of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and International Labour Organization Conventions especially convention 87 and 98 is unacceptable and will be vehemently resisted.
“The Union condemned in its entirety Government’s interference in the Labour movement through the weapons of intimidation and official harassment of Labour Leaders, in the Country and warned that in the event that Comrade Ajaero is arrested, we will have no choice but to go with the NLC directives.
“Thus, we are using this medium to call on our National, Zonal, State and Chapter leadership to commence immediate mobilization of our teaming members in Generation, Transmission and Distribution to withdrawal our services in the event that Comrade Joe Ajaero is arrested.
“We are calling on the Federal Government to thread with caution as the entire Nation is angry and heated up already because of the hunger and hyper-inflation in the land, a situation that is fast uniting the poor to stand up for their rights and demand for good governance.
“It will pay the Government and the people if the Government should face the issues causing poverty and hardship in the land squarely and stop the pretentious chasing of shadows which it is currently doing.
“The rights of citizens must be respected and guaranteed if the country must move forward.”