The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, have settled for a showdown against the Nigerian government after declaring a nationwide strike effective from Tuesday.
Labour, amid numerous unsettled agreements with the federal government, had its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero beaten and injured in Imo State during a rally and protest against the leadership of Hope Uzodinma in Imo State.
Ajaero had joined Imo workers in a mass protest demanding the implementation of their rights from the state government.
Part of the demands by the workers was the appropriate payment of the minimum wage, pensions and gratuities to retirees, and other welfare packages.
That was the third such protest in the state since Ajaero became the NLC president in February this year.
While the NLC president was addressing and leading the workers during the protest that occurred 10 days prior to the Imo State Governorship election, he was allegedly attacked by some thugs and later whisked away to an unknown location by some men believed to be police officers.
Narrating what he went through and how he narrowly escaped death, Ajaero said, "God must have taken extra time to create me."
The labour president said he was beaten blue and black, dragged on the ground and told to do his last prayers.
Ajaero has since been taken to different hospitals for treatment. An unconfirmed report has it that he may be flown abroad due to the severity of his medical condition.
The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, have both accused the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma of masterminding the attack on the labour leader. The unions had also accused the Nigeria police of working for the government of the APC to manhandle the NLC president. Consequently, the unions issued a strike notice to all their members across the country.
But the governor has since denied the allegation while also apologizing to the labour unions over the attack on the NLC president in his state.
Allnews.ng gathered that the strike which commenced at midnight of Monday will not only be about the attack on the labour leader but also seeks to address the current hardships being faced by Nigerians across the country due to the alleged unfriendly policy of the current APC leadership and the poor implementation of the agreement Labour had with the government.
The President of TUC, Festus Osifo, speaking on behalf of the two labour unions said the strike would remain until “government at all levels wake up to their responsibilities”.
“We demanded that the Area Commander that led the Police to carry out the brutalisation should be relieved of his duties and prosecuted.
“We asked also that Governor Hope Uzodinma’s Special Adviser, SA, on Special Duties, Chinasa Nwaneri, who everyone knew led the touts, should also be arrested and prosecuted."
Analysts and conflict resolution experts have expressed fears that the current face-off between the Nigerian Labour unions and the government was capable of becoming another EndSARS following the current state of things across the country.
Since the removal of the fuel subsidy by the current administration, Nigerians across the country have continued to struggle amid economic hardship.
A strike, according to some analysts will further complicate the already volatile situation and capable of triggering a mass protest of the EndSARS magnitude.
Speaking with a conflict resolution expert and a lecturer with the National Open University who does not want his name in print due to the sensitivity of the matter, he said the earlier the government employs the best conflict resolution mechanism to resolve the constant face-off with the labour unions, the better for it.
The lecturer opined that things are not what they used to be and that even during the EndSars time, things were not this bad. He cautioned that allowing the current strike will land Nigeria in what could likely be more than EndSars.
He said: "The government needs to do something urgently, else this may turn into another protest that is worse than EndSars. Nigerians are hungry and angry. This is no time for any form of protest or strike. Such a protest is likely to trigger violence.
"The government needs to bring the unions back on the negotiation table again. There is no getting tired of this. This is to save the county from collapse," he said.
Recall that an activist, Aisha Yesufu had warned that the mother of all protests would shut down the country should the current economic situation persist. In a post on X, formally Twitter, Yesufu wrote: "Nobody saw #EndSARS protest coming. Nobody will see the next uprising coming.
"Sadly it might end up being violent. There is a simmering anger fueled by the impunity and brazenness of the corrupt politicians and rulers who have rigged their way into power. Nobody will be spared."
Already, activists like Omoyele Sowore, a publisher and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, have called for a revolutionary protest across the country in order to redeem the country from the firm grip of corrupt politicians.
The presidency has warned against the decision of the labour unions to embark on a national shutdown, urging the leadership of the union to obey the court order stopping them from doing so.
A statement issued and signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy said a strike at this time was not in the interest of the nation.
The presidency tagged the strike action as "illegal, immoral, unjustifiable and irresponsible."
It equally called the strike action a blackmail against the government of President Bola Tinubu.
The statement reads: "We notice with dismay the decision by the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to call out workers to commence a strike action from midnight, despite a restraining order issued last week by Justice Benedict Backwash Kanyip of the National Industrial Court.
"This decision by the NLC and TUC other than being an ego tripping is clearly unwarranted. It is a move to blackmail the government by the leadership of the NLC.
"We are still at a loss as to the reason the NLC and TUC decided to punish a whole country of over a 200million people over a personal matter involving the NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero whose error of judgment led to the assault on him in Owerri while he was planning to incite the workers in Imo State into a needless strike.
"While the Federal government does not condone any form of violence and assault on any citizen of Nigeria regardless of social and economic status, it is on record that the Inspector General of Police has ordered an investigation into what happened to Mr Ajaero while the Commissioner of Police in Imo State under whose watch the incident happened has been transferred out of the state.
"Calling out workers on a national strike over a personal issue of a labour leader despite a clear court order against any industrial action amounts to an abuse of privilege. Power at any level should never be used to settle personal scores. Rather it should be used to promote collective progress and advance national interest.
"Our national economy and social activities should not suffer because of the personal interest of any labour leader.
"This flagrant disobedience to court order and lack of respect for the judiciary should not be what organised Labour should champion.
"The labour movement has always been a champion of the rule of law and respect for the judiciary. It is a sad irony that the current labour leaders have shown disdain and utter disregard for court orders.
"We reiterate that this strike action is illegal, immoral, unjustifiable and irresponsible. With the strike notice issued Monday night after official hours suggests it was designed for a sinister and hidden agenda to cause undue hardship and cause civil disturbance in our country."
In a matter of days, Nigerians will know if the current NLC action will help to reduce the current hardship in the country, or will further complicate the already volatile situation.
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