The Presidency has stated that the Trade Union Congress of the United Kingdom’s charges of human rights breaches against Nigeria are “unfounded and based on a misunderstanding” of the ongoing case concerning the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero.
This came after statements made by Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the UK TUC, at the annual congress of British trade unions on Tuesday.
Nowak denounced the Nigerian government for arresting and detaining Ajaero on Monday.
The UK TUC called for an urgent end to what it described as the government’s onslaught on labour leaders.
Its appeal came just 24 hours after Department of State Services operatives apprehended Ajaero at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on his route to the United Kingdom for the TUC congress.
The NLC had accused the DSS of arresting Ajaero without a warrant. He was eventually released after numerous requests for his release.
The Presidency, on the other hand, claimed that the government did not arrest the labour leader without cause, citing his refusal to accept an invitation from the agency.
A statement signed Tuesday evening by the President’jss Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, read, “Ajaero, who probably considers himself above the law, was slated to speak at the same conference where the UK TUC leader attacked Nigeria. His actions, however, have serious consequences, as no one is above the law in Nigeria.
“Clearly, under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended), no person is above the summons of law enforcement agencies and lawful investigation. Like the United Kingdom and other civilised nations, Nigeria is a country of law governed by the Constitution.
“We are not aware that there is anyone in the United Kingdom or anywhere in Europe and the United States, trade union leaders inclusive, who will flagrantly ignore the invitation or summons of MI5 or Scotland Yard or treat the FBI with the level of disdain Mr. Ajaero has subjected law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.”
The statement, headed ‘Nigeria, a country governed by law, absolutely denies any human rights abuse,’ highlighted the United States of America, where former President Donald Trump has been the target of various investigations and charges in courts across multiple states since leaving office.
It further stated that Mr. Hunter Biden, the US President’s son, was the subject of an authorised FBI inquiry.
“The Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom opened its conference today in London, with its leader making false claims about human rights abuses and violations in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government was wrongly and falsely accused of rights abuse because the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, was stopped from travelling abroad after he snubbed the invitation of a law enforcement agency conducting an ongoing investigation.
“We, therefore, reject any notion and allusion to human rights violations in Nigeria. The accusations made by the Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom are, thus, unfounded and based on a misunderstanding of the situation,” said Onanuga.
He said that Nigeria’s government is led by a pro-democracy activist president who will go to any length to safeguard civil liberties and all people’s rights.
“There is no adversarial relationship between the Labour Movement in Nigeria and the government,” he added.
Onanuga reasoned that, while labour unions and the government do not always agree on policy direction, the administration has always demonstrated a willingness to work with labour on any topic, regardless of the latter’s political allegiance.
He continued, “Contrary to the erroneous impression being created, the invitation extended by the Department of State Services to Mr. Ajaero has nothing to do with his role as the President of NLC.
“As a responsible citizen of Nigeria, Mr. Ajaero should honour any invitation from our security agencies and resolve any issues that may arise during the investigation instead of stirring adverse public opinion against the security agencies.”
