PRESS STATEMENT

WE DEMAND AN END TO ALL INTIMIDATION AND CONTINUOUS ILLEGAL DETENTION OF ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTERS

The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) condemns the invasion of the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the invitation of Joe Ajaero, the NLC President on trumped-up criminal allegations (criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion and Cybercrime) by the notorious Intelligence Response Team. We have not forgotten that Joe Ajaero was attacked and beaten in Imo State by State-sponsored thugs and security agents in November 2023 which led to his hospitalization.

It is in the facility of this same Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Michael Adaramoye Lenin and Mosiu Sodiq who were abducted by the operatives of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in the wee hours of Monday August 5 over #EndBadGovernance protest, have been incarcerated without trial for over two weeks now. Nuhu Ribadu, President Bola Tinubu’s National Security Adviser (NSA) has been deploying the IRT and NIA in addition to DSS to harass, attack and arrest organisers and perceived supporters of the nationwide protest against mass hunger and economic hardship. 

It is clear that President Tinubu-led regime is now a civilian dictatorship which uses brute force to crush all dissenting views and genuine opposition. We are now back to the dark days of the military where activists were arrested, abducted, detained, tortured and sometimes killed. In addition to what happened during the military regimes wherein the police, and military were regularly used to attack activists, the Tinubu government is enlisting the judiciary, gangs and thugs to repress democratic and constitutional rights. The government has also started to freeze bank accounts belonging to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and pro-people organisations. We condemn this arm-twisting and repressive tactics of the government.

These attacks are clear warnings to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other pro-people organizations to commence the process of organizing resistance to this ever-increasing and dangerous tyranny.  It is a grave error for the leadership of NLC and TUC to allow the Tinubu-led government to implement devastating economic policies and only resort to bargain improved minimum wage, an act that is welcomed but not enough to mitigate the consequences of anti-poor policies. Aside from the fact that many state governments will not pay unless compelled to do so through mass struggle, the little gains of the N70,000 poverty wage will be neutralised soon by the rising cost of living.

Hence, we are calling on the leadership of the NLC and TUC to end their strategic partnership with this self-serving capitalist government and ruling elite, and mobilize to resist all anti-people policies (petrol price hikes, deregulation, privatization, electricity tariff hikes, devaluation of Naira etc). The trade union leadership should convoke a conference of workers, socialist, activists, trade union leaders, community leaders to discuss and resolve on how best to resist this dictatorship. There is an urgent need for the trade union leadership to adequately mobilize for mass protest and strike action in response to all anti-people policies, hardship and hunger in the land and attacks on democratic rights. This is the only way the enemies of the working people and masses can be resisted and defeated. Besides, the trade union leadership should mobilize the working masses and youth for a political alternative by forming and building a working people’s party to challenge and defeat these self-serving capitalist parties (APC, PDP, APGA etc).

The CDWR is demanding an end to the harassment and attacks on the trade union leadership including the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero. Likewise, we demand an end all state attacks on activists and labour leaders as well as an immediate release of Michael Adaramoye Lenin, Angel Innocent, Mosiu Sodiq and all other protesters currently in detention over #EndBadGovernance protests.

SIGNED:

Comrade Chinedu Bosah

National Publicity Secretary