NLC Has No Basis To Issue Strike Threats Over Security Concerns, Says Group

The Tinubu Stakeholders Forum (TSF) has accused the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of blackmailing the government by threatening to shut down the economy for selfish and unwarranted reasons.

In a statement signed by Chairman Ahmad Sajoh and Secretary Afolabi Joshua, the group argued that there was no reason for the NLC to issue a strike threat over a strictly security issue that had nothing to do with the workforce.

TSF stated: “The recent threat by the National Executive Council of one of Nigeria’s premier labour centres speaks volumes about how criminality is being tolerated and gradually becoming the norm in the country.

“For us, it is unbelievable that the power of the strike is being used to oppose security operatives’ legitimate demand that the Nigeria Labour Congress account to the country on national security issues.

“To put the situation in context, Nigerians must understand the circumstances that led to the invitation of the NLC leadership to answer questions about an alleged security breach on their premises.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Labour House, also known as Pascal Bafyau House, is in the custody of the NLC as the landlord, but several other tenants rent spaces within the complex.

“Normally, when a tenant is involved in a matter that is considered a violation of the existing laws of the land, their location does not provide immunity from arrest or apprehension, unless it is a foreign embassy, which the Labour House cannot claim to be.

“So, it is legitimate for security agencies to request that a landlord clarify matters concerning a tenant who is under investigation.

There is nothing wrong with that. Every responsible landlord should be happy to provide information that will assist security officers in either confirming their suspicions or clearing a tenant who has been wrongfully accused.

“There is nothing wrong with that. It should be noted, however, that the NLC leadership raised suspicions about themselves when the police raided the location in search of the suspect, who is still at large.

TSF also questioned NLC’s response to a raid that had nothing to do with its complex office or the labour union.

“It was clear that the raid had nothing to do with the area of the complex they occupied. They understood that it had nothing to do with their officials or employees. They were aware that the person whose premises had been visited was their tenant. Why, then, did they mislead Nigerians by claiming that the visit was to arrest them?

“Why did they purposefully establish a connection between themselves and the person in question? And, even though it turned out that the security personnel never targeted them during the raid, why did not they quickly correct the false impression they created?

“These are legitimate questions they should answer, in addition to the fact that as law-abiding landlords, they must provide information about their tenants.

“To threaten the government with a strike over a simple security issue about which they are normally required to provide information is an attempt to obstruct the course of justice.”

“We are urging the NLC to stop using the power of strike to undermine any actions taken by its leadership that may be wrong. That is not promoting workers’ interests, but rather indulging in their leaders’ self-serving interests disguised as worker interests.

“No sane system would tolerate that. The NLC leadership must account for the breach of national security within their premises by providing information on the fugitive tenant who is currently on the run, it added.