The Presidency says the Nigerian Government is wrongly and falsely accused of rights abuse because the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, was stopped from travelling abroad after he snubbed the invitation of a law enforcement agency conducting an ongoing investigation.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga says contrary to the “erroneous” impression being created, the invitation extended by the State Security Service, SSS to Ajaero has nothing to do with his role as the President of NLC.
According to Onanuga, “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.”
He added that 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 laws governed by the Constitution.”
The Special Adviser says Nigeria rejects any notion and allusion to human rights violations. The accusations made by the Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom are, thus, unfounded and based on a misunderstanding of the situation.
Besides, the Nigerian Government he said is being led by a pro-democracy activist President who will do everything to protect civil liberties and the rights of all citizens.
Explaining that there is no adversarial relationship between the Labour Movement in Nigeria and the government.
“While labour unions and the government may not always agree on policy direction, the government has consistently shown readiness to engage on any issue with labour despite the latter’s political partisanship.”
Onanuga also said that as a responsible citizen of Nigeria, 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.
Reminding Nigerians and the global community that the Federal Government recognises that the labour movement exists to protect and defend the interests of its members. noting that Labour, in most cases, only advances ideological positions that fly in the face of economic realities.
The Special Adviser concludes that the administration of President Tinubu will continue to promote the best economic interest of Nigerians despite the current challenges. It will also continue to pursue policies and programmes that will expand national economic output and create prosperity for our citizens.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
