President of Nigeria Labour Congress , NLC, Joe Ajaero, has
said all efforts to intimidate and silence organised labour would fail.
The labour leader also said he would on Wednesday, September
25, honour the last police invitation extended to him.
Recall that Ajaero had in recent times been under the radar
of security agencies, especially the Police and the Department of State
Services, DSS.
However, speaking to some workers and union officials in
Lagos, Ajaero said: “Recently, I was
arrested and detained by the state, a clear attempt to intimidate and silence
our movement. They hoped to find wrong doing but we have kept faith alive. We
must all do the same.
“On August 29, we honoured the summons of the state to
answer to some allegations and on the 25th of this month, we shall honour
another one, this time at the police headquarters in Abuja.
“Let me say the strength of our movement lies not only in
our resolve but also in the integrity with which we conduct ourselves.
”Our hands, must remain unsullied, our hearts pure, so that
when the enemies of our movement come, as they will;, they will find nothing to
use against us. Comrades, you have seen it firsthand.
“As we, therefore, prepare for the struggles ahead, remember
they can imprison our bodies, but they cannot imprison our spirit.
”They can throw every obstacle on our path, but they cannot
destroy our unity. We must be vigilant, united and ready to stand firm in the
face of whatever may come.”
He expressed NLC’s gratitude to all the international
organizations, particularly those within the global trade union family, who
stood in unwavering solidarity with the labout movement during its recent
challenges.
“We are especially thankful to the International Labour
Organization, ILO, the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC,
ITUC-Africa, Public Services International, PSI, Congress of South African
Trade Unions, COSATU, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, of the UK, IndustriALL
Global Union, the German Federation of Trade Unions, LO Norway, and all the
patriotic Nigerians.
“Your collective voices condemned the actions of the
government against the NLC and its“leadership, and for this, we remain
profoundly grateful,” Ajaero said.
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