On Tuesday, the Global Humanitarian Organisation, Amnesty International Nigeria, kicked against the ‘suppression of Labour leaders’ by the Nigerian government.
News About Nigeria reports that the humanitarian body also called on the Nigerian government to immediately end its attack on the leaders of the labour unions.
It further described the allegations against the President of the Nigeria Labour Union (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and the labour leadership as punitive measures to deter and punish them for standing up for workers’ rights.
Speaking in a statement signed by its director, Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International also described the fresh allegations of terrorism financing by the Nigerian authorities against Ajaero and its leaders as an attempt to intimidate the unionists.
The statement reads, “Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the Nigerian authorities’ fresh attempts to further intimidate and harass the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) through threats of arrest of its President, Joe Ajaero. We urge the authorities to end this pattern of brazen impunity and respect the right of the labour unions to agree or disagree with the government and its policies. Under international human rights law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right, freedom of association is guaranteed, and workers cannot be targeted for participating in trade union activities. The Nigerian authorities have an obligation not only to respect the rights of workers but also to protect these rights from abuse.
“In the last one year, Amnesty International had observed increasing attempts by the Nigerian government to silence the umbrella labour union, through trying by hook and crook to use state institutions to discredit them. The Nigerian government is clearly and unlawfully interfering with the functioning of an independent workers union, by targeting its leaders with baseless accusations that are gradually crippling the activities of the union. The organisation urges the Nigerian authorities to immediately end this bizarre crackdown on leaders of the nation’s labour union. The allegations against NLC and its leadership are just punitive measures aimed solely at deterring and punishing them for standing up for workers’ rights.”
