The administration on Tuesday attributed the current condition of the country’s refineries, which include those in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna, to labour union opposition to plans for the federal government to sell the refineries to Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola.
In response to allegations of human rights violations made against the current administration by the Trade Union Congress of the United Kingdom regarding the detention of Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, made this revelation.
Following his detention, the NLC President was unable to attend the Trade Union Congress of the United Kingdom’s opening meeting on Tuesday.
In addition to denouncing the assertions that the government was anti-human rights, Onanuga charged that Nigerian labour unions were pursuing narrow goals that, in the past, had only hampered the nation’s economic development and even jeopardised the material well-being of the workers and the underprivileged individuals they defend.
During the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Onanuga cited the case of “the strong opposition of the NLC and TUC to the sale of Port-Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries to Bluestar Consortium, promoted in 2007 by Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola.”
“None of the four government-owned refineries worked seventeen years after the labour movement forced the successor government of Umar Yar’Adua to cancel the sale of the two refineries,” he claimed.
“In the obverse, Mr. Aliko Dangote, one of the promoters of Bluestar, has built the largest single-train refinery in the world. In a twist of fate, the same Labour Movement that aggressively opposed Dangote’s acquisition of the two refineries in 2007 congratulated him on the completion of his 650,000-bpd refinery in Lagos,” Onanuga added.
Over $25 billion in maintenance costs later, the refineries are still in a state of near-complete shutdown.
Nevertheless, he insisted that despite the present difficulties, President Tinubu’s administration will keep working to advance Nigerians’ best economic interests. Additionally, it will keep pursuing plans and programs that would boost the country’s GDP and bring wealth to its people.
“The leader of the Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom made false claims about human rights abuses and violations in Nigeria as the conference got underway in London.”
“Because NLC President Joe Ajaero was barred from travelling overseas after turning down an invitation from a law enforcement organisation carrying out an ongoing investigation, the Nigerian government was unjustly and falsely accused of violating human rights.”
“Ajaero was scheduled to appear at the same conference as the UK TUC head criticised Nigeria. Adaero undoubtedly thinks he is above the law. However, since everyone in Nigeria is subject to the law, his actions have grave repercussions.”
“Clearly, no one is beyond the summons of law enforcement agencies and authorised inquiry under the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) Constitution. Nigeria is a constitutionally governed nation of law, just like the United Kingdom and other advanced nations.”
“To the best of our knowledge, no one in the United Kingdom, Europe, or the United States—including trade union leaders—will blatantly disregard an invitation or summons from MI5 or Scotland Yard, or handle the FBI with the same contempt that Mr Ajaero has shown law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.”
He also brought up the situation in the United States, where since leaving office, former President Donald Trump has been the focus of multiple probes and legal actions in courts across multiple states. The FBI has lawfully been investigating Mr. Hunter Biden, the son of the President of the United States.
“Therefore, we disavow any idea or reference to human rights abuses in Nigeria. The claims made by the Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom are thus false and based on a misinterpretation of the situation,” he stated.
” Furthermore, Nigeria’s government is led by a pro-democracy activist president who will go to any length to safeguard civil liberties and the rights of all citizens.”
“The Nigerian government and labour movement are not at odds with one another.”
“Despite labor’s political partisanship, the government has continuously demonstrated its willingness to engage with labour on any issue, even though the two parties may not always agree on policy direction.”
“Contrary to the erroneous impression being created, the invitation extended by the Department of State Services to Mr. Ajaero has nothing to do with his role as the President of NLC.”
“Mr. Ajaero, instead of inciting negative public opinion against our security agencies, should accept any invitation from our security agencies and resolve any issues that may arise during the investigation as a responsible citizen of Nigeria.”
The federal government acknowledges that the labour movement exists to safeguard and defend the interests of its members, and it is important to remind Nigerians and the international community of this. It’s also important to remember that Labour typically only promotes ideological viewpoints that are at odds with the realities of the economy.
