Ajaero not above the law, Presidency tells UK’s trade union�

By Babajide Adekunle

 

President Bola Tinubu’s media adviser, Bayo Onanuga has rejected the censuring of the incumbent government by the United Kingdom-based Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the arrest of the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress Joe Ajaero.

Cornet News had reported that officials of the Department of State Service (DSS) had arrested and detained Ajaero for several hours on Monday. The DSS moved in on the Labour leader while he was trying to board a flight to the UK. Ajaero, who was released on the same day, was scheduled to speak at an event hosted by the UK Trade Union Congress.

In his statement issued on Tuesday, Onanuga said the leader of the TUC in the UK had made “false claims about human rights abuses and violations in Nigeria.”

“The Nigerian government was wrongly and falsely accused of rights abuse because the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, was stopped from travelling abroad after he snubbed the invitation of a law enforcement agency conducting an ongoing investigation,” Onanuga said.

The government spokesperson said that Ajaero “probably considers himself above the law”, adding that “his actions have serious consequences, as no one is above the law in Nigeria.”

“We are not aware that there is anyone in the United Kingdom or anywhere in Europe and the United States, trade union leaders inclusive, who will flagrantly ignore the invitation or summons of MI5 or Scotland Yard or treat the FBI with the level of disdain Mr Ajaero has subjected law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.

“In the United States, for example, former President Donald Trump has been the subject of numerous investigations and prosecutions in courts in several states since he left office. Mr. Hunter Biden, son of the President of the United States, has been the subject of a lawful investigation by the FBI.

“We, therefore, reject any notion and allusion to human rights violations in Nigeria. The accusations made by the Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom are, thus, unfounded and based on a misunderstanding of the situation.”

Onanuga said that the “Nigerian Government is being led by a pro-democracy activist president who will do everything to protect civil liberties and the rights of all citizens.”

“There is no adversarial relationship between the Labour Movement in Nigeria and the government,” he stated.

“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.

“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.

“As a responsible citizen of Nigeria, Mr 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.

“It is worth 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. What is also worth noting is that Labour, in most cases, only advances ideological positions that fly in the face of economic realities.”