Operation Liberty: Labour grounds flights in Abuja Airport
…Threatens to shut Lagos Airport if Ajaero’s attackers not brought to book
…As Aviation Minister urges Labour to vacate airport, says sector has nothing to do with attackers
Following the brutalisation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the Organised Labour yesterday grounded the movements of passengers in and out of the Abuja airport.
The Organised Labour in a protest tagged “Operation Liberty” blocked the road to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to stop flights.
Assistant General Secretary of NLC, Chris Onyeka, said that the action of the Organised Labour was geared towards liberating workers in Imo State who have been subjected to inhuman treatment by Governor Hope Uzodimma.
He said, “We have blocked the airport to ground activities, to make sure that no flight takes off, neither any flight comes in to eventually force the government to do something about what happened in Imo state on November 1 and the serial abuse and violation of the rights of workers in Imo state. We call it Operation Liberty for Imo state workers.
“As far as we are concerned, the flight from Imo state airport goes to Abuja and Lagos. Once we can hold the two places, you have incarcerated the Owerri airport. So no flight will go in there today, and neither will any go in until they lose to us. If flights don’t go in, they won’t come out.”
Speaking at the protest rally at the airport, the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Festus Osifo, warned that the Nigeria government should act swiftly to ensure that the uprising in the Middle East where an individual was brutalised in Tunisia does not happen in Nigeria.
According to him, “An injury to one is an injury to all. Somebody asked me why we were at the Abuja airport, if it was a national issue, that the issue was in Imo state and we said no, the person that was brutalised is a national figure.”
“Our president is a national figure and the Police that brutalised him is a national institution, they are not Imo State Police. The Police who brutalised him report to the Inspector General of Police, who in turn reports to the President of Nigeria.
“So since this is a national issue we must make it one. Governor Hope Uzodinma cannot unleash thugs with the Nigerian Police in Imo state on someone who has been peacefully fighting for the interest of the Nigerian workers.
“For us, we say no, no, What is happening is just the first stage of the series of activities that will happen, except the Nigerian government does the needful and arrest those people who perpetrated the evil act on the NLC president and Nigerian workers.
“This is not acceptable and this must not be allowed by the Nigerian workers. Comrades let us be strong and this is a marathon. It is not a dash race, we are just starting until the government does the needful, the Area Commander who perpetuated this led those armed men who called themselves members of the Imo State Police to order.
“They must be prosecuted and they must be brought to book. It is not just to transfer the Commissioner of Police in Imo state, there are series of actions that must be taken by the Nigerian government because an injury to one is an injury to all.”
Osifo further said that “injustice is the same everywhere whether it happened in Imo state or any state in Nigeria, once you do this to any Nigerian workers we have the right to fight for the right of the particular person across the nation.”
Osifo said that “the uprising that happened sometime in the Middle East was caused by one individual who was brutalised in Tunisia and it caused an uprising in the entire Middle East. The Nigerian president must act, the IGP must act and the time to act is now.”
Recall that Joe AJaero was last Wednesday brutalised in Imo State with other labour leaders who were roughed up by armed thugs and security operatives allegedly mobilised by the State Government.
The attempt to stage a protest last week Wednesday against alleged ill treatment of workers in the State, turned sour with attacks which reportedly left Ajaero in critical condition, battling to save his right eye.
Consequently, the NLC and its counterpart, the TUC on Tuesday declared an immediate and total strike in Imo State from midnight Tuesday.
They also resolved to declare a nationwide strike by Tuesday, November 14, if their demands are not met.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has urged the Organized labour to vacate the airport following the protest staged at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja yesterday.
According to Keyamo, the Aviation Ministry was not involved in the alleged maltreatment of the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajeroh, by security agents.
He however, criticised the mistreatment of the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero while cautioning the union to refrain from playing partisan politics.
“I condemn what happened to my friend, Ajaero. Nobody should get fisticuffs. But in the same breath, they should not find themselves in the realm of politics. The aviation sector should not be the target because of its economic importance for the development of our great nation.”
He noted that the protest affected foreigners coming into the country as well as citizens going about their normal businesses as, according to him, the protesters disrupted aviation activities by blocking the access road to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
