The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticized the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command for forcefully dispersing a peaceful protest organized by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in Abuja.
University workers, under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), had planned a national protest to express their grievances over the non-payment of their four months’ salaries. However, police operatives from the FCT Command intervened, preventing the workers from proceeding with their protest. They blocked access to the Unity Fountain venue using an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and police vans.
Benneth Igwe, the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, led the security team and informed the union leaders that they were not permitted to protest in the streets of Abuja without providing any reason. This action led to a strong reaction from the NLC.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Benson Upah, the NLC condemned the police’s actions, stating that they violated fundamental rights guaranteed by Nigeria’s constitution and international conventions on freedom of association and speech. The NLC demanded an immediate apology from the police for infringing on its members’ rights and warned of escalating industrial actions if their grievances continued to be ignored.
The statement read: “The FCT Police Command Commissioner, Compol Bennett Igweh, deservedly earned our outrage and contempt by violently breaking up a peaceful protest at Unity Fountain on Thursday, July 18, 2024, by members of two of our affiliates, NASU and SSANU. Compol Igweh caused to be deployed to the venue of the protest, armored tanks, assault dogs, and police personnel in battle gear who broke up the peaceful protest using excessive force and other hostile means. The behavior of the police is an affront to the 1999 constitution (as amended), ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and the African Charter on People and Human Rights, which guarantee freedom of association and speech; a violation of the Supreme Court ruling that citizens do not need the permit or approval of the police to peacefully protest, and an insult to the dignity of self-respecting and law-abiding citizens.”
The NLC emphasized that it would not tolerate such actions, stating: “We need to let the powers that be, especially Compol Igweh and those who sent him, that we are not in a Police State and if his intentions are to scare and intimidate workers protesting under the law, then they have picked on the wrong customers. We fought for this democracy and we will not fold our hands and allow intestinal-minded people to destroy it. We are concerned that officers like Compol Igweh, who should be inspiring a new generation of officers away from the colonial traditions of policing, are the ones leading the charge into the abyss.”
The NLC further expressed its disappointment in Igweh’s leadership: “We want to assure him and his ilk that no one will bestow on him a medal for his unprofessional and disgusting behavior. However, in the event he finds himself as one of the beneficiaries of this new bizarre bazaar of self-bemedalling, we say ahead of time that it is not a medal to wear with honor. Under Compol Igweh’s watch, the FCT has been crawling with bandits, criminals, and crooks (both in low and high places) even in the heart of the city. Life has never been this frightening for law-abiding citizens. Instead of training the turrets of his armored tanks on these social misfits, it is peaceful workers that are his victims.”
The NLC pointed out that Igweh did not need to look far for guidance: “Igweh does not need to go far for a refresher course on safeguarding FCT. One of his predecessors who is now a DIG (who rid Abuja of crime and still related well with citizens) is only an ear-shot away at Louis Edet House.”
The reason for the peaceful protest by NASU and SSANU was the non-payment of their four months’ withheld salaries after workers in other unions were paid for the same strike action. The two unions had exhausted all lawful means over a long period, including a warning strike, to get their salaries paid.
The NLC criticized the government’s response: “But clearly, the government took their maturity and patience for granted. What the government failed to realize was that it was not only imperiling the tranquility in the university education environment, it was acting in violation of the constitution which says no citizen should be discriminated against! If the government and the police are proud lawbreakers, what moral justification do they have to expect others to be of good behavior!”
The NLC demanded immediate action: “In light of this, we demand an immediate police apology to NASU and SSANU members whom they violated. We also demand the immediate payment of the withheld salaries. We had cause to write to the government as well as issued a press statement on this matter in the recent past. Government will be courting a major national industrial protest if it continues to ignore our wise counsel.”
The situation remains tense as the NLC awaits a response from the police and the government. The university workers and their unions are determined to continue their fight for their rights and fair treatment, emphasizing that they will not be intimidated by the actions of the police or the government. The NLC’s firm stance highlights the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and the importance of upholding democratic principles in Nigeria.
