CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Joe Ajaero, Obi’s Supporter Leading Labour in Strike Against Tinubu

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Joe Ajaero, Obi’s Supporter Leading Labour in Strike Against Tinubu

By Kabir Akintayo

The planned protest cum strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Joe Ajaero, on the removal of fuel subsidy at a time Nigerians are already getting used to the reality of market forces, raises issues of sentiments, bias, hidden agenda and conflict of interest.

This is because Ajaero is one partisan Labour leader who has never hidden his disapproval of the Bola Tinubu Presidency project.

NLC, since inception, is known to fight for the welfare of its members and the advancement of the common good. It is a union that is united to champion the cause of the masses without adherence to any hidden agenda or any narrow, political interest.

Unfortunately, Ajaero, who is obviously in bed with the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has in the few months he has spent in office dropped the standards and is trying to drag the NLC built by great patriots like Pa Michael Imoudou, Paschal Bafyau, Adams Oshiomhole etc into partisan mud.

It was not surprising that while congratulating Ajaero on his emergence as labour leader in February Peter Obi said:  “We look forward to working with him.”

No sooner after the congratulatory message than Ajaero endorsed and consistently campaigned for Peter Obi for President. In fact, apart from endorsing Peter Obi, in an official statement by the Ajaero-led Labour Congress, it called on “all workers across the country to vote for labour Part in the 2023 Presidential Election.”

Just last Thursday while an official of NLC said they didn’t contemplate a protest over the removal of subsidy, the following day, Friday Ajaero issued issue a statement declaring next Wednesday for a nationwide strike… Haba

His plan to drag innocent workers into a needless strike action looks like an exercise in futility as majority of Nigerians know the fundamental reason why fuel subsidy has to go now.

Nigerians are tired of watching their country borrow for consumption – to subsidise waste, inefficiency and corruption. Nigerians saw their country spend 6 trillion naira on fuel subsidy last year and 1.6 trillion naira on Education and Health combined in a country where lecturers and doctors are always on strike over poor funding.

The President promised that there will be no more strikes in universities and hospitals and there will be student loans for young people whose parents cannot afford to pay their school fees.

Nigerians are fully aware that the humongous waste called fuel subsidy has to go for the above to be achieved. They will therefore not join the political jobber called Ajaero in his public show of shame.

This is why the mob action called by Ajaero has been receiving backlash from Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Non-governmental organisations (NGO) and majority of right-thinking Nigerians.

On the 5th of May, 2023, Northern youths under the umbrella of Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) had alleged plans by Ajaero and his group to scuttle the inauguration of Tinubu.

The Spokesperson of the group, Ali Muhammad, also accused the union of working with some groups to actualise the ulterior motive just because their preferred candidate did not win the election.

The group further petitioned security agencies to effect the arrest of Ajaero, who they accused of using the platform of NLC, to, while working with the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), push for Obi presidency through the back door.

Ajaero also in his May Day speech hit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hard, accusing it of conducting flawed elections to favour Tinubu as against Obi who he claimed won the election.

Typical of his dictatorial tendencies, Ajaero, in a letter sighted by PRNigeria, had directed all its members to vote for Labour Party in the February 25 election.

During the last May Day celebration at Eagle Square in Abuja, Ajaero invited Obi to witness the occasion and that gave him the platform to continue his anti-Establishment propaganda.

Another embarrassing moment was when Ajaero granted an interview to The Sun Newspaper, using his status as the NLC President, to vigorously defend Obi against the accusation made by Lai Muhammed, former Minister of Information and Culture, that Obi had committed insurrection, which was a treasonable offence.

He said: “Which comment or comments has he made that is inciting? Let us underline any of such comments. Look, it is the person talking of insurrection, I mean Lai Mohammed, that should be charged for inciting people against Obi,” Ajaero said.

From that particular moment, it became obvious that Ajaero has turned to himself Obi’s mouthpiece or rather a spokesperson. He exposed himself as someone who is not capable of leading the NLC.

In any case, Obi who Ajaero is supporting also promised to remove fuel subsidy immediately. But Ajaero is threatening fire and brimstone because it is the wrong person from the wrong party who has taken the bull by the horns to put an end to the nonsensical fuel subsidy regime, in line with the process started by his predecessor.

We all know that the pump price of PMS will regulate itself when local private refineries come on board and Port Harcourt Refinery which is undergoing repairs is back to life.

In the meantime, the President has also vowed to take a look at the current minimum wage with a view to increasing it just as interventions will be rolled out for the poorest Nigerians to be able to cope with the new economic realities.

Many Nigerians therefore found laughable Ajaero’s ultimatum to government to revert to the status quo or face a total nationwide strike. It is looking increasingly likely that only Ajaero will obey his selfish call for strike action on Wednesday.

The generality of workers are obviously not in the mood to disrupt the peace and challenge the present administration to a duel just few days into office.