NLC Proceeds With Protests As Ajaero, Sowore Lead Gathering

A nationwide protest organized by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commenced in Abuja. Members of the NLC are assembling at the NLC Secretariat to demonstrate against the escalating insecurity throughout the country.

Channels Television reports that some of those already at the Secretariat include the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, and civil society allies.

Notable among them are Omoyele Sowore and his colleagues in the Revolution Now Movement.

There is also a deployment of security personnel on the ground, comprising the police, civil defence, and officials of the Department of State Service (DSS).

The NLC had met with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday night ahead of its nationwide protests against insecurity.

The President met with the labour union leadership with the hope of shelving a nationwide NLC protest scheduled for today.

The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, led the labour leaders to the meeting on Tuesday night at the State House, Abuja.

The meeting was also attended by the chairman of the APC governors’ forum, Hope Uzodimma; Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo; Governor of Kebbi State, Nasir Idris and the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

When asked by State House correspondence after the meeting if the protest would still proceed as scheduled, Ajaero did not provide a direct response.

He said: “If I’m insisting (on proceeding with the strike), I’m not insisting. I will communicate to you. It is not an organisation that one person rules. Let’s go back now. You have a meeting of labour and the governor’s forum. We’ll go back to the drawing board and digest all that Mr President said to us, and move forward from there.”