By Chinedu Echianu
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has accused Nigerian authorities of subjecting workers and labour leaders to intimidation, arrests, harassment and other forms of persecution for demanding better wages and working conditions.
Speaking in Oslo, Norway, while receiving the prestigious Arthur Svensson International Award on Wednesday, Ajaero said defending workers’ rights in Nigeria had increasingly become a dangerous undertaking, with trade union activists facing state repression for advocating a living wage and improved welfare for workers.
According to him, labour leaders have been arrested, detained and investigated on what he described as trumped-up charges, including terrorism financing, cybercrime, criminal conspiracy, subversion and treasonable felony.
He said workers who demand fair wages in the face of rising inflation are often branded enemies of the state, while union activities are routinely disrupted by security agencies.
The NLC president recounted a series of ordeals he said he had endured since 2023, including the destruction of his Lagos residence by fire, alleged abduction and detention by security agencies, repeated interrogations, surveillance and harassment while attempting to travel abroad to attend labour events.
He also cited the August 2024 raid on the NLC national secretariat by security personnel and the victimisation of workers demanding improved wages.
Despite the challenges, Ajaero said the Nigerian labour movement remained resolute in its struggle for workers’ rights.
He described the award as recognition of the sacrifices of millions of Nigerian workers and union activists who have faced repression in the course of demanding social and economic justice.
“I receive this award not as a trophy but as a weapon in the struggle for workers’ rights,” he said. “Every time they silence one voice, ten thousand rise. Every time they tear down a picket line, two more appear.”
Ajaero praised the Arthur Svensson Foundation for recognising labour struggles in the Global South, saying the award underscored the importance of international solidarity in defending workers against exploitation and anti-labour practices.
The labour leader vowed that the NLC would intensify efforts to organise workers in both the formal and informal sectors, resist anti-worker policies and expose violations of international labour standards.
He further warned multinational corporations, international financial institutions and political leaders against policies that undermine workers’ welfare, insisting that the award would strengthen, rather than diminish, the resolve of organised labour to continue its advocacy.
The Arthur Svensson International Award is presented annually to individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to the promotion of trade union rights and workers’ welfare across the world.
Ajaero is the latest labour leader to receive the international recognition.
