By Comfort Obi
So, let me start this with a brief story. It happened on Saturday, 27 July, 2024, at Philadelphia, United States of America. Venue was the Crown Plaza Hotel. And the occasion was the Annual Convention of the World Owerri Peoples Congress, WOPC.
The Convention is usually a big do, a congregation of some of the best brains from Owerri who live in the United States of America. It, also, attracts a number of highly placed Owerri people from home. And, whoever is the Governor of Imo State usually gets invited even though they hardly attend. Non attendance robs them of a good opportunity to interact with their “State Capital Landlords” who live in the USA, many of whom can help in a number of sectors to move the State forward.
The Convention provides an opportunity to discuss the status of the Owerri man, the development and progress of Owerri, the youths, their education, unemployment, insecurity at home, the state of Imo State, even the state of Nigeria. But most important, it is an opportunity to raise money for the scores of underprivileged pupils and students back home- Primary, Secondary Schools, tertiary institutions – who they offer scholarships annually. And inspite of the, most times, exaggerated negative stories they hear of, and from home, they remain patriotic. They think home. They long for home. And they are a pillar to home, sending millions of hard earned Dollars annually to an increasing number of dependants many of whom think they pick dollars from the streets of America. If only they know the number of grueling working hours their relations endure, holding down, often, two jobs, a number of them, barely getting a sleep.
So, in the 2024 edition of WOPC Convention which held between July 25 and 27, Ajaero was one of their treasured guests. It gave them joy to stay with, and celebrate their brother who gradually, but steadily rose to the high profile position of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. No mean feat.
Comrade Joe Ajaero – NLC President
Comrade Joe Ajaero, NLC President.
As expected in an Owerri event, there was a lot of Owerri music. As most people, including Ajaero, proudly hit the dance floor and swayed and wriggled their waists to the seductive music, the Disc Jockey pulled what Ajaero described as an insult to Nigeria.
From nowhere, this DJ began to play Idris Abdulkareem’s “Nigeria jaga jaga, everything scatter- scatter.” Sure these our people in the Diaspora love Nigeria, but they are also aware of how things stand in our beloved country. So, some of them also danced to Abdulkareem’s uncomplimentary song.
He stopped dancing. There he was, the President of the NLC, listening to a D.J. playing a derogatory song about his country, in a foreign land? He would have none of it.
So, Ajaero walked down to him, and taught him some few lessons in patriotism. He asked how he dared play a song derogatory of Nigeria in a foreign land, and before a Nigerian community. He asked for the music to be stopped. And walked back to his seat thereafter.
One can now imagine how all those who witnessed Ajaero’s open show of patriotism in a foreign land, his stiff defence of his country’s integrity in a foreign land, would feel about Ajaero’s ordeal today which began a few days after his return to his country, Nigeria.
Depending on when you read this, Comrade Joe Ajaero will either be in his house or a Police facility.
If he is in his house, he must either be going through files, arranging his papers, preparatory to what could turn out to be long hours of ordeal. Or, he is already
at a Police Facilty in Abuja, answering questions like: did you, or did you not?
Ajaero’s current ordeal which many have described as the biggest battle of his life began, as they say, “like play, like play”.
Of course he, from his early days as the NLC President, had problems with Governments over Workers’ welfare. In fact, his home State, Imo, was the first to face his wrath. In response, a couple of weeks later, he was given a bitter pill to swallow. On a “working” visit to the State, Ajaero was given the beating of his life. He ended up in about three hospitals, and was blinded, almost.
Since then, Ajaero has had a couple of brushes with the Federal Government. He had threatened Workers’ strike actions against the Federal Government. He had called out Workers on strike which fizzled out after a 48 hours. The longest, and most successful, was the one which earned Workers a N70,000 minimum wage – up from N35,000, which most States have still been unable to pay. That was a big leap for Workers, a leap for which workers will remain grateful to his leadership.
Ironically, Ajaero’s current wahala did not start because he led Workers to a strike. It is an offshoot of a protest neither he as a person, nor NLC was involved in.
A number of Groups had come together to organize what they tagged #EndBadGovernance. It was, specifically, a protest against hunger, and suffering they said. It lasted for 10 days – August 1 to August
As the day approached, the NLC issued a statement and distanced the Congress from the protest. Meaning that the NLC was not involved in the violent protest which threatened, particularly, in the North, the foundation of Nigeria.
For the first time, foreign flags- Russia’s- were carried in their thousands. They called for Russia to come and take over Nigeria. They openly invited the Military to throw out the President Bola Tinubu-led Government. People died on both sides – Security Agencies and Protesters. Billions of Naira worth of private and public properties were destroyed. Some were torched. Serious efforts were made to put an end to it. And it seemed the protests were fizzling out, Ajaero was dragged in.
On August 8, two days before the end of the nationwide protest, Police Operatives invaded/raided the NLC National Headquarters Abuja. They carted away all kinds of things, including books. While shocked Nigerians wondered how and why, the Police denied its operatives carried out any operations at the NLC Headquarters. But later, the Police swallowed its vomit. It admitted its Operatives raided the NLC Headquarters, but pointed out that neither the NLC nor its Leadership was the target. A foreign terrorist, its statement said, was the target. Till date, the foreigner has remained nameless, anonymous.
While the NLC demanded an apology from the NPF, and a return of the things carted away, the NPF raised the ante.
On 19 August, the Police extended a letter of invitation to Ajaero where he was accused of crimes unbelievable. Terrorism. Funding terrorism. Treasonable felony. Criminal conspiracy Cybercrime. And more. He was asked to report the next day, August 20, for interrogation, failing he would have a bench warrant on his head.
Reactions to the invitation came like claps of thunder. First, Femi Falana, Ajaero and NLC’s Lawyer, sent a letter to the Inspector General of Police, and said it was not possible for Ajaero to honour the invitation on the day requested. Ajaero, he informed, had an already committed appointment. He informed that Ajaero would appear on August 29. And, he requested that Ajaero be given details of the allegations/charges leveled against him.
The reaction from the NLC was swift and sharp. It gave notice that all its affiliates will embark on a nationwide strike if Ajaero is arrested or detained.
The Police, apparently, avoided a national uproar, a shut down of the country by not arresting Ajaero before the 29th he requested to appear.
But 29th is here. And the Police will have Ajaero before them. To accompany him are his Lawyers and tge Leadership of the NLC. The scene at the IRT Complex, venue of the interrogation will be interesting.
And most Nigerians will be focused on that. All eyes will be on the Police and Ajaero. Not a few people are anxious to know the details of the allegations against Ajaero.
Not a few people are anxious to see the strong evidence(s) the Police has against Ajaero. Not a few people are anxious to see the Police prove them. Not a few people are anxious to know if Ajaero will be stupid enough to engage in such atrocious acts. Why would Ajaero who protested against a song derogatory of his country, a couple of weeks ago, turn round to sponsor terrorism against his same country? Not a few people think the allegations are part of an orchestrated plan to ease Ajaero out of office as NLC President. They think this whole stuff is just a way of giving a dog a bad name to hang it. And not a few people – nationally and internationally- are interested in this case. The international community is also interested. A testy case. A testy situation. Yet, the Police must be allowed to do their job.
Nigerians can’t wait. And the questions are tumbling. Will Ajaero indulge in terrorism? Will he be caught indulging in treasonable felony?
Is Ajaero stubborn? Sure he is. Most Labour Leaders are. Check out Senator Adams Oshiomhole. Ajaero is mild compared to Oshiomhole as NLC President.
Does Ajaero interrogate Government policies and actions? Sure. Does he keep Government on its toes? Sure. That’s his job.
Not only was he a Journalist, he is a Lawyer and a Labour Leader. Good combination for an interrogation of everything.The combination also holds a number of things in suspicion.
Nervous as many people are over the outcome of this inexplicable situation, my advice is: reduce the tension in the Country. It is so high, so dense that a knife could find it difficult to cut through. Truth is, not a few people are tired. And frustrated. There is hunger. There is anger. All we need to do is: take a deep breath and calm down.
The Ajaero case could be a starting point.
If the Police has no proof, and cannot prove the allegations against Ajaero beyond reasonable doubt, he should be left alone. And apologies could follow later – over drinks and back slaps.
Obi is the Editor-in-Chief/CEO of The Source (Magazine), https://thesourceng.com. Email: comfortobisource@gmail.com, comfort@thesourceng.com
This article was first published on 29 August 2024 in the Source Magazine.
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