Following the picketing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by members of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to protest the recent beating of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero in Imo State by some NLC members at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against disrupting flight operations at the airports.
The minister gave the warning on Thursday at the ministerial retreat for the minister, permanent secretary, directors and heads of agencies of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development holding in Delta State.
Keyamo said he would not tolerate the activities of the labour leaders blocking access roads to the airport and appealed to the labour leaders to leave aviation alone.
“Please, I want to beg the labour leaders, leave aviation alone. You cannot target aviation in trying to address your grievances. In targeting the aviation industry you are targeting a global village”, the Minister said.
Festus Keyamo then advised labour leaders across the country not to play politics with the labour movement.
“I am addressing the labour leaders across the country, do not allow the Labour Party (LP) to destroy the labour movement. I repeat, do not allow the LP and party politics to destroy the labour movement.”
“As a minister, I will not allow the labour movement to target aviation. If they do, I will fight back. They should not bring politics into aviation. They can deceive others but they cannot deceive me. So I am appealing that the labour movement should not destroy themselves on the platform of politics”, Keyamo stated.
The Labour Party was created in 2002 by the NLC and is today jointly owned by the NLC and the TUC. In the build up to the 2023 General Elections, the NLC and TUC adopted the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi as its consensus candidate for President and urged workers to vote for Labour Party. Mr. Peter Obi came third in the election.
There has been increasing allegations of open partisanship against Labour leaders especially, the NLC. The NLC President, Joe Ajaero has been accused of mixing partisan politics with the labour struggle as seen in Imo State where the NLC President attempted to hold a protest against what described as abuse of workers rights by the Imo State Government. The protest was in disobedience to a court order restraining the NLC from embarking on the strike.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero who is from Imo State was later seen meeting with the Labour Party governorship candidate in Imo State, Athan Achonu raising concerns of an unholy alliance between the NLC and the LP to cause havoc in Imo State and possibly reduce the chances of the ruling APC in the Saturday election.