Press statement by Solidarity Network for Workers Rights
Editors Note
The 10 days of protests against price hikes and poverty in Nigeria tagged #EndBadGovernance and led by working class youth, which ended on August 10, have been met with strong repression from government forces. On the first day of announced protests, Thursday 1 August, the effect was like that of a general strike: workplaces and transport were at a stand still. Events were largely peaceful in the south, but featured violence outburst and shootings in the North.
The Tinubu regime has now extended it is repressive clampdown with harassment of the trade union federation, the NLC, including accusations of “financing terrorism”. This shows the government’s fear of mass anger. Around one thousand protesters have been arrested, with the government procuring an order from the courts to detain some of them for a further 60 days.
Press release 26 August
The Solidarity Network for Workers’ Rights (SNWR) strongly condemns the ongoing attacks on peaceful protesters and labour leaders by the Tinubu-APC-led government. We call on all workers, students, and concerned citizens to demand the immediate release of all detained protesters and an end to the harassment of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leaders.
We are deeply concerned by the recent decision of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which has allowed the police to remand 124 #EndBadGovernance protesters for 60 days. This decision is a serious violation of constitutional rights and an affront to justice.
Furthermore, the fact that these individuals were remanded without legal representation is a blatant disregard for due process and the rule of law. We are particularly concerned about the deteriorating health conditions of those detained under inhumane conditions by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The harassment of NLC President Joe Ajaero, including the invasion of the NLC secretariat and baseless accusations of terrorism financing, is a clear attempt to silence labour leaders. The Tinubu government’s actions reflect a desperate attempt to stifle dissent and crush opposition to its harmful policies, which have led to widespread poverty and economic hardship. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all unjustly detained individuals, including Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Angel Innocent, and Eleojo Opaluwa.
This clear attempt to silence and intimidate activist and labour leaders underscores the government’s fear of escalating public discontent. The Tinubu-APC-led regime cannot hold Nigerian youths responsible for protesting against its IMF and World Bank-driven capitalist policies, which have exacerbated hunger and widespread poverty while hypocritically labeling dissenters as terrorists and using terrorism financing as a pretext for repression.
In truth, it is the Nigerian people who might view the Tinubu-APC government as responsible for encouraging conditions that result in protests. This is due to its implementation of neoliberal capitalist policies, continuous accumulation of debt without visible benefits, and the unchecked extravagance of politicians, exemplified by the purchase of a private jet. we call for an immediate reversal of all anti-people policies implemented by the Tinubu-APC-led regime, including reinstating the fuel subsidy, revitalizing existing refineries and constructing new ones, and ensuring the prompt payment of the newly approved minimum wage of N70,000 in which the government is yet to commence payment after several months of approval.
SNWR also calls for a unified response from the labour movement and the broader public to challenge these anti-democratic actions and reverse the government’s harmful policies.
