The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has refuted the claims that it was fully sponsored and in the entourage of the Federal Government to the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates.
The union alleged that the media propaganda attempt to present the participation of the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, at the COP28 as a gift from the government, stating Ajaero’s trip and that of the NLC Focal Person on Climate Change, Eche Asuzu, was fully paid for by the Congress.
A statement by the NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, yesterday, alleged that the yellow light report dubbed the trip by the NLC President as compensation after he survived a barbaric assault at the hands of agents of the State in Imo State.
Stating that nothing could be farther from the truth, he said the NLC’s presence at COP28, was part of the NLC’s commitment to defending workers’ interests with regards to the impact of climate change on the livelihood of workers, especially concerning the just transition.
He said the Ajaero was a discussant on a panel of a side event at the programme, where he made a strong demand for workers to be mainstreamed in the global discourse for climate change.
He however, said it was unfortunate that a laudable effort by Congress to defend and promote the interest of workers concerning climate change was turned into media propaganda by those who are bent on using the slightest opportunity to feed their determined and sustained campaign of calumny against the working people of Nigeria.
Upah also said the mischievous media report also portrayed the crass ignorance of the sponsors who are the only Nigerians who do not know that the NLC is a respectable self-funding institution.
“The cowardly enemies of the working people of Nigeria also failed to do their basic homework. If they did, they would have found out that the NLC has also been participating in the COP since 2009.
“While we call on Nigerians, especially workers to disregard the report as another effort to portray the struggle for social justice including decent work and just transition in a bad light, the leadership of the NLC under Comrade Joe Ajaero remains committed to using every reasonable opportunity to advance the cause of the working people of Nigeria.”
