Aviation Minister Denies Involvement in NLC President’s Arrest, Warns Against Targeting Aviation in Protests
The Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN has said the Ministry was not involved in the alleged arrest of the National President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajeroh by security agents.
Their retaliation is Aviation. So, please, I want to tell them to leave us alone. Leave Aviation alone. You cannot target Aviation in trying to address your grievances.”
Keyamo spoke at the ongoing Ministerial Retreat for the Permanent Secretary, Directors and Heads of Agencies of the Ministry held in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
Keyamo said the protests affected foreigners coming into the country as well as citizens going about their normal businesses, stressing that the protesters disrupted aviation activities by blocking the access road to the Abuja International Airport.
Keyamo who claimed to be grounded in legal, civil society and labour matters said, “I pray and am talking directly to them. Do not allow the Labour Party to destroy the Labour Movement. I repeat, do not allow the Labour Party and politics to destroy the Labour Movement.”
According to Keyamo, “Call your leadership to order. Don’t get stocked in politics. It will destroy the Labour Movement.”
Keyamo who was blunt in his remarks also said the protesters are “hirelings” of the Labour Party pointing out that, “it’s not good for the image of the Labour Movement.
“They cannot be hirelings in the Labour Party and they used them at their will. That’s why you see that the Labour Movement does not control the policies of the Labour Party.”
Keyamo appealed to Labour Unions not to destroy themselves with their involvement in politics, noting that the Aviation Ministry has mobilised security agencies to disperse the protesters from the Abuja International Airport.
“I as Aviation Minister will not allow that target on Aviation. They should not target Aviation. If they do that, I will fight back and they should not bring politics to Aviation. Am grounded in this. I’ve been with them all over the years but they cannot deceive me. What they’re doing is politics. It’s not the Labour Movement. It’s politics. You cannot use that platform to go and support a party different from my party when you’re fighting back, you say it’s the Labour Movement. No, it’s not. You should be ready for the consequences if you play politics.”
Keyamo condemned the alleged arrest of NLC National President, Joe Ajeroh as he maintained that nobody should be manhandled.
“I condemn what happened to my friend, Ajeroh. Nobody should get fisticuffs but in the same breath, they should not find themselves in the realm of Politics.”
It would be recalled that leaders of the labour Unions which comprise the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC had in the early hours of the day, staged a protest at the International Airport, Abuja.
