Labour Strike: Imo Losing Billions as NUJ, CSOs Allege Anti-democratic Agenda

Tony Icheku in Owerri

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Imo State Council and four other civil society organisations (CSOs) have raised the alarm that the economy of Imo State was hemorrhaging and faces imminent collapse as the power outage caused by striking electricity workers has jerked up cost of production.

They also stated that the development has forced the closure of some small medium enterprises (SMEs) in the state, stating that over N500 billion had been lost due to the Joe Ajaero’s imposed blackout on Imo people.

“Small scale business owners are rapidly going out of business due to high cost of running their businesses, hotel owners are being stifled, students are left desperate in search of energy sources for their ICT study materials, civil civil servants have had their basic budgets strained because they are not able to preserve their food.

“Everyone and every sector in Imo State is adversely affected by the ongoing Ajaero imposed blackout on our dear State. And we ask: Is the Labour Union now against or for the people?, the Coalition queried in a text read to newsmen by Jones F.C. C. Onwuasoanya,  Convener, Imo Patriots’ League

The Coalition further warned that the ongoing electricity blackout and further plans for total strike by the Labour unions nationwide may be a devious agenda of anti-democratic forces to derail the democratic process of electioneering and short-circuit the Imo State off-season governorship election scheduled for tommorow.

Onwuasoanya, who traced the challenges facing the State to the attack on the attack on Ajaero, when he visited the State to mobilise workers for a protest, alleged that the NLC President may have embarked on a political hatchet job to  advance a personal agenda to either confer undue advantage on his preferred candidates or to completely derail the election.

“As you all know, election is a key democratic feature which give the people the power to elect the leader who has convinced them the most about his or her strategies and ideas for making lives, better, prosperous and safe for them.

“The Imo Patriots’ League believes that the people should be allowed, without any form of intimidation or harassments, to elect their leaders in an atmosphere devoid of rancour and hostilities.

“We find it reprehensible that Comrade Joe Ajaero, an Imo son could bring himself to derail the governorship election because of his personal political agenda, which by all intents and purposes is vindictive and selfish.

“The NLC President has not hidden his partisanship, especially as it concerns the upcoming governorship election in Imo State, but we would have expected that he employs democratic methods in campaigning for his candidate instead of abusing his office and exploiting the powers of the labour force to harass and intimidate ordinary Imolites as a way of blackmailing the government of the State,” Onwuasoanya submitted.