Treasonable Felony: NLC asks SGF to retract statement

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume to retract a statement where he said the shutdown of the national grid by labour members amounted to “treasonable felony” and “economic sabotage.”

The organised labour – the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) – last week declared an indefinite strike following the failure of the federal government to reach a consensus on the new minimum wage.

Nigerian workers, as part of their effort to put pressure on the Nigerian government, shut down the national grid, throwing the nation into blackout.

Mr Akume while addressing the National Executive Council of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday said the shutdown of the national grid by labour members amounted to “treasonable felony.”

“Nowhere in the world has labour ever tampered with the national grid. It is treason. A treasonable felony is an economic sabotage, you don’t do that,” the SGF said.

Mr Akume also said he cannot afford to pay each of his four drivers N100, 000 as salary in a month.

Retract your regrettable statement – NLC

The NLC, in its reaction, said it was disappointed by Mr Akume’s comments, where the SGF described the “legitimate and constitutionally protected industrial action” as a “treasonable felony” and “economic sabotage”.

The union said the statement was “deeply troubling” and undermined the spirit of constructive dialogue necessary for resolving the ongoing issues.

In a statement posted on Friday on its official X handle, Benson Upah, head, information and public affairs, NLC, said the SGF was aware of those committing treasonable felony and sabotaging the economy.

“Those who loot our treasury around the country, those who divert public resources meant for hospitals and schools, those who are involved in foreign exchange round tripping, padding of budgets and inflating contracts including those who steal trillions of naira in the name of subsidy are the real economic saboteurs who commit treasonable felony.

“These people are in costly Agbada and drive in convoys all around the nation, occupying the corridors of power and not innocent workers who are not slaves but chose to withdraw their services because of the inhumane treatment meted on them by the government,” the NLC said.

The NLC said it was “disheartening” that the SGF, a high ranking government official would make statement to trivialise the genuine grievances of Nigerian workers. It also criticised his assertion that he cannot afford to pay his four drivers N100,000 each as salary and wondered what the SGF needed four drivers for.

The union said it was clear that the SGF was paying his personal staff “starvation wages” and was telling the public that he (the SGF) is a “slave master”.

The NLC said that the path to resolving the minimum wage crisis lies in genuine dialogue and commitment to addressing the legitimate concerns of workers, and urged the government to engage them in good faith, free from threats and intimidation, citing how the Nigerian military surrounded its meeting venue with the SGF.

The army headquarters had denied the allegation that soldiers surrounded the venue of the meeting between labour leaders and the SGF, saying that the soldiers accompanied the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who also attended the meeting.

The NLC said it remains committed to advocating the rights and welfare of Nigerian workers and that it remains firm in its demand and would continue to pursue them through legitimate means.