Trade unionists flay operatives’ invasion of NLC HQ

African women push for emancipation, feminist agenda
African Regional Organisation of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has flayed the invasion of the headquarters (HQ) of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by some security operatives in the wee hours of Wednesday.

General Secretary of the organisation, Joel Odigie, in a letter to President Bola Tinubu, ITUC-Africa reiterated its solidarity with the NLC and joined their call for the immediate withdrawal of security operatives from the Labour House.

The letter read: “Mr President, African workers note that the police state actions are reminiscent of Gestapo regimes alien to Nigeria’s avowed popular participatory democracy. The African trade union community is shocked and strongly denounces the attacks against protesters and the invasion of the NLC building in a manner that makes Nigeria’s worst and dark military rule era pale in comparison. Nigeria espouses the practice of the rule of law, which abhors juvenile and jungle actions displayed in recent days by Nigerian security operatives.”

The union declared that the actions of security operatives were not only a violation of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees the rights of citizens to freely associate and express themselves, but also an apparent infringement of international conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.

It cited ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948); ILO Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949): This convention protects workers against anti-union discrimination regarding their employment and any acts of interference by public authorities and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981): Article 10(1) of the Charter explicitly guarantees the right to free association, while Article 11 guarantees the right to assemble freely with others.

MEANWHILE, President of the African Regional Organisation of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), Martha Molema, said time has come for the African continent to dismantle patriarchal systems and practices hindering anti-women emancipations.

Speaking at the Amazone Status in Cotonou, Benin Republic, yesterday, Molema, urged African governments to recognise feminism as a powerful tool for achieving equity and gender equality.

“Feminism is not just about women’s rights, it is about creating a society where all individuals, regardless of gender, can live free from discrimination, violence, and inequality. This requires dismantling patriarchal systems that perpetuate gender-based violence, economic disenfranchisement, and political exclusion.”

The women’s group also urged African governments to prioritise the empowerment of women in political, economic, and social spheres, saying: “This includes ensuring equal representation in government and leadership positions, providing access to education and healthcare, and supporting women’s economic empowerment through policies that promote entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.”

While reeling out African women’s demands at the end of the first ITUC-Africa women conference, Molema said African women were united in their demand for transformative change across Africa, saying women across the continent had long been the backbone of the continent’s economies, families, and communities.