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Senators
Senators, Fawehinmi,
Balarabe, others condemn arrest
COSMAS EKPUNOBI, ABIODUN
ADELAJA, Abuja, KALU OKWARA, Lagos,
VINCENT ADEKOYE, Benin VINCENT EGUNYANGA
FURIOUS
reactions to the arrest yesterday morning of labour leader Adams Oshiomhole were
mixed with defiance by activists who vowed to go ahead with the nation wide
strike tomorrow.
Several Senators who spoke to our
reporters yesterday also insisted on the immediate release of Oshiomhole.
Outspoken Senator Idris Kuta termed the arrest as a blatant violation of the
labour leaders rights, a view echoed by Senators Mohammed Kanti, Ike Ekweremadu,
and John Ucha.
Other leaders of the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) and its strike allies the civil society groups difiantly
proclaimed their determination to coordinate the nationwide strike despite
Oshiomhole’s arrest.
Condemnation against government’s
action predictably came from labour groups and civil rights organisations as
well as from the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) the 18-party
coalition of apposition parties.
NLC acting general secretary, Mr.
Salihu Lukman was categorical: "The arrest will not affect the planned
action. The general stay-at-home therefore commences as scheduled. It shall be
total and nationwide and the NLC/Civil Society Coalition will give effective
leadership."
Lagos-lawyer, Chief Gani
Fawehinmi (SAN) insisted that the arrest would not abort the strike saying that
no amount of threat, blackmail or propaganda would deter the Nigerian masses
from protesting the fuel price increases.
Chief Fawehinmi had earlier on
Friday offered free legal services to all participants in the strike and urged
all Nigeria lawyers to offer similar succour.
Apparently anticipating arrests
of workers and activists, the renown human rights lawyer said it is the duty of
lawyers to advance the welfare of the people.
CNPP, in its reaction to the
arrest condemned the culture of repression prevalent in Nigeria and said it
remained steadfast in support of the strike.
CNPP secretary-general Mr. Maxi
Okwu in a statement in Abuja urged all workers to be alert to alleged plans to
detain and incarcerate them saying that by Oshiomhole’s arrest, the government
had declared "total war" on the masses.
A number of senators who were
contacted yesterday on the arrest however declined comment describing the issue
as a ‘sensitive one and dangerous.
Senator Idris Kuta (Niger) in a
telephone interview with Sunday Champion described the arrest of the NLC
president as a violation of his fundamental human rights.
According to him, the arrest of
the comrade by security operatives was the most unfortunate thing to do, adding
that there was no justification for his arrest since according to him the NLC
boss was exercising his constitutional rights.
"We are not operating a
military rule, this is democracy, and the arrest of Mr. Oshiomohole was a
violation of his rights.
"I am advising who ever that
arrested him to release him immediately in the interest of peace."
Senator Moahmmed Kanti Bello (ANPP)
in a re-action described the arrest of the NLC boss as very unfortunate and
dangerous.
According to him the federal
government by the arrest of Comrade Oshiomole had taken an unfortunate step.
Senator Bello however insisted on
the Senate decision that the federal government should revert to the old price
of N42 per litre of petrol.
According to him "government
can run but can not hide."
"We have to be very careful
in this country" because our people are suffering.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu and Julius
Ucha when contacted said they were not aware.
Senator Ekweremadu told our
reporter that he was ready to board an aircraft as such can not comment.
National Chairman of Labour
Party, Chief Dan Anyanwu also said Oshiomhole’s arrest could not stop the
strike action, slated for Monday.
He said not withstanding the
arrest, Nigeria workers are resolute and that Adams Oshiomhole is not the
problem of the government.
Chief Anyanwu said Oshomhole’s
arrest "is illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional."
He said the constitution
guaranteed free movement of all Nigerians within the country.
Executive Director of the Civil
Liberties Organisation (CLO) Mr. Uche Ubani, said despite the arrest, the strike
would still go on as scheduled.
Calling on Nigerians to remain
steadfast to the struggle, he said Oshiomhole’s arrest rather than stop the
strike would exacerbate the protest.
"The government is deceiving
itself by believing that Oshiomole’s arrest, or anybody else’s for that
matter, can stop the planned strike. That is another miscalculation by the
government. The strike will go on," explained Mr. Ubani.
Chief Mike Ozekhome, lawyer and
human rights activist, argued along the same line, stressing that Oshiomhole’s
arrest would rather further provoke tomorrow’s planned protest because there
would have been no central labour to negotiate with.
According to him, Oshiomhole’s
arrest was part of the present administration’s agenda to clamp down on not
only the opposition but also on any voice of dissent.
"It is part of President
Obasanjo’s programme to plunge Nigeria into a retrogressive and autocratic
one-party state where there will be no freedoms and liberties to the people and
no opposition to the massive corruption and wastages already entrenched in the
system.
"This government is baring
its fangs more and more as a civilian dictatorship, worse than the regime of
Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, Papaduk Dwaverlia of Haiti and Idi Amin of Uganda.
This government is worse than those of Sani Abacha and Ibrahim Babangida
combined," Chief Ozekhome said.
Mr. Femi Falana another
well-known activist who flayed arrest, and regretted that the security agents
could be so mean to "brutalise and drag" Oshiomhole on the floor in
the presence of top politicians including Chief Audu Ogbe, National Chairman of
the ruling party, and national legislators.
He however insisted that the
strike would continue as scheduled tomorrow, stressing that the government must
have been jolted by the decision of the Nigeria Bar Association last Thursday to
participate actively in the protest by withdrawing their legal services.
"The NBA resolution made the
government to rush to the Abuja High Court to stop the protest, the hearing of
which has been fixed for Wednesday. But before then, the strike would have taken
off," he said.
In Benin, Edo State, second
republic Senator, Chief Frankis Okposo called for the immediate release of
Oshiomole "in the interest of peace."
He predicted that Nigeria is
heading towards another" era of doom" as experienced in the aftermath
of the June 12 1993 presidential election annulment.
The arrest of the NLC leader
conceded with the disappearance of the key labour leaders in the state following
a threat by the Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Paul Ochonu, to clamp down on
them ahead of the Monday strike.
Senator Olaposo stated that the
arrest of Comrade Oshiomole can never bring peace to this nation.
His words, "Government is
not going to achieve peace with the arrest of Oshiomhole arresting him amounts
to arresting the masses and I want to believe that is the beginning of trouble
and mass resistance for the present government."
The Edo police commissioner said yesterday that,
"the proposed strike action is illegal and will not be entertained in its
entirety."
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