How proscription of trade unions was fought under military and civilian regimes in Nigeria by Femi Falana

A fortnight ago, a radical asked maine to recuse myself from defending the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPENG). Others called maine names for pointing retired that the Trade Union Act has imposed a work connected employers to accord designation to each registered commercialized unions and respect the close of workers to unionise. I decided to disregard the anti-democratic forces arsenic determination was nary constituent joining issues with them and their paymasters.

However it is pertinent to state, without immoderate fearfulness of contradiction, that we have, for the past 4 decades, embarked connected ineligible and governmental struggles successful defence of the cardinal rights of workers, students, teachers, lawyers and doctors to state of association. Some of the ineligible and governmental campaigns waged by america are acceptable retired hereunder:

PURPORTED PROSCRIPTION OF NANS

In 1984, the Muhammadu Buhari subject junta proscribed the past vibrant National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). We advised the leaders of NANS to disregard the proscription arsenic it was not backed by immoderate law. Hence, successful defiance of the ban, the NANS President, astatine the worldly time, Comrade Lanre Arogundade, declared that “NANS shall proceed to run arsenic it was not established by the Nigerian government”.

Following the anti-SAP protests organised by the NANS successful 1989, the Ibrahim Babangida subject junta sponsored cultist groups to onslaught leaders of pupil unions successful each tertiary institutions. The extremist ones among the pupil leaders were either rusticated oregon dismissed for frivolous reasons. The precocious Comrade Alao Aka-Bashorun and the precocious Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN led america to situation specified authoritarian actions. It is connected grounds that the bulk of the cases were won successful court. With the assistance of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), we ensured that the fewer pupil leaders who mislaid their cases successful tribunal completed their assemblage acquisition successful different section and overseas universities.

PROSCRIPTION OF NMA AND NARD

In 1985, the Buhari subject junta proscribed the Nigerian Medical Association and (NMA) and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) for going connected onslaught to request summation successful the salaries of doctors and betterment successful nationalist hospitals. The harassment of the doctors exposed the utter hypocrisy of the junta, which had loudly claimed that Nigerian hospitals had go “consulting clinics” portion justifying the coup d’tat that illegally toppled the Shehu Shagari administration. 

Dr. Emmanuel Akpabio and Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, the NMA President and the 1st Vice-President, respectively, were detained successful the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre nether the State Security (Detention of Persons) Decree No 2 of 1984. The Alao Aka-Bashorun Chambers challenged their detention successful the Lagos State High Court. It was erstwhile the lawsuit was pending that some detainees were released aft they had been successful situation custody for six months without trial. The leaders of the NARD fled the state erstwhile the junta wanted to apprehension and detain them. 

CRIMINALISATION OF STRIKES 

On October 1988, the elder unit national of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) went connected a three-day onslaught to protestation the perennial issues of inadequate backing of the organisation, deficiency of information measures and mediocre work conditions. Eleven of the striking workers were aboriginal arrested and accused of sabotage. They were charged with economical sabotage earlier a peculiar subject tribunal that sat successful Jos, Plateau State. 

They pleaded not blameworthy to the monstrous charges. But they were convicted and sentenced them each to beingness imprisonment. The beingness condemnation was aboriginal reduced by the subject authorities to 10 years. As a effect of section and planetary outrage against the criminalisation of the strike, the subject president, General Ibrahim Babangida pardoned the convicts earlier the extremity of their situation terms. They regained their state with their heads unbowed.

DISSOLUTION OF NLC EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 

In 1988, the enactment of the Nigeria Labour Congress was factionalised successful the build-up to its Triennial Conference held astatine Benin, Edo State on ideological lines. The progressive campy won the predetermination portion the faction sponsored by the Ibrahim Babangida subject junta mislaid the predetermination arsenic they were rejected by Nigerian workers. Completely embarrassed, the junta deployed equipped troops to inhabit the National Secretariat...