The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said the participation of its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero at the ongoing Conference of the Parties in Dubai, was not a compensation or gift from the government.

A statement issued by NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Comrade Benson Upah on Thursday in Abuja, said the propaganda making the rounds “dubbed the trip by the NLC President as compensation after he survived a barbaric assault in the hands of agents of the State in Imo State.”

According to him, Ajaero’s trip was not only fully funded by Congress, but he was a discussant at panels hosted on the sidelines of the global event.

“Nothing can be farther from the truth. The Nigeria Labour Congress is participating in the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) holding in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as part of NLC’s commitment to defending workers’ interest with regards to the impact of Climate Change on the livelihood of workers especially with regards to the Just Transition.

“The President’s trip and that of the NLC Focal Person on Climate Change, Comrade Eche Asuzu, was fully paid for by the Nigeria Labour Congress.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress being a leading advocate for Just Transition for workers organised a Side Event in Dubai which allowed us connect to the global working class movement fully represented in COP 28. The side event was also an opportunity to present a Research work undertaken by the NLC Climate Change Program on Just Transition which covers Nigera’s seven prority sectors.

“The President of the Congress was a discussant on the first Panel of the side event where he made a strong demand for workers to be mainstreamed in the global discourse for climate change.

“At the side event, the NLC President also called for the re-training, upskilling and re-skilling of workers to prepare them for the transition from fossil fuel economy to green energy pathways. He also called for adequate social protection measures for workers who may not be able to transit.

“It is unfortunate that a laudable effort by the Nigeria Labour Congress to defend and promote the interest of workers with regards to climate change was turned into a media propaganda by those who are bent on using the slightest oppportunity to feed their determined and sustained campaign of calumny against the working people of Nigeria.

“The mischevious media report also potrayed the crass ignorance of the sponsors who obviously are the only Nigerians who do not know that the Nigeria Labour Congress is a respectable self funding institution. The cowardly enemies of the working people of Nigeria also failed to do their basic home work. If they did, they would have found out that the NLC has also been participating in the Conference of the Parties since 2009.

“While we call on Nigerians especially workers to disregard the report as another effort to portray the struggle for social justice including decent work and just transition in bad light, the leadership of the NLC under Comrade Joe Ajaero remains committed to using every reasonable opportunity to advance the cause of the working people of Nigeria.” (New Telegraph)

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