A pro-Biafra group, Biafra Provisional Government has come hard on the organised labour over the total blackout in Imo State.
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, PLC, EEDC, had on Thursday, blamed the blackout on the labour strike, lamenting that it was beyond its control.https://dailypost.ng/2023/11/09/labour-strike-power-outage-in-imo-beyond-us-eedc-begs-customers/
The blackout was imposed on the state by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and their counterpart, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, following the attack on the NLC President, Joe Ajaero in the State.
The pro-Biafra group, however, accused Ajaero of using the ongoing blackout in the state to gain cheap popularity and cause disaffection between the state government and the people.
The President of Biafra’s Provisional Government, Dr. Chile Nwoko, who spoke to newsmen in Owerri on Thursday, expressed shock at the punishment, suffering and hardship the decisions of the labour unions were bringing on the hapless people of the state.
While praying for the quick recovery of Mr. Ajaero from the injuries he sustained, Nwoko accused him of bringing hardship on the people of Imo State.
His words: “What message is Mr. Ajaero passing across to the Imo masses? Is it to cause disaffection between the people and the state government while he is indirectly destroying them and their livelihood?
“We’re still wondering what Mr. Ajaero intends to gain. Cheap popularity? Bearing in mind that the hospitality industry is the backbone of the economy in Owerri, with the crushing cost of Diesel and gasoline, how will the hotels survive, and how do they pay their workers salaries?”
He lamented that by shutting down power supply, Ndigbo were now degenerating into contributing to their own sufferings in some percentage, after years of cries of marginalization.
“This is baffling, not only to many who love the Igbo race, but their friends outside Igbo land”, Nwoko said.
He lamented that every Monday, businesses were closed due to the order by IPOB, “and now comes Mr. Ajaero and his group inflicting more pains and losses to the people and the state.”
“It is really painful that people are bringing businesses and development to their states to create jobs for the youth, while Joe Ajaero is importing hardship on the state he claims he comes from. It is a shame.
“Shame on Mr. Ajaero and his Labour Congress. Let him and his Labour Union go to Lagos State where the state government is demolishing people’s properties without compensation.
“Let him call for industrial action in Lagos State which was developed by the general wealth of Nigeria because it was once the capital City of Nigeria which made people from different axis of Nigeria to settle there but are now being driven away through Xenophobia. He should take his men to Lagos and not Imo State.”
He also called on the Ohanaeze President-General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who hails from Imo state not to keep silent in the face of destruction.
“While we do not in any way support brutality by state security apparatuses, we condemn in the strongest terms, the punishment, sufferings, and hardship the decisions of the labour unions are bringing on the hapless people of the state”, the group added.
