NLC Warns Edo Governor Against Interference in Caretaker Committee Inauguration

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Edo State Government of plotting to disrupt the inauguration of its caretaker committee scheduled for Thursday, August 28, 2025, in Benin City.

In a strongly worded statement signed by Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, the Congress warned that it would hold Governor Godwin Obaseki personally responsible should any harm come to members of the caretaker committee or NLC officials assigned to oversee the inauguration.

The NLC explained that the Edo State Council was dissolved after reconciliation efforts between two rival factions failed, despite the intervention of a joint committee involving NLC leaders and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.

According to the statement, Governor Obaseki had openly shown reluctance to work with the administration of Odion Olaye, the democratically elected council chairperson, before a government-backed faction led by Bernard Jormah allegedly removed him illegally.

Following the dissolution, the NLC said it constituted a caretaker committee in line with its constitution, but claimed that the government-backed faction had continued to issue threats, contrary to international labour standards and national laws that prohibit state interference in trade union affairs.

The Congress also alleged that the keys to the NLC Secretariat in Benin were seized by government forces, while threats were directed at members of the caretaker committee.

“We shall personally hold the governor responsible if any of the caretaker committee members or those assigned to inaugurate them come to harm,” the statement read.

The NLC further urged security agencies, including the police and DSS, to take note of what it described as the “sinister motives” of the state government.

Expressing disappointment, the Congress described the governor’s actions as a “huge discredit” to Edo’s rich labour history, recalling the legacies of late Pa Imoudu and former governor Adams Oshiomhole.

It advised the governor to steer clear of labour matters and focus on governance, stressing that the NLC does not take instructions from state authorities.