COP 28: We Funded Ajaero’s Trip To Dubai, Not FG -NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Thursday revealed that it is the sole sponsor of its president’s trip to the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 28 held in Dubai.

This is coming after various reports, not THE WHISTLER claimed that the NLC President Joe Ajaero was compensated with the trip by the Federal Government following his assault in Imo state.

Recall that Ajaero accused the Imo state government of his assault and kidnap in Owerri, the state capital, on November 1, 2023.

In a statement signed by the NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs, Comrade Benson Upah and made available to THE WHISTLER, he said, “A falsely contrived media innuendo circulated in social media has been brought to the attention of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

“The badly cooked media propaganda tried to present the participation of the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, at the Conference of the Parties in Dubai as a gift from the government.

“The yellow light report dubbed the trip by the NLC president as compensation after he survived a barbaric assault at the hands of agents of the state in Imo State.

“Nothing can be farther from the truth. The NLC is participating in the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as part of the NLC’s commitment to defending workers’ interests concerning 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 NLC with NLC participating in the Conference of the Parties since 2009”.

Speaking further, Upah said that the congress decided to harness opportunities of COP 28 to present the research work of the NLC Climate Change Program on Just Transition, which covers Nigeria’s seven priority sectors.

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, while demanding adequate social protection measures for workers who may not be able to transit.