The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to withdraw the court summons served against it or risk nationwide strike beginning from August 14.

This followed the summons issued by the government on Wednesday for a charge for contempt of court after the organised labour concluded its nationwide protest.

The labour centre, in a communique issued at the end of its national executive council (NEC) meeting yesterday, demanded the immediate withdrawal of what is called the "litigious terrorism" by the Federal Ministry of Justice before the end of work on Friday, August 11, 2023.

The statement jointly signed the congress' national president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and general secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, further stated that the NLC will go on total strike across the country any day labour leaders are summoned to court by the government through the NICN.

The NEC-in-Session also resolved that the congress should commit to the terminal date of August 19, 2023 within which the issues around the petroleum price hike will be agreed given the assurances of the president and the National Assembly.

"The federal ministry of Justice through the NICN has continued to allow itself to be used as a vehicle to truncate the dominance of the tenets of democracy and muzzle/silence the voices of Nigerian workers.

"The NEC-in-Session resolved to embark on a nationwide comprehensive strike beginning Monday, August 14, 2023 if this contemptuous Court summons are not withdrawn by whosoever initiated it," it noted.

"While commending the national leadership and all the state officers for the effective coordination of the protest, it urged all affiliates and State clCouncils, including our civil society allies to stay further action but to remain focused and eternally vigilant," the communique reads in parts.