Comrade Addo, a Former National  Vice-President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the then Chairman of the Port Harcourt Zone of PENGASSAN was arrested in August 1994 together with other notable Union leaders like Chief Frank Ovie Kokori (then Secretary General of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG),Chief Milton Dabibi(the General Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN)),Wariebi Kojo Agamene, (then President of NUPENG).Comrade Addo and these trade union leaders were arrested between August and September 1994 during the dark days of General Sanni Abacha’s Military Dictatorship in Nigeria under the State Security (Detention of Persons) Decree, No. 2 of 1984, as amended in by Decree No. 11 of 1994. This evil law by the Military Government allowed the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of General Staff to order the detention without charge or trial of any person considered a threat to the security of the state for an initial period of three months, although the Military authorities then routinely treated the initial period as indefinitely renewable, detaining people incommunicado for months or years without charge or trial. In case of Comrade Addo and his fellow comrades, they were detained for more than two years without trial while their families were denied access to them. When they fell ill they were not allowed access to medical treatment. Their detention followed a strike by oil industry workers to protest the arrest of Moshood Abiola, winner of the annulled 1993 presidential elections. Abiola and leaders of NADECO - the National Democratic Coalition - were arrested and charged with treason in May 1994 when they demanded that the military government hand over power to the elected president. Comrade Addo and his co-travellers were   prisoners of conscience detained for their peaceful trade union activities and more importantly for their pursuit of Social Justice and Democracy and unparrelled exhibition of patriotism.

Comrade Frank A. Addo and his fellow Comrades preferred to die for the liberation of their fatherland rather than chicken out or Sellout in the face of unprecedented reign of evil and cruelty in Nigeria by the then  Military Junta. We are  therefore happy to celebrate his birthday and to say that without the exemplary leadership, Courage and unparalled tenacity of purpose of Comrade Frank Addo, Chief Milton Dabibi, Chief Frank Kokori (Delta State) and many other great union leaders in the face of intimidating circumstances and unrestrained exhibition of awesome instruments of terror during the dark days of Military dictatorship the present democracy may not have come when it came, or might even  have eluded us!

We shall continue to be guided by their dream, patriotism  and philosophy of life despite the fact that  the immediate benefactors of the struggle of these Union leaders especially our Present Political Leaders have done nothing to recognize the struggle and sacrifices of these Union Leaders. Little wonder then that Patriotism and nationalism which are basic ingredients for national development are terribly lacking in everyday life in our dear Country.

We would be glad to see the government extend some measure of support and recognition to these leaders as a way of rekindling the pursuit of patriotism and nationalism in Nigeria.