•Labour leaders continue consultations

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja, Chukwuma Umeorah, Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar, Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe and Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

In spite of the meetings with President Bola Tinubu and some APC governors late Tuesday night, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, staged a nationwide protest over worsening insecurity across the country.

The labour leaders said the protest was not driven by partisan or sectional interests but by a collective resolve to rescue Nigeria from deepening insecurity threatening lives, livelihoods and national stability.

They said Nigeria’s security crisis, which has persisted for nearly two decades, has been marked by terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, with devastating consequences for workers, families and the national economy. NLC disclosed that since 2009, over 2,295 teachers have been killed by insurgents and bandits and more than 19,000 teachers  displaced in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. It added that more than 910 schools were destroyed, forcing about 1,500 learning centres to shut down or be converted into camps for internally displaced persons.

In the health sector, NLC said about 35 percent of healthcare facilities had been destroyed by terrorists while 50 percent became inaccessible in the North-East. It noted that dozens of health workers were kidnapped or killed between 2021 and 2024, worsening the country’s shortage of medical professionals.

Labour also linked insecurity to deep-rooted socio-economic injustice, inequality, corruption and poor funding of education and health sectors, warning that the economic cost was staggering. It cited an estimated N300 billion loss during the 30 days of the JOHESU strike as evidence of systemic failure.

According to the NLC, the protest marked a turning point as labour demand concrete reforms, including making Chapter Two of the Constitution justiciable, strengthening transparent security trust funds, accelerating prosecution of corrupt officials, reforming the judiciary, protecting public spaces and addressing inequality through wage justice.

The Congress described the protest as the starting point of reclaiming Nigeria from the jaws of insecurity and beginning genuine national healing, insisting that the struggle was ultimately about safeguarding the future of all Nigerians.

In Abuja, protesters marched from the NLC Secretariat, Labour House, to the Federal Ministry of Finance to demand urgent government action. Although workers, affiliate unions, civil society organisations and journalists began arriving Labour House before 7:30 a.m., the demonstration formally commenced by 11:30 a.m., after protesters waited for direction from labour leaders following a prolonged executive meeting involving NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and other top officials, which was still ongoing as at press time.

The meeting followed an earlier engagement between NLC leaders and President Tinubu over the planned protest, demonstrating labour’s preference for dialogue while sustaining pressure through peaceful mass action.

The protest attracted leaders of NLC affiliate unions and civil society groups, including Omoyele Sowore and members of the Revolution Now Movement.

Addressing workers, Deputy General Secretary of the NLC, Ismail Bello, said the protest was about national survival and the collective wellbeing of Nigerians.

He lamented the enormous toll of insecurity on Nigerians, noting that entire communities had been destroyed and livelihoods wiped out.

Bello reaffirmed labour’s constitutional right to peaceful protest, warning that no authority could silence workers.

“What we are doing today is not just for the benefit of workers alone, it is for the benefit of all Nigerians. As citizens, we have surrendered our sovereignty to government in the hope that they will secure lives, protect citizens and run the economy in a way that benefits the majority of our people, not just a few politicians.

“We are reminding the world of the calamity that has befallen many communities and many workers; healthcare workers, nurses, teachers, transport workers and others. The damage is enormous and it has to stop. We are here on the streets reminding the government that nobody can gag us from exercising our right to freedom of association and freedom of assembly.”

Calling for decisive action against kidnappers and criminal networks, Bello argued that failure to punish perpetrators had emboldened insecurity nationwide.

“People must return to normalcy. They should live in their communities. Children should return to school. Teachers and students must be protected. Our constitution guarantees that. All government needs to do is to deploy all the powers and machinery of governance to recover all spaces that have been taken over by criminals,” he added.

Head of the International Department of the NLC, Uche Ekwe, said the protest was aimed at strengthening the government’s resolve to confront insecurity head-on.

“If government is truly committed, we want to strengthen their hands.Those funding insecurity must be arrested and dealt with. If they think they are powerful, they should face the Nigerian people,” Ekwe said.

•Death penalty for kidnappers

In Lagos, NLC called for the death penalty for kidnappers and called on federal and state legislatures to urgently enact tougher laws to curb the rising wave of abductions and insecurity across the country.

The peaceful march organised by Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCSCO) began at the underbridge in Ikeja and proceeded to the Lagos State House of Assembly, where protesters submitted a letter outlining their grievances and demands to lawmakers.

Chairperson of the NLC Lagos chapter, Funmi Sessi, said insecurity has reached an alarming level, making daily movement unsafe for workers and ordinary Nigerians across the country.

“You don’t know whether as you are moving out of your home you are returning back in one piece. We are afraid of kidnapping. We are afraid of ritual killings. It is the responsibility of government to keep its oath to protect lives and property.”

The NLC chairperson also linked insecurity to rising transport costs, citing the growing reliance on air travel due to unsafe roads. “You want to take a flight from Lagos to Akure one way, and you are paying N405,000. That’s close to a million naira for a return ticket.”

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who led the LASCSCO delegation, said the protest was aimed at pressuring government to fulfil its constitutional obligation to guarantee security and welfare. “All our people all over the country are aggrieved over the state of insecurity in our country. The welfare and security of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

Falana demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of about 400 terrorism financiers allegedly apprehended in 2021 under President Muhammadu Buhari warning that failure to address the roots of violence had worsened insecurity.

“Without creating jobs for the youths, without addressing poverty, you cannot abolish insecurity in our country.”

Receiving the protesters at the Lagos State House of Assembly, lawmaker representing Lagos Mainland Constituency II, Adebola Shabi, commended the NLC for what he described as a peaceful protest and assured them that their demands would be conveyed to the House.

“We have your letter and definitely we’re going to present it to the House, to Mr. Speaker,” Shabi said. “We will tell Mr. Speaker that NLC wants the death penalty.”

Shabi said the Lagos State Government had continued to support security agencies and urged labour to remain peaceful, while assuring protesters of legislative engagement on their demands.

•Nigerian leaders have failed

Organised labour in Cross River State decried the high level of insecurity in the country saying Nigerian leaders have failed on their mandate.

The labour leaders who staged a peaceful protest in Calabar to highlight the rising level of insecurity also expressed strong concerns over the economic hardship in Nigeria.

Speaking at a peaceful labour rally, NLC chairman, Greg Olayi, said Nigerians can no longer live or work in safety.

“Farmers are attacked on their farms, schoolchildren are kidnapped from learning centres, and travellers face grave dangers on highways across the country.

“Citizens now live in fear, unable to sleep with their eyes closed or carry out legitimate activities without threat to their lives.”

Olayi stressed that Nigerians voted leaders into office to guarantee security and wellbeing, but the reality on ground reflects a failure of that mandate.

He described the situation as unacceptable, adding that workers and citizens are exposed to danger daily, while families are plunged into anguish through kidnappings and ransom demands.

The protest, he emphasised, was not only about workers but about the safety and survival of all Nigerians and called on the government at all levels to urgently fulfil its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property.

Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council, Raymond Afu, said labour was compelled to speak out due to the increasing suffering of Nigerians caused by insecurity and financial hardship.

Afu explained that the essence of governance is the protection of life and property, noting that Nigerian workers and citizens deserve a country where they can live without fear.

In Gombe, the congress drew attention to the impact of insecurity on farmers, teachers, healthcare workers and traders, citing attacks on schools and health facilities, killings and abductions of workers, and the migration of skilled professionals from affected areas.

The protest, held in line with a directive of the NLC National Executive Council, saw workers move in a convoy to the Office of the Deputy Governor, where the state chairman of the congress, Yusuf Aish Bello, presented a letter addressed to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.

Bello said the action was intended to convey the position of organised labour on the prolonged security crisis and to outline proposals aimed at addressing the challenge. He noted that insecurity has continued to cut across ethnic, religious and occupational lines, with significant implications for livelihoods, education, healthcare delivery and economic productivity.

In the letter titled: “Why Workers Are Protesting Against the Rising Wave of Insecurity in Nigeria and the Way Forward,” the NLC expressed concern over what it described as more than two decades of persistent violence, including banditry, kidnapping and terrorism. According to the congress, the situation has led to large-scale displacement, disruption of agricultural activities and the weakening of local economies, particularly in the North-East.

As part of its proposals, the NLC called for the justiciability of Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution, the establishment of Security Trust Funds at federal, state and local government levels, and greater transparency in the use of security votes. Other recommendations included compensation for victims of insecurity, measures to reduce inequality, electoral and judicial reforms, and the creation of citizens’ security councils. The congress also proposed a short amnesty window for armed groups to surrender weapons, followed by stricter enforcement against criminal elements.

Receiving the letter, Deputy Governor Manassah Daniel Jatau acknowledged the concerns raised by the labour union, describing insecurity and corruption as major national challenges. He said, however, that addressing the problems requires the involvement of both government and citizens.

He noted that security agencies depend on credible intelligence from the public, stressing that criminal activities often occur within communities and can only be curtailed through timely reporting and cooperation. He also cautioned against what he described as societal practices that tolerate or reward corrupt behaviour.

The deputy governor assured the NLC that the letter would be transmitted to the governor for consideration, adding that the state government remains responsible for safeguarding lives and property.

•Workers worst victims of growing insecurity

In Awka, Anambra State, the protest rally which commenced at about 11:05am from the NLC Secretariat Regina Caeli junction and terminated at the popular Unizik junction Awka, had all the affiliated Unions in the state in attendance.

The state Chairman of NLC, Humphrey Nwafor, said the rally was to draw attention of the federal government to the worsening security situation across the country.

“This action represents a collective cry of anguish and a patriotic call to action over the worsening state of insecurity in our dear country.

“The Nigerian worker can no longer remain silent in the face of relentless bloodshed, kidnappings, banditry, terrorism, communal clashes, and other violent crimes that continue to threaten lives, livelihoods, and national cohesion. From rural communities to urban centres, Nigerians now live in fear-uncertain of their safety at workplaces, on highways, in farms, schools, markets, and even within the supposed safety of their homes.

“As the umbrella body of Nigerian workers, the Nigeria Labour Congress considers the protection of lives and property as fundamental to productivity, economic stability, and social progress. A nation that cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens cannot sustain development, attract investment, or secure a dignified and prosperous future for its workforce.”

Nwafor stated that painfully, across Nigeria, workers are among the worst victims of growing insecurity.  He said many have lost colleagues, loved ones, and their means of livelihood while businesses are shutting down, agricultural production declining, transportation costs escalating, and inflationary pressures are intensifying-largely driven by the pervasive insecurity.Once again, it is the working people and the poor who bear the heaviest burden of this national crisis.

He clarified that the rally was neither an act of hostility nor a declaration of confrontation against the government but a constitutional, lawful, and moral demand for urgent, decisive, and coordinated action to address the security challenges confronting the nation.

“We call on the Federal Government to significantly strengthen its efforts, provide adequate support, modern equipment, and welfare for our security personnel, and adopt more effective strategies, as the measures currently in place have proven insufficient to guarantee the safety of citizens across the country”.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress remains committed to peaceful engagement, national unity, and the collective struggle for a safer, just, and more secure Nigeria where workers and citizens can live and work without fear,” the chairman concluded.