The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday carried out a nationwide protest across Abuja, Lagos, Anambra and several other states, decrying the escalating wave of insecurity and the worsening economic conditions facing Nigerian workers.
The protest went ahead despite a late-night meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the NLC leadership on Tuesday, which labour leaders said did not produce assurances strong enough to halt the action. NLC President, Joe Ajaero, led the Abuja protest, accompanied by civil society figures, including activist Omoyele Sowore and members of the Revolution Now Movement.
At the NLC Secretariat in Abuja, protesters displayed placards and chanted slogans demanding urgent and decisive government action to end kidnappings, banditry and violent crimes. Parallel demonstrations were held in Lagos, where workers converged on Ikeja to voice frustration over insecurity and the rising cost of living.
The nationwide action followed a resolution reached at the NLC’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on December 4, 2025. The congress said the protest was driven by growing insecurity, unfulfilled agreements with the Federal Government and the economic toll of inflation, unemployment and stagnant wages.
Labour leaders pointed to recent incidents, including the abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi State on November 17, in which two school staff were killed, as evidence that insecurity has reached crisis levels. The NLC criticised what it described as lapses in security arrangements and warned that workers are increasingly exposed to danger in both urban and rural areas.
In Anambra State, NLC members and affiliated unions staged a protest march in Awka, moving from the Labour House at Regina Caeli Junction to UNIZIK Junction. Addressing the crowd, the state NLC chairman, Humphrey Nwafor, described the rally as a “collective cry of anguish” over the deteriorating security situation.
“Nigerians now live in fear—on highways, in schools, farms, markets and even in their homes,” Nwafor said, adding that workers are among the worst affected, with many losing colleagues, loved ones and sources of income.
He noted that insecurity has forced businesses to shut down, reduced agricultural output and driven up transportation costs, worsening inflation and poverty levels.
The NLC stressed that the protest was peaceful, lawful and constitutionally protected, insisting it was not aimed at confrontation but at compelling urgent government action. The congress called on the Federal Government to strengthen security operations, provide better equipment and welfare for security personnel, and adopt more effective strategies to protect lives and property.
In a notice to its state chapters, the NLC urged protesters to remain peaceful and called on the police, who were formally notified, to protect citizens exercising their democratic rights.
“The rising wave of kidnappings, especially of schoolchildren, is unacceptable,” the congress said, reaffirming its commitment to dialogue while warning that continued inaction could further endanger national stability and workers’ livelihoods.
Leave a Reply