Why we protested against rising insecurity —NLC

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said its nationwide protest against Nigeria’s worsening security situation was driven by “deepening fear, economic devastation and the steady collapse of social protection for workers and ordinary Nigerians.”

Speaking through its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the Congress said Nigeria has, for nearly two decades, been trapped in “a relentless cycle of armed banditry, terrorism, kidnappings-for-ransom and the gradual annexation of parts of the country by criminal and extremist groups.”

According to the NLC, “what started as isolated acts of violence has now become a systemic national emergency”, cutting across “religious, ethnic and occupational lines” and leaving no segment of society untouched.

The labour centre said insecurity has “crippled economic activities, shattered social life and displaced millions of Nigerians from their homes”, forcing many citizens away from their means of livelihood. Farmers, it stressed, are among the hardest hit. “Many can no longer access their farmlands, while those who attempt to farm are compelled to pay heavy ‘protection fees’ to armed groups who now control vast rural areas,” the Congress stated.

Beyond agriculture, the NLC warned that “workers across critical sectors are bearing the brunt of the violence.” It noted that teachers, health workers, local government employees, petty traders and transport workers have all been “caught in the crossfire, facing killings, abductions and forced displacement.”

On education, the Congress said the sector has suffered “devastating losses since the insurgency began,” with thousands of teachers killed or displaced and hundreds of schools destroyed or shut down. “This has come at a huge cost to our children’s education and the livelihoods of teachers,” the NLC said.

Healthcare, it added, has been “severely weakened”, particularly in conflict-affected regions. “A significant number of health facilities have been destroyed, damaged or rendered inaccessible, worsening an already fragile health system,” the Congress said, noting that kidnappings and killings of doctors, nurses and other health workers have intensified. “Many professionals have been forced to flee frontline areas, deepening the shortage of medical personnel and turning access to healthcare itself into a security risk for millions of Nigerians.”

Comrade Ajaero said the NLC views insecurity “not only as a failure of guns and uniforms but as the direct outcome of deep-rooted socio-economic injustice.” He argued that “the widening inequality gap, massive looting of public resources and the privatisation of our commonwealth have created conditions akin to economic terrorism against the Nigerian people.”

According to him, “the failure of governments at all levels to honour collective bargaining agreements, pay fair wages and adequately fund education and health sectors has eroded public trust and heightened the sense of insecurity.” The Congress also linked prolonged industrial actions in health and education to government neglect, stressing that strikes triggered by unpaid salaries, withheld allowances and unresolved wage structures have inflicted “huge economic losses” on the country.

“The erosion of healthcare and education is a dangerous path,” the NLC warned, adding that “effective healthcare and quality education remain the most potent safeguards against long-term insecurity.”

Looking ahead, the Congress called for “bold structural reforms” to pull Nigeria out of what it described as “a downward spiral”. It insisted that rebuilding security must go hand in hand with “justice, transparency and inclusive governance”, warning that “secrecy around security spending, unchecked corruption, electoral malpractice and the continued marginalisation of citizens have all contributed to the present crisis”.

Comrade Ajaero stressed that Nigerian workers believe “genuine national healing can only begin when government actions are anchored on truth, justice and accountability.” He said the labour movement’s protest “was not an act of political opposition, but a patriotic intervention aimed at reclaiming Nigeria from the grip of fear and restoring hope to citizens whose lives and livelihoods have been battered by years of violence.”

“The protests are a cry for a country where workers can earn a living without fear, where children can go to school safely, where farmers can farm freely and where justice, not violence, defines our national life,” the NLC President declared.

Reaffirming its historic role, the Nigeria Labour Congress pledged that it would “continue to mobilise workers and citizens” until decisive action is taken to end insecurity and address the socio-economic injustices fueling it, stressing that “the struggle is ultimately about saving Nigeria’s future.”

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