The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for workers, civil society allies, and others to take to the streets on Wednesday to protest the country’s deteriorating security situation.
The NLC stated that the escalating security issue is undermining public trust and exacerbating poverty, regretting that workers and other defenseless Nigerians are increasingly becoming targets of attacks while commuting to work, carrying out their legitimate tasks, or even at home.
Remember that the December 17 scheduled demonstration was one of the resolutions passed at the NLC National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Lagos on December 4.
NLS declared that the protest will be nonviolent, with workers and civil society partners walking along planned routes across the country.
A statement by Acting General Secretary Benson Upah revealed that all NLC affiliates and state councils had been fully mobilized for the “nationwide protest rally against insecurity.”
Upah said, “In Abuja, the convergence point for the rally will be Labour House, Central Business District, with participants expected to assemble from 7:30 a.m. before embarking on the peaceful procession.”
The NLC stressed that the planned protest is part of its constitutional responsibility to defend the welfare, safety, and dignity of Nigerian workers, warning that no meaningful development, productivity, or industrial peace can thrive in an atmosphere of fear and violence.
The Congress urged the Federal Government to treat insecurity as a national emergency and implement decisive measures capable of restoring confidence and safety across the country.
Labor leaders announced the planned protest in a communiqué issued at the end of the NEC meeting, expressing profound worry over the “unchecked spread of violence, killings, kidnappings, and criminality” across the country.
According to the communiqué, the NEC expressed concern that instability had continued to harm livelihoods, hamper economic activity, and expose workers and ordinary civilians to persistent danger, despite repeated official pledges.
“The NEC notes with grave concern the persistent failure of the state to guarantee the safety of lives and property, a fundamental responsibility of government,” the communiqué stated.
President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, while addressing members of the Congress in Lagos, among others, said, “You can see the state of the nation, especially the growing insecurity.
“The NLC cannot stand idly by and allow criminals to take over our country—never again. Consequently, at the end of this NEC meeting, the NLC will take a strong stance.
“We want to understand what is happening and why security personnel assigned to guard a school were withdrawn, creating an opening for kidnappers to abduct students.
“We will insist—through nationwide protests if necessary—on knowing who gave that instruction. We want to know whether members of Nigeria’s security agencies, or their leadership, have been compromised.
“Never again shall we watch and allow kidnappers and bandits to overrun our country, demanding ransom and killing workers.”
