The Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliates on Wednesday protested nationwide against rising insecurity in the country.
The union had declared a nationwide protest for December 17,
citing what it described as the country’s “degenerating security situation.”
In a notice issued to all state councils on December 10,
after its National Executive Committee-in-session meeting on December 4, the
union condemned the rampant activities of bandits and kidnappers across the
country.
It singled out the November 17 abduction of female students
from a boarding school in Kebbi State and expressed outrage over the withdrawal
of security personnel from the school shortly before the incident.
The union directed all its affiliates and state councils to
“fully mobilise” workers and civil society for the protest.
In last-minute efforts to halt the protest, President Bola
Tinubu, on Tuesday night, met with the NLC leadership and some state governors,
led by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
The President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, told journalists on
Wednesday that the leadership of the Congress would meet with the President
again by January to address the issue of financial insecurity of Nigerian
workers.
Ajaero said that the engagement the Labour had with the
Federal Government was aimed at cancelling the planned protest, adding that the
workers who were poorly paid and inadequately fed were more likely to face
deeper challenges.
“The action continued this morning (Wednesday). We are
rounding off now. We will take back whatever we discussed with them to our
members.
“The attitude of meeting on the day or eve of any action is
not rocket science.
“However, Mr President was emphatic that the issue of
insecurity will be a thing of the past very soon. He said he’s taking extra
steps to take care of it.
“We equally talked about financial insecurity because a
worker who is not well fed and not well paid will have even more problems than
those who are well fed and well paid.
“Mr President said he has put Nigeria on the map of
prosperity, and we agreed that we’re going to meet in January to look at some
grey areas where we need to touch.
“It will equally translate into the prosperity of the
working people of Nigeria,” he said.
On whether the protest had been cancelled, Ajaero said: “We
are going back to our members now, and then we will get back to them.
“But today (Wednesday) is gone, and our action is not an
indefinite one. It’s a protest. The issue of suspension is not there because
the action was taken off this morning,” Ajaero said.
Uzodimma, who is Chairman of the Progressives Governors’
Forum, said the President’s intervention played a key role in resolving the
matter, adding that a channel had been opened for increased communication with
Labour.
“President Bola Tinubu met last night with the leadership of
NLC. They discussed issues of the Nigerian economy, workers’ welfare, ongoing
reforms, national security and other developments in the country, and all of
them agreed.
“National unity is very critical, and our national interest
is also very important. And the march towards economic prosperity by the
president is a welcome idea.
“At the end of the meeting, we also discovered that there is
a need for regular engagements with the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“For now, both the government and labour are on the same
page to ensure that Nigeria is better protected, and more investments in the
areas of security should be encouraged.”
The governor expressed appreciation to Tinubu for the way he
came out to explain to the labour leaders his programmes and activities for
improved security arrangements in the country.
“We are also very grateful to the NLC for the maturity they
exhibited; for the interest they also displayed for national security and
better security for Nigerians and the welfare of Nigerian workers,” he said.
On Wednesday, workers gathered across states and the Federal
Capital Territory in obedience to the directive of the NLC leadership to
protest against insecurity.
Demonstrations in Lagos, Abuja, Anambra and some other parts
of the country underscored how fear, violence and restricted movement have
become part of daily life for millions of Nigerians.
In Abuja, the workers converged on the NLC national
secretariat, with security personnel, including police, civil defence, and
officials from the Department of State Services, deployed to ensure
orderliness.
Ajaero, addressing the workers, said the planned protest
remained firm and was intended to draw attention to the country’s worsening
insecurity.
“The protest is to help this country – to call attention to
the effect of insecurity,” he said.
He warned that insecurity was affecting Nigeria’s economy
and discouraging investors.
Ajaero also highlighted the human cost, noting that workers
and their families were often victims of kidnappings.
“Many workers are being kidnapped daily. People are killed.
In Kebbi, a teacher was killed. Children of workers are kidnapped. The
government must act to find the perpetrators,” he said.
Ajaero described banditry and kidnappings for ransom as
alien to Nigerian values and called for a national response to end the trend.
He also suggested the idea of an “insecurity allowance” to
support workers who are kidnapped and often need to raise money for ransom.
“This protest is our way of telling Nigerians and the
international community that insecurity must stop.
“This is not the culture of Nigerians, and we must condemn
it and strengthen the hands of those in authority to make sure it does not
continue,” he said.
In Lagos, the march started at 9:10 am from the historic
Ikeja Under Bridge and concluded at the Lagos State House of Assembly in
Alausa.
Workers in union colours and civil society activists waved
Nigeria Labour Congress flags and chanted labour songs and freedom anthems.
They criticised escalating banditry, kidnappings and violent
crime, saying insecurity has eroded both safety and freedom of movement across
the country.
At the forefront of the march were the chairperson of the
NLC Lagos chapter, Funmi Sessi, and human rights lawyer and Labour Ambassador,
Femi Falana (SAN).
Speaking with The PUNCH after the protest, Sessi said the
turnout reflected growing public frustration and readiness to demand action.
“I am pleased with the level of mobilisation we witnessed
today. Considering that this was an impromptu protest, the turnout was very
impressive. It shows that Nigerians are ready,” she said.
She added that the NLC, organised workers and LASCO had
joined other Nigerians to peacefully express displeasure over rising
insecurity, including concerns over missing girls and widespread criminality.
“This period should be a time of rest, celebration and
travel. Many people want to return to their villages to celebrate with loved
ones, but the fear of insecurity has made travelling unsafe,” Sessi explained.
She added, “Lagos may still be relatively secure, but the
same cannot be said for many other states and major routes. The freedom to move
across the country has been severely eroded.”
Sessi also warned against foreign military intervention,
saying such actions often left countries with lasting devastation.
“We do not want what happened in Libya, Iraq, Iran or Gaza
to happen in Nigeria. Those in authority swore an oath to protect lives and
property, and they must honour that oath,” she added.
Vice Chairman of the NLC Lagos Chapter, Comrade Olapisi
Adebayo Ido, said the protest sent a strong message that Nigerians could no
longer remain silent.
Earlier at the protest ground, Falana faulted the state for
its inability to safeguard lives, urging immediate reforms to the country’s
security framework and warning lawmakers that leadership loses its meaning when
citizens live in constant fear.
“The right to life and security is not up for negotiation,”
Falana said. “Labour will not plead for it; we will insist on it,” he said.
The protesting workers, who moved in a convoy of vehicles,
converged at the office of the Deputy Governor, where the NLC state chairman,
Yusuf Bello, formally presented a letter addressed to the Governor of Gombe
State, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya.
Bello said the protest was aimed at conveying the position
of Nigerian workers on the rising wave of insecurity and proposing practical
ways forward.
He noted that insecurity had continued to affect Nigerians
across religious, ethnic and occupational lines, with devastating consequences
for livelihoods, education, healthcare and national development.
The congress highlighted the impact of insecurity on
farmers, teachers, healthcare workers, traders and other vulnerable groups,
listing “statistics on the destruction of schools and healthcare facilities,
killings and abductions of workers, and the mass displacement of professionals,
especially in the North-East.”
The Deputy Governor, Dr Manassah Jatau, acknowledged the
validity of the concerns raised by the NLC, noting that insecurity and
corruption remained major challenges confronting the nation.
Jatau, however, stressed that addressing these challenges
was a collective responsibility, not that of government alone.
