Insecurity: FG, NLC to meet in January

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).