The Nigeria Labour Congress has fixed Thursday, December 17, 2025, for a nationwide protest to demand urgent government action on the country’s worsening insecurity, deepening economic hardship, collapsing tertiary education system and unresolved health sector disputes.
The planned mass action was announced after the NLC’s National Executive Council meeting held at the union’s Sub-Secretariat in Yaba, Lagos, on Thursday, December 4.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the congress said it was “deeply alarmed” by the deteriorating security situation, particularly the rising wave of kidnappings and attacks on schools.
It cited the abduction of 24 schoolgirls from a boarding school in Kebbi State on November 17, during which two staff members were killed. The NLC condemned what it described as the “mysterious withdrawal of security operatives” shortly before the attack, warning that school abductions have reached “a dangerous level demanding immediate government accountability.”
‘139 Million Nigerians Now in Poverty’ — NLC Quotes World Bank
The labour centre also expressed concern over the mounting economic burden on citizens, referencing the World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update of October 2025, which estimated that about 139 million Nigerians—over 60% of the population—now live in poverty.
According to the NLC, this grim index reflects the consequences of “policy failures, unchecked inflation, collapsing social services and widespread unemployment.”
It urged the Federal Government to prioritise protection of schools, especially those located in rural and high-risk communities, and to “identify and sanction those responsible for repeated security lapses.”
Universities in Ruins, NLC Warns
The congress said Nigeria’s tertiary education system is “at breaking point,” lamenting that university infrastructure has “fallen into embarrassing decay,” while teaching and research tools remain “obsolete.”
It noted that many university workers still grapple with unpaid allowances and inconsistent remuneration, insisting that fair and commensurate pay must be implemented across all cadres.
The NLC also reviewed the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), which began on November 14, 2025.
The congress said it was disturbed by the withdrawal of some nurses from the strike and warned that the NLC and its affiliates might “fully join the industrial action” if negotiations break down.
In its political review, the NLC announced the revival of the Labour–Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) to strengthen joint civic engagement on national issues.
It also condemned alleged interference by the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee in the Labour Party, resolving to withdraw NLC members from the disputed committees while seeking partnerships with political groups that “uphold working-class values.”
The union said the December 17 protest has become necessary to draw national attention to “government failures in securing lives and property, tackling economic hardship, resolving industrial strikes and protecting the political integrity of the Labour movement.”
It urged its affiliates, civil society partners, and the Nigerian public to mobilise for what it described as a “decisive national action for accountability and justice.”
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