The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced it will hold a nationwide protest on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, in response to what it calls a “surge” in insecurity across Nigeria. The decision was announced via a communiqué issued at the conclusion of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos, jointly signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero and Acting General Secretary Benson Upah.
According to the communique, the NEC meeting, held on December 4 reviewed the spate of violent incidents, including the recent abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the killing of a school staff member during the attack. The union condemned the incident and criticised the abrupt withdrawal of security personnel from the school shortly before the attack, calling the security failure “alarming.”
By God’s grace🙏, the event was a success. We’re now at 50% of our target and hope to complete🫠funds before Dec 24, 2025.
If you’d like to give, please use:
ToyinOlomo Int’l Foundation – FCMB 7616705014
This is a broadcast message,✍️
The NLC described the growing wave of kidnappings, banditry, and violent attacks on schools and communities as a serious threat to Nigeria’s stability, livelihoods, and citizens’ safety. In light of these developments, the union said it would mobilise all its affiliates and state councils to join the December 17 protest in major cities and state capitals nationwide.
The union’s communiqué demands immediate and decisive government action: it calls for heightened protection of vulnerable communities, especially schools in remote and high-risk areas, and demands that those responsible for security lapses be investigated and prosecuted.
- Nigeria’s First Ebola Patient Identified as Wife of Swiss Diplomat as Authorities Probe Source of Infection
Nigeria’s latest Ebola case has been traced to a 42-year-old… - MURIC Seeks Police Probe into Alleged Killing of Man Inside Oyo Mosque
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has petitioned the police over…Read More “MURIC Seeks Police Probe into Alleged Killing of Man Inside Oyo Mosque” »
Beyond security, the NEC also discussed enduring issues affecting the education and health sectors. It noted the chronic underfunding and infrastructural decay in tertiary institutions, the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and stressed the need for proper wages and improved working conditions.
In addition, the NLC criticised what it called a drift away from working-class principles in political advocacy, calling for the revival of the Labour–Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) and urging its members to push the Labour Party back to its original values of integrity and solidarity.
The union warned that failure by the federal government and state authorities to address the twin crises of insecurity and institutional decay could result in wider industrial unrest, especially in the education and health sectors.
While calling for a peaceful yet firm protest, the NLC urged citizens, workers, parents and civil society groups to join in demanding a safer and more secure nation. It said the protest is not just about labour grievances, but about the lives, futures, and security of ordinary Nigerians.
For Nigerians across the federation, from urban centres to rural communities, the December 17 protest could signal a critical juncture: a mass call to the government to stop what many see as a slide into chaos. Whether the streets answer or the government or heeds the call remains to be seen.
