NLC supports teachers’ protest, warns government over rising insecurity

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has thrown its weight behind the ongoing protest by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), declaring solidarity with teachers protesting the abduction of their members and students across the country.

Joe Ajaero, NLC president in a statement on Wednesday, said the union expresses “solidarity with the striking members of Nigeria Union of Teachers over the issue. and warning the federal and state governments that further inaction could trigger a broader labour response.

“The national and well-coordinated action represents the resolve of teachers to take their destiny into their own hands instead of waiting to be slaughtered to the last person,” Ajaero said.

The NUT, led by Titus Amba, grounded schools nationwide in protest against what it described as serial kidnappings of teachers and pupils by bandits.

The NLC praised the strike as a ‘gentle but unignorable nudge’ on governments to confront what it called a ‘growing insecurity industry.’

The NLC’s backing comes against the backdrop of worsening violence targeting workers and schoolchildren across multiple states. Ajaero cited abductions in Zamfara, Oyo, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Plateau and Kogi as evidence that the security situation was deteriorating beyond official assurances.

“As a nation, we cannot continue to fold our hands while this horror movie continues to play, from Zamfara to Oyo, from Maiduguri to Port Harcourt,” he said.

The congress noted it had previously raised the alarm following the Oriire abductions in Oyo State, warning the government of the danger of citizens switching loyalty to bandits if the state failed to protect them.

That warning, the congress said, went unheeded, as fresh mass abductions have since occurred in Plateau, Kogi and other states.

“For now, we are not winning this war. It is heartbreaking,” Ajaero said.

The NLC said it has convened two security summits and led street protests in recent years, including one in 2024 held against pressure from government circles, underscoring what it described as a consistent and unambiguous concern for public safety.

The congress reserved particular concern for local government workers, doctors, nurses and other health workers, who it said were disproportionately exposed to bandit attacks.

While acknowledging what it described as a ‘tricky operational situation’ in Oyo State, the NLC called on governments at all levels to move beyond condolence statements and deliver concrete, measurable results.

“We will not hesitate to do a solidarity action with the teachers or any other group of workers if government does not take more seriously the issues of our collective security,” Ajaero warned.

“Free the abductees now, wherever they are held,” NLC demanded.