Tag: NLC

 The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) say they will stage a peaceful solidarity rally on Feb. 3 in support of the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC).

The unions announced this in a joint statement signed by Mr Benson Upah, General Secretary of the NLC, and Mr Nuhu Toro, Secretary General of the TUC, in Abuja.

The solidarity is in support of the strike by Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) workers, led by JUAC, over unpaid salaries.

Workers under JUAC commenced an indefinite strike on Jan. 19, shutting down key administrative offices, including the FCTA Secretariat and the FCDA.

The strike followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued on Jan. 7, demanding that the FCTA management address long-standing labour and welfare grievances.

According to union, the rally is to reaffirm labour’s collective resolve that an injury to one worker remains an injury to all within the Nigerian labour movement.

“The action will send a clear message that labour will resist all forms of intimidation and injustice against workers,” they said.

The unions said the struggle was legitimate, non-negotiable and would be sustained until justice was achieved.

They added that their support for JUAC members remained total and unwavering.

Read Also: NLC, TUC issue FG 14-day ultimatum overdelayed implementation of CONHESS

They urged JUAC members to remain steadfast, courageous and united in the defence of their rights.

The NLC and TUC said the planned rally was aimed at demonstrating collective resistance against injustice.

They added that the peaceful action would be directed to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), insisting the rally would be lawful and peaceful.

They directed all affiliates and state councils to mobilise members massively for the rally, adding that intimidation and repression would not weaken workers’ resolve.

They reiterated that workers’ rights were never given but won through collective struggle.

The unions assured workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that they would not be abandoned. (NAN)

Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), on Friday morning, led stakeholders, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (NLC) and workers from various companies to the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to protest the ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets.

The protesters, who converged on the agency’s office as early as 8.30 am, carried placards with various inscriptions as they appealed to the Federal Government to call the NAFDAC Chief to order in the interest of the nation’s economy and the likely consequences of the decision on millions of Nigerians, whose means of livelihood are connected with the sector.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: ‘Local manufacturers deserve protection, not frustration’, ‘Stop destroying local manufacturers’, ‘N2 trillion investment deserves protection’, ‘5.5 million Nigerians cannot be pushed to the streets’, and ‘The Renewed Hope Agenda must work for all Nigerians’.

The Executive Secretary, Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, a union under Trade Union Congress, Comrade Solomon Adebosin, who spoke to journalists, said the protest became necessary following the decision of  NAFDAC to commence the enforcement on the ban of production and sale of alcohol in sachets and pet bottle below 200ml, despite the directive of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation that all actions and measures related to the proposed ban, should be suspended, pending the outcome of consultations and final directive.

On Wednesday, NAFDAC announced that it had begun enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcohol packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles across the count

Read Also: If you know Tinubu’s background, you’ll know he understands how to fix Nigeria — Olubadan

According to Adebosin, the ban will not only claim over 5 million jobs, but it will put over 3 trillion in investment in danger.

“At this period of our economy, throwing over five million people out of their jobs and putting at least  3 trillion investment at risk will not augur well for our country. We appreciate our president for his various proactive measures to strengthen the economy, but killing local investments and throwing people out of jobs will definitely frustrate the President’s commitment to boost the economy.”

 He pointed out that the policy to ban the sachet drinks seemed targeted at the indigenous producers, as they are the most affected by this policy.

“With the trend and the target of the ban, it is clear that it is meant to frustrate local manufacturers out of the market. Unfortunately, this will have multiple negative effects on the economy as all the people engaged in the value chain of sales and production would be affected,” he stated.

To this end, Adebosin affirmed that proper regulation through access control and advocacy is globally accepted as a sustainable approach in resolving the imbroglio. To this end, he appealed to the regulatory agency to follow the global trend by deepening regulation rather than embarking on an unpopular route that would create economic havoc for Nigerians.

Also speaking during the protest, Comrade  Azeez  Rasaki, who spoke on behalf of the National Union of Food / Beverages & Tobacco Employees, said these actions undermine the economic recovery objectives of  the Tinubu administration and run counter to the Renewed Hope Agenda, which promises Job creation, industrial growth and support for local enterprises.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday staged coordinated protests across the country, demanding urgent and concrete action from the Federal Government to halt what it called worsening insecurity threatening lives, livelihoods and national stability.

The organised labour stated the protest, despite a meeting between NLC leaders and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday night, facilitated by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.

The governor, alongside his Kebbi and Edo states’ counterparts, Alhaji Nasir Idris and Senator Monday Okpebholo, and the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejiocha, previously met with Ajaero and his team at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, where the position of the government was canvassed.

But the NLC leaders, it was gathered, insisted on meeting with President Tinubu for consultative engagement and reassurance.

Although the meeting continued yesterday, NLC President Joe Ajaero, who addressed reporters at the Labour House in Abuja, said the engagement did not amount to a cancellation of the protest, stressing that labour never announced any suspension.

“The meeting with the President never meant we cancelled the protest. NLC did not at any time inform the public that the protest was called off,” Ajaero said.

READ ALSO: Turaki-led PDP begs Nigerians for another chance

The demonstrations held in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Cross River states, with workers marching peacefully, submitting letters to government officials and calling for decisive security reforms.

Ajaero said the NLC had written several letters to the Presidency since June 17 on the deteriorating state of physical, food and financial security of the citizens but received no response until labour announced the protest.

The NLC president described the action as non-partisan, adding that it was driven by a collective demand to rescue Nigeria from deepening insecurity.

He urged the Federal Government to deploy “the full machinery of governance” to reclaim communities seized by criminals, “protect citizens and restore public confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee security”.

According to the NLC, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping have persisted for nearly two decades with devastating consequences for workers and the economy.

Labour insisted that since 2009, more than 2,295 teachers have been killed, over 19,000 displaced in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, while about 910 schools were destroyed, forcing roughly 1,500 learning centres to shut down or serve as camps for internally displaced persons.

In the health sector, the NLC said about 35 per cent of healthcare facilities were destroyed by terrorism, while 50 per cent became inaccessible in the North-East. It added that dozens of health workers were kidnapped or killed between 2021 and 2024, worsening the shortage of medical professionals nationwide.

NLC’s Deputy General Secretary Ismail Bello said the protest was about national survival, not workers alone.

“Nigerians have paid an enormous price for prolonged insecurity. Communities have been destroyed and livelihoods wiped out. Government must act decisively to restore normalcy, return children to school and protect citizens,” he said.

Across the states, the protests followed similar patterns. In Lagos, workers marched around the Ikeja underpass, citing the daily risks faced by commuters. In Kano, labour leaders said improved security was essential for economic growth and productivity. Workers in Kogi marched to the Government House in Lokoja, while in Adamawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Cross River, labour leaders lamented kidnappings, school closures, displacement and rising fear among citizens.

The NLC demanded concrete reforms, including improved security coordination, prosecution of corrupt officials, judicial reform, protection of public spaces, wage justice and making Chapter Two of the Constitution justiciable.

Ajaero described the protest as “the starting point of reclaiming Nigeria from the jaws of insecurity and beginning genuine national healing”.

Across the states, the protests were peaceful with security operatives deployed from the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to monitor protest routes and public buildings. Authorities said the deployment was to safeguard protesters and residents, uphold the right to peaceful assembly and prevent any breakdown of law and order. No major incidents were reported as the protests ended peacefully nationwide.

State governments also received protest letters from the demonstrators with assurances that steps were being taken to resolve the issues. Government representatives commended the protesters for being orderly, calling for stronger collaboration between federal, state and community structures.

• …demands action from govt

Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday protested over the security concerns in some parts of the country.

The Congress, despite meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, proceeded with the protest.

Addressing reporters at the Labour house, the NLC Headquarters on Wednesday, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the protest would hold as planned.

Labour leaders, civil society allies, and Omoyele Sowore and his colleagues in the Revolution Now Movement joined the protest in Abuja.

There was also a deployment of security personnel, comprising the police, civil defence, and officials of the Department of State Service (DSS).

Ajaero said the meeting with the president did not lead to a cancellation of the protest.

“The meeting with the president yesterday never meant we cancelled the protest. We never spoke to the press on the cancellation of the protest,” he said.

“NLC is an organisation that has its own channels of communication. We never released any information that the protest was cancelled,” Ajaero added.

Ajaero said the NLC had written multiple letters to President Tinubu since 17 June regarding the state of physical, food, and financial security in the country.

However, none of the letters has been responded to, he said.

“It took this issue of action basically to protest and to listen to the physical and financial insecurity the workers are facing, and yesterday, through the Nigerian Governors Forum and the Progressive Governors Forum, we were able to secure a meeting with the president, and we listed all the issues, including the crisis in the academic institutions,” he added.

Ajaero said that the protest was not driven by sectional or partisan interests but by a collective demand to rescue Nigeria from deepening insecurity threatening lives, livelihoods, and national stability.

The NLC president urged the Federal Government to urgently deploy “the full machinery of governance” to reclaim communities seized by criminal elements, protect citizens, and restore public confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee security.

Workers gathered within and around the secretariat premises as labour leaders temporarily withdrew for consultations.

Also speaking, Deputy General Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Ismail Bello, said the protest was fundamentally about national survival and the collective well-being of Nigerians.

He said, “What we are doing today is not just for the benefit of workers alone; it is for the benefit of all Nigerians. As citizens, we have surrendered our sovereignty to the government in the hope that they will secure lives, protect citizens, and run the economy in a way that benefits the majority of our people, not just a few politicians.”

He stressed that Nigerians had paid an enormous price for the prolonged insecurity ravaging the country, with entire communities destroyed and livelihoods wiped out.

“We are reminding the world of the calamity that has befallen many communities and many workers; healthcare workers, nurses, teachers, transport workers, and others. The damage is enormous, and it has to stop,” he added.

Bello reaffirmed that the right to peaceful protest was constitutionally guaranteed, warning that no authority had the power to intimidate workers into silence.

“We are here on the streets reminding the government that nobody can gag us from exercising our right to freedom of association and freedom of assembly,” he said.

Calling for decisive action against kidnappers and criminal networks, Bello argued that the failure to punish perpetrators had emboldened insecurity across the country.

“People must return to normalcy. They should live in their communities. Children should return to school. Teachers and students must be protected. Our constitution guarantees that. All the government needs to do is to deploy all the powers and machinery of governance to recover all spaces that have been taken over by criminals,” he said.

Also speaking, Head of the International Department of the NLC, Comrade Uche Ekwe, said the protest was intended to strengthen the government’s resolve to confront insecurity head-on.

“If the government is truly committed, we want to strengthen their hands. The funding insecurity must be arrested and dealt with. If they think they are powerful, they should face the Nigerian people,” Ekwe said.

The NLC said insecurity in Nigeria, which has persisted for nearly two decades, has been marked by terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, with devastating consequences for workers, families, and the national economy.

Labour disclosed that since 2009, more than 2,295 teachers have been killed by insurgents and bandits, while over 19,000 teachers have been displaced in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. It added that more than 910 schools were destroyed, forcing about 1,500 learning centres to shut down or be converted into camps for internally displaced persons.

In the health sector, the NLC said about 35 per cent of healthcare facilities were destroyed by terrorism, while 50 per cent became inaccessible in the North-East.

It noted that dozens of health workers were kidnapped or killed between 2021 and 2024, worsening the already critical shortage of medical professionals in the country.

Labour further linked insecurity to deep-rooted socio-economic injustice, widening inequality, corruption, and poor funding of education and health sectors, warning that the economic costs were staggering.

It cited an estimated ₦300 billion loss during the 30 days of the JOHESU strike alone as a reflection of the broader systemic crisis.

According to the NLC, the protest marked a turning point, as labour demanded concrete reforms, including making Chapter Two of the Constitution justiciable, strengthening transparent security trust funds, accelerating the prosecution of corrupt officials, reforming the judiciary, protecting public spaces, and addressing inequality through wage justice.

The Congress described the protest as “the starting point of reclaiming Nigeria from the jaws of insecurity and beginning genuine national healing,” insisting that the struggle was ultimately about safeguarding the future of all Nigerians.