0
…Say Nearly 2000 Nigerians Lost Their Lives In 2026
ABUJA – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have raised fresh alarm over the worsening security situation in the country, warning that workers may be compelled to stay away from work if urgent measures were not taken to protect lives and livelihoods.
Both unions came to this position while speaking at a joint press conference on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.
The labour centres described insecurity as the greatest threat to decent work in Nigeria, insisting that no meaningful economic growth could occur where citizens fear for their lives.
President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and Deputy President of the TUC, Jimoh Oyibo, who addressed the media, lamented that workers now risk being kidnapped, attacked or killed simply for reporting to their duty posts.
According to them, nearly 2,000 Nigerians lost their lives in the first quarter of 2026 alone, while millions have been displaced by insurgency, banditry and other forms of violence.
The labour leaders said: “In Nigeria, the crisis of insecurity has reached such a frightening dimension that workers now risk their very lives simply to report to duty.
“Communities are being overrun, farmers chased from their fields, teachers and doctors from their schools, and health workers attacked in their clinics.
“This is not a marginal issue; it is the central threat to decent work. No amount of policy rhetoric can create employment or protect labour rights where the most basic human right – the right to live – is not guaranteed.”
The unions warned that if the situation persists, organised labour would be forced to escalate actions already being contemplated by workers across affected sectors.
“The Nigeria Union of Teachers has already kick-started it. NLC and TUC will be compelled to escalate the fallout if nothing is done immediately.”
NLC and TUC further accused the government of failing to address the deepening poverty crisis, claiming that approximately 150 million Nigerians are trapped in multidimensional poverty.
“Wages have been eaten alive by structural inflation. The celebrated macroeconomic indicators bear no relation to the lived experience of the carpenter, the nurse, the driver or the teacher.
“The economy is not working for workers. It is working for the top one percent while the remaining 99 percent bleed.”
The unions also cautioned politicians ahead of the 2027 general election, saying workers would support only candidates who commit to addressing insecurity, workers’ welfare, education, healthcare and economic justice.
“We are finalising a Charter of Demands and will only support candidates and parties that commit concretely to workers’ rights, tackling insecurity, functional education and public healthcare.”
