Labour alleges plot to disrupt protest, threatens indefinite

By : Guardian Nigeria

Date: 17 December 2025 1:23am WAT

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NLC

NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Tuesday, warned that any attempt to interfere with Wednesday’s National Day of Protest and mourning could spark a nationwide indefinite strike.

Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, said in a statement that the union had received intelligence suggesting that unscrupulous agencies and desperate political hirelings might try to infiltrate or violently disrupt the demonstrations. He added that harming even a single worker or citizen would trigger an immediate and indefinite shutdown across all sectors of the economy.

“Our action is not just a mere procession; it is a collective act of grief, a roar of despair from the oppressed, and a democratic demand for the fundamental right to life and security,” the statement read.

The union highlighted the deaths of countless members, teachers, farmers, miners, and other artisans amid escalating insecurity and government inaction.

The union urged all workers, students, traders, and citizens to remain disciplined, peaceful, and united. “Solidarity is our shield,” it said.

The NLC also called on the police, who have been informed of the protest, to protect citizens’ democratic right to assemble and express their grievances.

The protest, first announced following the NLC’s National Executive Council meeting on December 4, 2025, is intended as a response to a wide range of national crises.

The NEC had expressed serious concern over the country’s worsening security situation, including the abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi State on 17 November 2025, during which two staff members were killed.

The union condemned the withdrawal of security personnel prior to the attack and called for urgent government intervention. According to the World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update, released in October 2025, approximately 139 million Nigerians, about 61–62 per cent of the population, are living in poverty, a sharp increase from previous years.

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