Federal workers pledge support for NLC nationwide protest

By : Rotimi Agboluaje

Date: 15 December 2025 6:59pm WAT

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The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has thrown its full weight behind the planned nationwide protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), describing it as a “national assignment” critical to the survival of the country. The protest is scheduled for December 17, 2025.

In a statement signed by Andrew Emelieze, National Coordinator of the FWF, alongside Secretary-General Comrade Ayo Ogundele and Mobilisation Officer Aliyu Ibrahim, federal workers expressed readiness to participate in the protest, calling on all Nigerians to join in solidarity.

“This protest is not for workers alone; it is a duty for our collective survival,” the statement said.

The forum cited worsening insecurity, poor governance, dilapidated public services, and the harsh economic realities confronting Nigerians as reasons for the urgent protest. “Nigeria is now like a state of nature; uncertainty and fear have become the hallmark of our daily lives. Governance has reached the lowest ebb, and we cannot continue to witness this pervasive hopelessness,” the FWF said.

The forum specifically criticised the government’s handling of public sector strikes and wage arrears, noting that health workers have been left unsupported, education remains underfunded, and federal employees are owed back pay.

The FWF urged the federal government to settle the outstanding three-month wage arrears owed to federal workers since May 2023 and clear all backlog before the end of December 2025.

Emelieze also called on the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to join the protest, emphasising the importance of unity within Nigeria’s labour movement.

“It is necessary for the NLC and TUC to work together in solidarity to lead our people toward redemption,” the statement said.

As a demonstration of continued protest, the FWF proposed that workers wear black on Mondays to signal dissatisfaction with the nation’s worsening conditions.

The forum also offered condolences to those affected by insecurity and hardship and expressed confidence that Nigerians “shall overcome.”

In other news, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has raised an alarm over the arrest of the Chairperson of its Rivers State Council, Alex Agwanwor, by officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Alagbon Station, Lagos.

In a statement issued by the NLC Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, the Congress said Agwanwor was whisked away around 9:00 pm on Thursday at the premises of the NLC sub-secretariat in Yaba, shortly after the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

According to Upah, eyewitnesses indicated that the arrest may be linked to internal disagreements within Agwanwor’s union, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

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