The announcement followed the meeting of the NLC’s National Executive Council held at the union’s Sub-Secretariat in Yaba, Lagos, on Thursday, 4 December 2025.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared a nationwide protest scheduled for Thursday, 17 December 2025, citing worsening insecurity, failing tertiary education, prolonged health sector strikes, and what it described as “concerns over political interference in the Labour Party.”
The announcement followed the meeting of the NLC’s National Executive Council held at the union’s Sub-Secretariat in Yaba, Lagos, on Thursday, 4 December 2025.
According to the council, it is “deeply worried” about the escalating security situation across the country. It referenced the abduction of 24 girls from a boarding school in Kebbi State on 17 November 2025, an attack during which “two staff members were killed.”
The union criticised the “withdrawal of security personnel before the attack” and warned that kidnappings targeting schoolchildren have reached “a dangerous level” requiring immediate government intervention.
The statement also highlighted growing economic pressure, pointing to the World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update released in October 2025, which reported that “about 139 million people, representing roughly 61 to 62 per cent of the population, now live in poverty.”
The NLC urged the government to “protect schools,” especially those in remote or high-risk areas, and to “investigate and hold accountable those responsible for security lapses.”
On education, the union raised alarm over “the crisis in tertiary education,” stating that university infrastructure is “decaying,” resources for teaching and research are “outdated,” and staff allowances are “often unpaid.” It called for “fair pay for all university workers” while acknowledging the varied needs of different professional groups.
The council also reviewed the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions, which commenced on 14 November 2025, expressing concern over some nurses leaving the action. It warned that the NLC and its affiliates could “join the action fully” if negotiations with the government collapse.
In its political assessment, the NLC announced the revival of the Labour–Civil Society Coalition to strengthen collaboration on national issues. It also faulted “interference by the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee” in the Labour Party and resolved to withdraw its members from the committees while pursuing alliances with political parties that “support working-class principles.”
According to the union, the planned mass protest has become necessary to draw attention to “government failures on security, economic hardship, industrial disputes, and political integrity.”