NLC Backs Teachers’ Action, Seeks Action Over Insecurity

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has defended the protests and strike by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) over the “serial cases of abduction of its members and students/pupils”.

In a statement on Wednesday, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the union expresses “solidarity with the striking members of NUT (Nigeria Union of Teachers)” over the issue.

“The national and well-coordinated action represents the resolve of Teachers to take their destiny into their own hands instead of waiting to be slaughtered to the last person.

“The action equally represents a gentle but unignorable nudge on the governments to take more seriously the growing insecurity industry.

READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW: 

Press Statement
(03/06/2026)

ACT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

The Nigeria Labour Congress wishes to express solidarity with the striking members of NUT (Nigeria Union of Teachers) over the serial cases of abduction of its members and students/pupils.

The national and well-co-ordinated action represents the resolve of Teachers to take their destiny in their hands instead of waiting to be slaughtered to the last person.

The action equally represents a gentle but unignorable nudge on the governments to take more seriously the growing insecurity industry.

We commend the leadership of the NUT, led by Comrade Titus Audu Amba for this thoughtful action across the country.

Our hearts are with the Teachers, pupils/students and other vulnerable workers, especially local government workers, Doctors, Nurses, Medical and Health workers who often fall victim of the nefarious acts of bandits or other miscreants.

We are heart-broken by the ugly pictures of our children, held and tortured by depraved bandits in the forests of Oyo state.

As a nation, we cannot continue to fold our hands while this horror movie continues to play, from Zamfara to Oyo, from Maiduguri to to Port Harcourt.

We will not hesitate to do a solidarity action with the teachers or any other group of workers if government does not take more seriously the issues of our collective security.

Our concern for our collective security has never been in doubt. In the past couple of years, we have organised two security summits, street protests, the last one being in 2024 against all pressure from government circles to not hold it.

In the aftermath of the Oriire abductions in Oyo State, we had issued a statement not only condemning the despicable action, we drew the attention of government for the umpteenth time to the growing danger of the citizenry switching loyalty to bandits and the need it to deal with the situation before it spins out of control.

Since then other major/group abductions have taken place in Plateau, Kogi and other places underscoring the fact that for now we are not winning this war. It is heart-breaking.

We recognise the tricky operational situation in Oyo. We nonetheless use this opportunity to once again call on the government at all levels to rise beyond the ritual of “we are on top of the situation” and condolence messages to concrete and measurable action.

Free the abductees now, wherever they are held!

Comrade Joe Ajaero
President