The Anambra State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) today took to the streets in Awka as part of a nationwide protest coordinated by the national leadership of the union to denounce the escalating insecurity across the country.
The peaceful demonstration, which drew workers from all NLC-affiliated unions in the state, began shortly after 11:00 a.m. at the NLC Secretariat located at Regina Caeli Junction and proceeded through major routes before culminating at the busy UNIZIK Junction.
Addressing workers and passersby during the rally, the Anambra State NLC Chairman, Comrade Humphrey Nwafor, said the protest was aimed at compelling the Federal Government to urgently confront the worsening security crisis threatening lives, livelihoods, and national stability.
According to Nwafor, the rally was organised in strict compliance with a unanimous resolution of the NLC National Executive Council, describing the action as a collective outcry by Nigerian workers over the unchecked wave of violence sweeping across the country.
He lamented that Nigerians now live in constant fear as incidents of killings, kidnappings, banditry, terrorism, and communal violence continue to spread from rural communities to major urban centres.
He said, “Nigerian workers can no longer remain silent while bloodshed becomes routine and insecurity erodes the very foundation of our society. People are no longer safe on highways, in farms, schools, markets, workplaces, or even in their homes.”
Nwafor stressed that the failure to guarantee the safety of citizens poses a grave threat to productivity, economic growth, and national development, noting that no country can attract investment or sustain progress under persistent insecurity.
He further observed that workers have been among the hardest hit by the crisis, with many losing colleagues, family members, and sources of income.
According to him, the insecurity has forced businesses to shut down, reduced agricultural output, driven up transportation costs, and worsened inflation, developments that disproportionately affect workers and the poor.
“The burden of this crisis continues to fall on the shoulders of working people,” he said.
The labour leader emphasised that the protest was not intended to confront the government but to make a lawful and moral demand for urgent, decisive, and coordinated action to restore safety across the country.
He called on the Federal Government to overhaul its security strategies, adequately equip and support security personnel, and improve their welfare, insisting that existing measures have failed to protect citizens.
Nwafor reaffirmed the NLC’s commitment to peaceful engagement, national unity, and sustained advocacy for a safer and more just Nigeria where citizens can live and work without fear.
The Anambra protest mirrors similar demonstrations held in Abuja, Lagos, and other states, with labour also drawing attention to unresolved agreements with the Federal Government, the rising cost of living, and the severe impact of insecurity on workers’ safety, productivity, and livelihoods nationwide.
