Nigerian workers are now battling fear as much as poverty, labour unions told the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva on Monday.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) said insecurity has become the single biggest threat to jobs and livelihoods in Nigeria. At a joint press briefing, NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC Deputy President Jimoh Oyibo said many workers no longer feel safe getting to their workplaces. They pointed to rising cases of kidnapping, attacks and killings targeting teachers, health workers, farmers and other essential staff.
According to the unions, nearly 2,000 Nigerians were killed between January and March 2026, while millions have been displaced by banditry and insurgency. The leaders warned that this climate of violence is crippling productivity and scaring workers away from their duty posts.
“In Nigeria, the crisis of insecurity has reached such a frightening dimension that workers now risk their very lives simply to report to duty. Communities are being overrun, farmers chased from their fields, teachers and doctors from their schools, and health workers attacked in their clinics,” the unions said.
The unions also noted that if the government fails to act quickly, organised labour will escalate its response. The NLC and TUC added that inflation has eroded wage gains, leaving about 150 million Nigerians in multidimensional poverty while the economy benefits only a few.
