The Federal Workers Forum (FWF), National Action Council has issued a warning to the Nigerian Government over worsening national insecurity, the collapse of the health sector, and the continued non-payment of wage awards owed to federal workers.
The Forum also announced a nationwide solidarity march scheduled for December 4, 2025.
In a statement released on Monday, December 1, and jointly signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, and other members of the National Action Council, the Forum said Nigeria is “progressively eroding the safety, dignity, and welfare of its workers,” urging urgent intervention by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Forum expressed deep concern over what it called “escalating insecurity across the country,” noting that the situation has now become a direct threat to federal workers.
It cited the recent abduction of staff members of the Ministry of Defence who were travelling to Abuja for promotional examinations, describing the incident as “tragic and symbolic of a nation where even those serving the country in highly sensitive institutions are no longer safe.”
The incident, it said, has intensified long-standing fears among government employees who frequently travel for training, examinations, and other official duties.
“The Federal Government must urgently take concrete steps to ensure safety along our highways and communities,” the Forum said.
It warned that failure by the Tinubu-led administration to act could compel federal workers to “mobilize for a nationwide peaceful protest” and possibly consider “a vote of no confidence in the government.”
The Forum stressed that workers were “not asking for special treatment, only for the basic right to live and work without fear of abduction or death.”
The Forum declared strong solidarity with striking health workers, including the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), accusing the government of negligence over unresolved demands for allowances and improved working conditions.
It lamented that the health sector had deteriorated to a point where Nigerians were now dying from “conditions that should ordinarily be treatable,” a situation worsened by the continuous migration of health professionals seeking greener pastures.
The statement criticized political officeholders for travelling abroad for medical care while “ordinary citizens are left to suffer in underfunded and understaffed hospitals.”
The Forum called on the Federal Government to immediately address the demands of health workers, insisting that “the ongoing crisis is costing Nigerian lives every day.”
The Forum also condemned the government’s delay in paying the outstanding ₦105,000 wage award meant to cushion workers against rising economic hardship.
It noted that at a time of severe inflation, high taxes, and escalating fuel and living costs, withholding wage support amounted to “insensitivity and poor governance.”
The Forum further expressed concern that Nigeria’s dependence on borrowing had raised fears that “even the wage award funds may have been diverted or borrowed.”
It urged the two major labour centres to “immediately declare a nationwide strike,” push for a “new, dignified, and living minimum wage,” and demand that the government fully honours its obligations to workers.
Announcing its next line of action, the Forum invited workers, civil society groups, activists and the media to join its solidarity march to the Federal High Court on December 4, 2025.
The march, according to the Forum, is intended to support Comrade Andrew Emelieze in his ongoing legal case involving the Federal Government and the Department of State Services (DSS).
“This solidarity action is not just about one individual; it is a defence of workers’ rights, freedom of expression, and the right to organize without intimidation,” the statement said.
The Forum reaffirmed its commitment to defending the rights, dignity, and welfare of Nigerian workers, urging citizens to “remain awake, engaged, and united in the struggle for a safer, fairer, and more accountable nation.”
“Nigeria belongs to all of us, workers, citizens, and future generations alike,” the statement said.
