The President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo,has urged the federal government to treat Nigeria’s worsening insecurity as a state of war, calling for greater investment in security, intelligence and technology instead of focusing heavily on infrastructure projects.
Following the TUC’s marking of the 2026 Workers’ Day, where members decried rising inflation, high food prices and increasing transport costs, its president, Osifo, while speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, decried rising state of insecurity in Nigeria and said it is better for workers to stay at home than risk being killed while trying to earn a living, stressing that safety must come before roads, schools and other projects.
“Insecurity is going down on a daily basis. One of the things that we pushed was that you can even reduce—if what you need is funding—you can even reduce the budgetary provisions to some other ministries and channel this as in a state of war. No. When a country is in a state of war, all resources, both human and material resources, are channeled towards resolving that war,” he said.
He added, “We made that proposal to the government that they should invest in security architecture, they should invest in technology invest in intelligence and also build capacity on technology. That is the only way that we can purely defeat the terrorists and the insurgents that are plaguing our nation,” he stressed.
Speaking further on the state of insecurity in Nigeria, Osifo said it is safer for workers in high-risk states such as Jos, Benue, Katsina and Zamfara to remain at home than risk being killed while going to work.
“As you see the environment, it’s actually better for someone in a place like Jos, in a place like Benue, in places like Katsina, in some places in Zamfara, to actually stay at home rather than going to work and being killed. So, when we wrote that thing down, we actually meant it because if someone is going to work and you are not sure of coming back, then is it not better you stay at home and you look for how to feed, or even remain hungry, rather than going to work and you are not sure of coming back home?”, he quizzed.
On the issue of labour’s renewed wage demands, Osifo said the three-year review window in the minimum wage law is flexible, arguing that interim measures such as wage awards could be introduced to cushion economic hardship before formal negotiations resume.
“The law is actually three years, but the law is actually made for man. For us, if the government is saying that we need to wait until next year—between now and next year, we still have about seven months. So there are intermediary measures that could be put in place. And one of them is what was done before, popularly referred to as the wage award. Because the money in your account doesn’t have a name, whether it comes through salary or whether it comes through bonus, let the money just come. Government can bring about bonuses,” he suggested.
Highlighting measures to strengthen the naira, Osifo said the Central Bank of Nigeria should stabilise the exchange rate at a fair market level, warning against both overvaluation and undervaluation of the currency.
“The CBN has what it takes to bring down the Naira to sub-1,000. If we put on our thinking caps and look at the general majority and how it affects us, I know strongly from the intel that we have that the CBN has what it takes to be able to manage it. We are not saying overvalue the Naira, no. There is a right price for it. So, get it to that right price. Don’t overvalue it or place a subsidy on it, but don’t also undervalue it. For the CBN Governor to come out a while ago and say the Naira is undervalued, it shows a lot,” he explained.
On how to improve productivity among Nigerian workers, Osifo said the key challenge is not workers’ capacity but access to the right tools and equipment, stressing that Nigerians already perform effectively when properly equipped, especially in sectors like oil and gas and medicine.
“Nigerian workers are absolutely productive when given the right tools. They are actually productive in the oil and gas sector. In the oil and gas sector today, 99% of the workforce in the industry are Nigerian workers. What we need is to give us the right tools. The knowledge is there, the intellect is there; all we need are the right tools and the right equipment to work, and we will deliver,” he emphasised.
Addressing concerns about disparities among states, Osifo said assessment of state performance should be based on available resources, noting that some states achieve significant progress relative to their revenue and security challenges.
“When we talk about states, what we always use as a yardstick is actually the revenue that is available to such a state. If you see a state like, for example, Enugu or Borno, and you see the resources available to them, it is actually limited. When you look at those resources vis-à-vis what they are doing, and you compare that to a state like Rivers or Delta, you are able to balance it.
“For us, we look at what resources are available to you and what you are doing with such resources. That gives us an insight into what you do. For example, even with the state of insecurity in a place like Borno, the Governor is doing his best. Aside from security issues, a lot of economic empowerment and developmental strides are happening in Borno compared to the resources that are at the disposal of the government,” he explained.
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