The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged workers across the country to begin mobilising for political relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the time has come for the working class to take charge of its own destiny.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made the call during the 51st regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union in Abuja, where he also pushed for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s ailing health sector.
“We must move beyond begging the bosses to becoming the architects of our own destiny,” Ajaero told delegates, stressing that only a politically conscious and united workforce could challenge policies that perpetuate inequality.
He said the country’s health crisis was not accidental but a product of official neglect, greed, and misplaced priorities. “We must make the public our ally in the fight to rescue our health system in Nigeria,” he added.
The labour leader urged health workers to insist on living wages, safe working conditions, and adequate funding for public hospitals, noting that half-measures would no longer suffice.
“Our solutions must therefore be as radical as the problems we face,” Ajaero said. “We must unite and broaden the struggle, forge an unbreakable alliance with all health sector unions. Your strength is in your unity. A joint struggle across the entire health sector is invincible.”
He called for the reinvigoration of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), encouraging coordinated industrial action and solidarity across all cadres of health workers.
“The ruling class only understands the language of disrupted profits and social discomfort,” he said. “Your work is essential; wield that power strategically.”
Ajaero lamented the poor state of the nation’s healthcare system, saying it was the result of a deliberate policy direction that prioritised profit over human life.
“Our health sector continues to bleed. It is not an accident; it is a direct result of a system that sees healthcare as a commodity and health workers as disposable instruments,” he said.
He described Nigerian health workers as the “lifeblood of the nation’s well-being,” yet subjected to conditions that “sicken the very spirit of healing.”
“You are overworked, underpaid, and disrespected. You face unimaginable trauma daily, only to be met with empty promises and a blatant disregard for your welfare,” he said.
According to Ajaero, the government’s repeated failure to honour agreements with unions reflects its lack of appreciation for the value of health professionals.
“This is a calculated assault designed to break your will and privatise the commonwealth of our public health system. You have suffered severely from the unfaithfulness of the government to negotiate agreements because a premium is not placed on the services that you render. Maybe, out of guilt, they prefer to die abroad,” he added.
The NLC president’s remarks come amid renewed agitation by unions over poor funding, brain drain, and worsening working conditions in public hospitals, with labour leaders warning that without urgent reforms, the nation’s healthcare system risks total collapse.
