…Falana warns against foreign military intervention
UFOMBA UZUEGBU
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has served a notice of intention to organize a nationwide protest over the unending insecurity, killings abductions of Nigerians, particularly school children nationwide.
President of the Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, stated that Nigerians had had enough, stressing that it was time to put a stop to the killings by armed bandits and terrorists who are having a field day in different parts of the country.
In a similar vein, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, opposed foreign intervention in the nation’s security affairs, stressing that calls for external foreign intervention was counter productive and posed a terrible risk to Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Both spoke during the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held in Lagos.
Falana expressed concern over the rising wave of kidnappings across the country, stating that criminal gangs continue to abduct citizens despite the presence of a functioning government.
He noted that desperation had pushed some Nigerians to support the idea of foreign military intervention, particularly by the United States — a move he strongly condemned.
Falana recalled that Nigerians had historically rejected attempts by foreign powers to establish military bases in the country, citing the 1962 resistance to the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact shortly after independence. Since then, he said, both the United States and Britain had repeatedly sought similar arrangements, which Nigerians consistently opposed.
The human rights lawyer warned that the experiences of countries such as Libya, where foreign intervention destabilized national structures and left the nation fragmented, should serve as a cautionary tale. He also referenced ongoing U.S. involvement in global conflicts, including support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and alleged plans to intervene in Venezuela.
The senior advocate criticized U.S. political rhetoric about protecting Christians globally, arguing that such claims were inconsistent with America’s actions in conflict zones. He questioned why foreign actors claiming to defend Christians abroad had not intervened in Nigerian states affected by religious violence if their intentions were genuine.
Falana stressed that Nigeria must avoid becoming entangled in prolonged foreign military engagements, pointing to America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan as an example of long-term instability that external intervention can create.
He urged the NLC and civil society to intensify pressure on the Federal Government to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect lives and property across all states. According to him, the administration must demonstrate clearly that Nigeria “is not a conquered people.”
Falana also reiterated the legal right of workers to unionize and defend their interests, insisting that no government or private entity — including major corporations — should undermine those rights.
Ajaero specifically mentioned the recent abduction of school children in Kebbi State, and the alleged withdrawal of soldiers said to have been stationed around the school moments before the abductors struck, describing this as unacceptable.
“We are going to declare nationwide protests of mourning to demand to demand and end to the killings. We will also demand to know who ordered the withdrawal of soldiers before the Kebbi school children were abducted,” Ajaero, said at the NEC meeting. He did not specify the date of the protest, but said it would be communicated at the end of the NEC meeting.
The NLC president also warned politicians against overheating the polity, or giving an opportunity to undemocratic forces to strike. He said the labour movement had in the past fought undemocratic forces to a standstill.
“If you lose today, you can win tomorrow. Therefore, don’t burn the house,” Ajaero said, referring to politicians.
He also announced the withdrawal of all NLC members serving in different committees of the Labour Party (LP) both of Julius Abure and Nenadi Usman- led factions. He said the decision was necessary to enable the labour movement restrategise the way forward for the Labour Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He equally called on the federal government to respect all agreements freely entered into with various unions, pointing particularly to those of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and unions in the nation’s health sector.
For a better society
Follow us across our platforms:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/
You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2
