Amid the workers day celebration, labour leaders have expressed new worries about Nigeria’s growing poverty, insecurity, and lack of adequate employment opportunities.
They cautioned that the wellbeing of workers and national production were being threatened by deteriorating economic conditions.
Ahead of the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration, organised labour in Abuja held a pre-May Day seminar where the concerns were raised.
Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, emphasised that millions of Nigerians remained stuck below the poverty line as good jobs continued to vanish, claiming that poverty and insecurity had grown to be significant barriers to decent work.
According to Ajaero, resolving poverty and insecurity will greatly enhance living conditions and economic activity nationwide, particularly in small companies and agriculture.
He said, “If we remove insecurity today, you see that there will be food everywhere. People will go back to their farms. You don’t even need the government to bring any cover. People will be free to move from one place to another to sell.”
The head of the NLC bemoaned the fact that about 90% of Nigerian jobs were now in the unorganised sector, where employees lacked pensions, job security, and respectable working conditions.
However, he said that workers should be treated with dignity after retirement and praised the Federal Government for reinstating gratuity payments.
Meanwhile, Festus Osifo, the president of the Trade Union Congress, urged stakeholders and employees to work together more effectively to fight poverty and insecurity.
While speaking, he also called for increased collaboration to improve working conditions across the country and stated that decent employment remained non-negotiable for Nigerian workers.
BACKSTORY…
The Labour Unions Protesters, chanting “No work for us, no work for you,”
In February also, Organised labour union in the federal public service issued an ultimatum to the federal government to meet its demands of three months’ outstanding wage award.
The labour unions claimed that the federal government was purposefully withholding funds intended for workers.
The labour unions further claimed that the salary award issue, which has persisted for more than two years, started after the federal government approved a minimum wage of N70,000 following the elimination of fuel subsidies.
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