AKOR SYLVESTER, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has vowed to prioritise workers’ welfare and improve the security situation in the country to enable Nigerians to enjoy real dividends of democracy, even as he called for the partnership of the organised labour in order to achieve the feat.
Tinubu who addressed workers at this year’s Workers’ Day celebration in Abuja on Friday, admitted that some Nigerians paid the price of the hardship slammed on the country by the hard but well-intended policies of his administration, including the sudden removal of fuel subsidy
He said his administration is not unaware of the sufferings of Nigerians, stating that his policies have started yielding positive results.
Tinubu said: “To you our dear workers, I say this clearly: your welfare remains a priority. We are committed to improving working conditions, promoting fair wages, and ensuring that every Nigerian worker enjoys dignity, safety and equal opportunity in the workplace. Hence, the recent reactivation of the moribund gratuity to the Nigerian worker with effect from January 2026.
“Dear Comrades, again I thank you for the choice of the theme of this year’s May Day celebration, recognizing it is a call for action. But Government cannot do it alone. I therefore call on organised labour to remain our partners in progress. Let explore all avenues and resources at our disposal to deepen dialogue, shun all forms of aggression, even as we strive to reduce conflict to the barest minimum. Strike should be the last resort, not the first. When we sit at the table, Nigerian workers win.
“To the employers, Decent Work means fair wages, safe workplaces, respect for collective bargaining and upholding collective agreements.
“On our part as government through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, we will continue to enforce our labour laws and ensure that Nigeria’s Labour Administration System complies with International Labour Standards and international best practice.
“To our Security forces: every market you secure, every school you secure, every farm you protect, every workplace you protect is an act of job creation and for all these, we are grateful.
“Finally, let me reassure you once again- this government is resolute. We are committed to overcoming insecurity. We are determined to defeat poverty, and we will continue to work tirelessly to achieve a nation where decent work is not a privilege for a few, but a reality for all. Together, we will build a safer and more prosperous Nigeria.”
Delivering the joint speech of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the NLC President, Joe Ajaero and the TUC President, Festus Osifo, said Nigerian workers continued to suffer effects of anti-worker policies in the country, urging the government to put the plight of workers at the front burner.
The labour leaders said, “this year’s theme, ‘Insecurity, Poverty – Bane of Decent Work,” speaks directly to the harsh realities confronting workers and citizens alike. It points to a crisis that has gripped our nation by the throat, making life increasingly unsafe and uncertain for millions. No nation can claim progress when the lives and property of its citizens are not secure, and it is for this reason that the protection and welfare of citizens remain the primary responsibility of any government.
“There exists a direct and undeniable relationship between insecurity, poverty, and the collapse of decent work outcomes: as insecurity and poverty rise, the possibility of decent work diminishes, and as they fall, the prospects for dignity in labour are restored.
“The four pillars of decent work; employment creation, rights at work, social protection, and social dialogue; cannot thrive in an environment defined by fear and deprivation. It is impossible to create meaningful employment where lives are under constant threat; it is unrealistic to speak of rights in the midst of violence; and it is contradictory to discuss social protection when the most basic protection, security of life; is absent. Yet, this is the reality we face today in a nation of over 200 million people, where the poverty rate has surged to about 65%, and insecurity continues to expand in frightening dimensions.
“We must, therefore, place the horse before the cart by prioritizing security above all else, recognizing that once the foundation is strong, every other benefit of nationhood will follow”.
The labour leaders also expressed worry over the contradictory rulings from the various courts which they said are supposed to provide stability.
“The Judiciary is supposed to provide succour for poor and helpless Nigerians as it defends the weak and the poor from the rich while at the same time providing balance for our polity but this quality may have been lost. We are worried that the majority of the citizenry may have lost confidence in the goings on in the Judiciary thus, a frightening understanding within the populace that the rule of might has become the order of the day. We warn that this is very dangerous for the nation and remains unsustainable as different groups coalesce to find ways around the impediments through self-help.
“While these institutional challenges persist, the burden continues to fall heavily on ordinary Nigerians. Current data shows that approximately 10,000 people are pushed into poverty every day in our country. Millions struggle to access food and basic necessities, while internally displaced persons’ camps, now numbering in the thousands; house millions of citizens who have been forced from their homes. In these camps and communities, diseases such as Kwashiorkor, Craw-craw, and Marasmus are re-emerging, painting a grim picture of a nation under severe strain.”
Continuing, the leaders noted, “We must not deceive ourselves; serious challenges persist. As global competition for resources intensifies, capital has grown more aggressive, deploying every means to weaken labour and silence the collective voice of workers. Across sectors, we continue to witness attacks on the fundamental rights to organize, to associate freely, and to bargain collectively, with violations carried out with alarming impunity. In several states, governments have refused to fully implement the provisions of the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act, despite improved revenues, forcing workers to mark this May Day not in celebration grounds, but in protest on the streets.
“In the private sector, some employers, emboldened by their size and influence, have shown open disregard for labour laws, even going as far as advocating for the removal of protections that safeguard workers from exploitation; sometimes in the very presence of institutions meant to enforce those laws.
“We are equally troubled by direct interferences in union structures and independence, from the continued occupation of union secretariats to attempts at imposing parallel leaderships, and the disregard of court rulings affirming legitimate authorities within unions. These developments are not isolated incidents; they point to a broader and more troubling pattern of efforts to undermine the autonomy and strength of the trade union movement in Nigeria. They remind us, very clearly, that the struggle is far from over and that the forces opposed to workers’ rights remain powerful and determined.”
They called on all workers to unite in demanding a truly living wage that reflects the harsh economic realities that the country face today.
“In addition to this and with your support, we demand that from July of this year, every worker be paid 100% of his basic salary till the new national minimum wage is signed into Law to cushion the effects of the renewed crisis of survival facing Nigerian workers.
“Now, more than ever, Nigerian workers must stand together. Our unity is our greatest weapon, our solidarity our strongest shield. Our nation needs us, our people depend on us, and we must not falter. The change we seek is possible, but it will not come from elsewhere; it must come from us, through our collective will and action to rebuild a nation that works for all.”
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