Nigeria’s organised labour has raised alarm that rising insecurity and deepening poverty are crushing workers and eroding the foundations of decent work, with far-reaching consequences for national development.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) sounded the warning on Friday during the 2026 May Day celebration in Abuja, themed “Insecurity, Poverty: Bane of Decent Work.”
The unions called for urgent and renewed attention to workers’ welfare, noting that employees across key sectors continue to sustain the economy despite worsening living and working conditions.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, described Nigerian workers as the backbone of productivity in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, aviation, energy, and public service.
He said the year’s theme reflects the harsh realities confronting workers nationwide, as insecurity and poverty steadily undermine decent work.
“The twin challenges of insecurity and poverty have become major obstacles to job creation and workers’ welfare nationwide. Decent work cannot thrive in an environment where fear and deprivation define daily life,” Ajaero stated.
He warned that the worsening situation has weakened employment generation, undermined workers’ rights, and strained social protection systems across the country.
Referencing Sustainable Development Goals Goal 8, Ajaero stressed that safety, stability, and inclusive economic growth remain essential for achieving decent work.
According to him, rising poverty levels are pushing millions into hardship daily, while internally displaced persons (IDP) camps highlight a deepening humanitarian crisis affecting vulnerable communities.
Ajaero also called for greater accountability, blaming weak institutions and poor governance for worsening citizens’ hardship. He urged the government to prioritise security, noting that meaningful economic development cannot occur without the safety of lives and property.
In his remarks, TUC President, Festus Osifo, echoed similar concerns, warning that insecurity continues to discourage foreign investment and limit economic growth.
He advocated stronger institutional independence, urging both the legislature and judiciary to improve transparency and accountability.
Osifo added that thousands of Nigerians are pushed into poverty daily, worsening social and economic instability, and called for urgent, coordinated action to reverse the trend.
He reaffirmed organised labour’s commitment to defending workers’ rights, stressing that unity remains critical to achieving sustainable national progress.
