President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday declared insecurity and poverty as national emergencies, warning that both crises continue to threaten workers’ welfare, productivity and economic growth across Nigeria.
Speaking during the 2026 May Day celebration at Eagle Square, Abuja, Tinubu said decent work could not thrive in an atmosphere where citizens live in fear and wages no longer sustain families.
His remarks aligned with the global Workers’ Day theme focused on the International Labour Organization’s Decent Work Agenda.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the President admitted that insecurity and widespread poverty remain major obstacles to national development but assured workers that his administration was responding with deliberate and sustained measures.
“There cannot be decent work where workers fear for their lives, where wages cannot feed a family, or where insecurity disrupts farms, factories and markets,” he stated.
Tinubu said the Federal Government had launched several interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda to address the challenges.
He disclosed that the Community Protection Guards Initiative had already recruited about 45,000 young Nigerians to strengthen community security while creating employment opportunities.
According to him, social protection programmes, including expanded cash transfers, now reach about 15 million vulnerable households, with government estimates indicating that nearly 7.5 million Nigerians have been lifted out of poverty.
The President also highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, noting that both initiatives have generated more than 600,000 jobs nationwide.
On workers’ welfare, Tinubu said his administration had implemented a new national minimum wage, cleared pension arrears and reactivated gratuity payments effective January 2026.
He added that over 800,000 informal sector workers had been enrolled in the micro pension scheme, while small businesses continued to benefit from a N200 billion MSME intervention fund.
The President further outlined government efforts in agriculture, mechanisation, dry season farming and farmer protection through the deployment of 10,000 Agro-Rangers across 19 states.
He urged labour unions, including the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, to prioritise dialogue over industrial action, insisting that “strike should be the last resort, not the first.”
Meanwhile, some workers who spoke to Daily Trust said they now prioritise survival over efficiency, adding that many of them ration the number of days they report to work.
A civil servant in Abuja, who simply identified himself as David, said a lot of workers go to their respective workplaces without a job schedule.
Another civil servant, Hajiya Sadiya, said: “I live around Kaduna Road, Niger State. Some of my colleagues in office live at Suleja and we work in the Central Area, Abuja. Transport alone consumes our salaries, so we cannot afford to go every day. So, the issue is about survival, not about productivity.”
In Lagos State, civil servants said the cost of commuting has become unsustainable, forcing them to reconsider their daily work routines.
“I used to come to work five days a week without thinking twice,” a staff member of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, who preferred anonymity, said. “Now, I have to plan carefully. Three days is what I can afford. I reside in Oko-Afo in the Badagry area of the state, and commuting daily would drain my salary.
“Transport fair from Okoafun to Mike 2, previously was between N700 and N800 in the morning but right now it fluctuates between N1,300 to N1,500,” he said.
Aisha Ismail, an administrative staff member in a ministry in Kano State, admits she now goes to work only three times a week.
“Transport fare has doubled in the past year. If I spend N1,000 daily just to get to the office, what will be left for food at home?” she asked.
Aisha explained that she often stays back to save money for her children’s meals, leaving her desk unattended and her workload piling up.
(DAILY TRUST)