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Nigerian workers today mark May Day alongside their counterparts around the world, but for many, the occasion offers little to celebrate. Amid rising inflation, stagnant wages, and a biting cost of living crisis, Workers’ Day feels more like a day of reflection than festivity.
Instead of progress, many are facing worsening conditions that have pushed them further into poverty. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) captured this mood, stating that workers have been under intense strain since the current administration came into office.
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According to NLC: “It has been one anti-worker policy after another. From last May Day to today, it has been excruciating and painful.”
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Speaking on the situation, NLC President Joe Ajaero stated: “It is unfortunate, but the reality is that within the capitalist system, we are constantly compelled to live in a society divided into two classes: the oppressed and the oppressors; the bosses and the workers; the haves and the have-nots. That situation has only worsened since the last May Day celebration. We have been impoverished and dehumanized.
“The struggles we face as workers and as citizens of Nigeria are immense—from neoliberal economic policies that impoverish workers to relentless attacks on labour rights.
"The ruling elite have ganged up against the workers and the masses. They belong to virtually one party and speak with one voice—one that promotes impoverishment, exploitation, and slavish wages.
“Today, the Nigerian worker stands at a crossroads—not just in a national crisis but amidst a global assault on labour. Capitalism, in its insatiable hunger, devours jobs, strips dignity from work, and widens the chasm of inequality. The state, which should be the guardian of justice, seems to have become the enforcer of exploitative and oppressive policies dictated by Bretton Woods institutions.
“Amidst all this, however, our movement remains the strongest and most vibrant on the African continent. We have remained united despite numerous attempts to sow division among us. We worked together to negotiate the National Minimum Wage and have remained steadfast in our engagements with the state.
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Ajaero also lamented the struggle to achieve the recently implemented N70,000 national minimum wage.
“Even in this darkness, we find our purpose. The trade union movement was not born from comfort—it was forged in resistance. Our power does not come from the benevolence of the elite but from the unity of the exploited. We must not forget the struggle to compel the state to agree to a N70,000 National Minimum Wage, which is being implemented in breach by many state governments and even the federal government.
“The fight for the full implementation of the National Minimum Wage is ongoing across many states. We must brace ourselves to ensure that all states and the private sector comply with the law, even as we begin to push for a wage review beyond the minimum to address the widespread hardship.
“To those who still doubt: the time for hesitation is over. Every worker must awaken to the truth that our liberation will not be gifted—it must be won. We must act not only for ourselves but for future generations. The ruling class fears only one thing: our collective refusal to remain in servitude. Let us build a movement that does not merely negotiate for crumbs, but demands a fair share of the bread we have baked.”
President Tinubu signed in the new N70,000 national minimum wage in July 2024.
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