Sowore promises ₦500,000 minimum wage, one million public homes if elected president

• Omoyele Sowore promised a ₦500,000 minimum wage if elected president.

• He also pledged to end casualisation of workers across Nigeria.

• Sowore says his government would build one million public homes.

• The promises are part of his agenda ahead of the 2027 elections.

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has promised to introduce a ₦500,000 minimum wage, end casualisation of workers and build one million public homes if elected President of Nigeria.

Sowore made the promises while unveiling parts of his political agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying Nigeria needs radical economic and social reforms to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.

According to him, workers in Nigeria are currently underpaid despite rising inflation and increasing cost of living across the country.

The activist said a ₦500,000 minimum wage would help workers cope with the economic realities facing millions of Nigerians.

He also pledged to end the practice of casualisation, where companies employ workers on temporary or unstable contracts without full employment benefits.

Sowore argued that many Nigerian workers have remained trapped in poor working conditions for years despite contributing significantly to the economy.

In addition to labour reforms, the former presidential candidate promised to launch a massive public housing programme aimed at constructing one million homes for Nigerians.

According to him, the housing project would help reduce homelessness and provide affordable accommodation for low- and middle-income earners.

Sowore said the proposed homes would be publicly funded and designed to support struggling Nigerians facing high rent and poor living conditions.

The activist has repeatedly criticised both past and present administrations over economic hardship, unemployment and rising poverty levels in the country.

Nigeria has continued to face inflation, rising food prices and increasing cost of transportation following recent economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and currency fluctuations.

The current national minimum wage in Nigeria remains far below the ₦500,000 proposed by Sowore, making his promise one of the most ambitious economic pledges by a Nigerian politician in recent years.

While supporters praised the promises as people-focused, critics questioned how such programmes would be funded and implemented considering Nigeria’s economic challenges and debt profile.

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Sowore, however, insisted that Nigeria has enough resources to improve living standards if corruption and wasteful government spending are tackled.

The former presidential candidate previously contested in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections under the African Action Congress platform.