Labour Institute’s DG Hails Tinubu, AbdulRazaq Labour Records

The director general of Micheal Imoudu National Institute for Labour studies ( MINILS), Ilorin, Comrade Issa Remu, has commended the labour record of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with respect to mass job creation , job security, regular payment of salaries and work place dispute resolutions in the past years .

He equally hailed the Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his labour friendly policies, noting that Kwara is one of the states paying workers above the N70,000 minimum wage.

The one time vice chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress( NLC) also described as applausive the regular payment of workers salaries and the recent 30 percent peculiar allowance approved for the core civil servants by the Kwara State government.

Aremu spoke  in Ilorin while interacting with the media as part of the activities marking his 65th birthday.

He recalled that more than any other presidential candidate, Presidential candidate Bola Tinubu in 2022 mainstreamed labour in his reform agenda with a whole Directorate to engage with organized labour.

He added that candidate Tinubu promised an  administration that would make fiscal and monetary policies work for the workers and Nigerians so they can have a good life, adding that true to his promise,Tinubu has come in fullest of time  as an audacious reformer/president in the last two years.

Aremu observed that while reactions to reforms are “understandably mixed” with “reform enthusiasts” in support and “reform “pessimists” in doubt, the  initiated far reaching social and economic reforms within the framework of the comprehensive Renewed Hope Agenda have impacted “more positively on the labour market”.

According to him, the first positive impact of the reform is the enhanced public job security, adding that ” the Renewed Hope reform agenda is intentionally job- led and job protective. Approximately federal 720,000 public servants have their paid jobs secured.

He cited the establishment of new public service institutions such as federal tertiary institutions,  ministries of Livestock and regional development commissions that have created new thousand of jobs.

Aremu pointed to legacy road projects, including  Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Trans-Saharan Highway (Calabar-Abakaliki-etc.), Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Expressway, focusing on reinforced concrete for durability and incorporating rail tracks, aiming to unlock economic corridors and ensure equitable development across all zones, which have created thousands of jobs.

Beyond construction sector, Aremu observed that more jobs have been created in the real manufacturing sector.

” The reforms in downstream sectors that include Naira-for-Crude Policy  where the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) sells crude oil to local refineries in Naira, not dollars, aiming to reduce forex demand, stabilise the Naira, and boost local refining to meet domestic fuel needs, leading to more secured jobs, lower pump prices and energy self-sufficiency,” he added.

Aremu said that the second positive is the  prompt regular payment of salaries, noting that 2025 witnessed the implementation of the presidential  wage award to federal workers for six months and cash transfer  to some millions of the poorest and most vulnerable in response to protests by organised labour on the adverse impact of reform, with respect to inflation and devaluation.

“Last year significantly recorded the implementation of  the enacted 2024 National Minimum Wage Act of N70,000 after an intense  6 month long  tripartite (plus) collective bargaining.

Most States hitherto notorious for  delayed and no payment  of salaries at all are now revenue/allocations secured, meeting regular salaries obligations.  In  2025, a significant number of  states paid above the legal national minimum wage  of N70,000.

In addition to income insecurity,Aremu said  generalised national security threatened jobs and lives in 2025, recalling that members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) recently took to the streets in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu to protest worsening insecurity across the country, demanding urgent government action to curb violent crimes and kidnappings.

Aremu  said  the  above point to the urgent need to take labour and labour issues more serious in 2026.

“Labour creates wealth through other critical success factors. Therefore,  labour must be consciously motivated in return for labour productivity and workplace discipline, “

Aremu however observed that while employers and government must take labour serious, organised labour must also take take itself serious by improved productivity, corruption avoidance  and above all , avoidance of mutually disruptive work stoppages by embracing collective bargaining and social dialogue.

He also stressed the need for the allocation of more funds to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity for enhanced performance.