Labour Leaders, Others Raise The Alarm Over Shrinking Decent Workspace

Barely a day to the 2026 International Workers’ Day, labour leaders, policy experts, including trade union representatives yesterday raised fresh concerns over rising insecurity, poverty and the shrinking space for decent work in Nigeria.

They warned that worsening economic conditions were undermining workers’ welfare and national productivity.

The concerns were expressed at the pre-May Day lecture organised by organised labour in Abuja ahead of the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration.

The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, said insecurity and poverty had become major obstacles to decent work, stressing that millions of Nigerians were trapped below the poverty line while quality jobs continued to disappear.

Ajaero noted that solving insecurity and poverty would significantly improve living conditions and economic activities across the country, especially in agriculture and small businesses.

According to him, “If we remove insecurity today, you see that there will be food everywhere. People will go back to their farms. You don’t even need government to bring any cover. People will be free to move from one place to another to sell.”

The NLC president lamented that nearly 90 per cent of jobs in Nigeria were now in the informal sector, where workers lacked pensions, job security and decent conditions of service.

He, however, commended the federal government for reintroducing gratuity payments, saying workers deserved dignity after retirement.

Ajaero said, “If there is poverty, if there is insecurity, in most cases you don’t even have a job, talk less of having a decent job.

The issue of decent jobs is not about getting employment from the government. It’s all about what you take home.”

The president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Festus Osifo called for stronger solidarity among workers and stakeholders to combat poverty and insecurity.

He said decent work remained non-negotiable for Nigerian workers and urged greater cooperation towards improving working conditions nationwide.

He said, “While calling for greater solidarity and cooperation towards the eradication of poverty and insecurity in our workplaces, in particular, and Nigeria in general, decent work is a must for Nigerian workers and is not negotiable.”

Delivering the keynote lecture, Professor Kunle Olawunmi, a scholar of international relations and strategic studies, described poverty and insecurity as direct threats to labour productivity, governance and national stability.

Olawunmi said Nigeria could not build a productive economy on “frightened communities, hungry households, underpaid workers and displaced citizens.”

He argued that poor governance had become a “hidden tax” on workers, as citizens were forced to provide their own electricity, security, healthcare and other social services.

The professor cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicating that informal employment remained at 93 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, while self-employment accounted for 85.6 per cent of employed persons.

According to him, the figures reflected a deep crisis of decent work, where many Nigerians remained economically vulnerable despite being employed.

He further warned that poverty had evolved into a national security emergency, saying hungry and unemployed youths were more vulnerable to manipulation, criminal recruitment and social unrest.

Olawunmi also linked insecurity to declining productivity, noting that farmers, teachers, health workers and businesses were increasingly unable to operate freely due to fear of attacks, kidnappings and violence.

He maintained that addressing wages alone without improving governance, public services and security would not guarantee decent living standards for workers.

Olawunmi said, “Nigeria cannot build a productive economy on frightened communities, hungry households, underpaid workers, displaced citizens and public institutions that often speak more eloquently than they deliver.

“A minimum wage without minimum governance will not secure the worker. A salary increase without price stability, food security, safe transport, public health, affordable housing and accountable public spending will be swallowed by the environment.”