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President Bola Tinubu on Friday declared insecurity and poverty national emergencies, warning that the twin crises posed grave threats to jobs, productivity and national stability as Nigeria marked the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration.
This comes as Nigeria’s organised labour declared that the country is drifting toward a dangerous tipping point, warning of a collapsing social contract, a failing economy, and a worsening security crisis that could force workers off their jobs nationwide.
President Tinubu, speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, during the national May Day celebrations at Eagle Square in Abuja, told workers, labour leaders and guests that his administration was confronting both challenges with urgency and deliberate policy action.
“There cannot be decent work where workers fear for their lives, where wages cannot feed a family, or where insecurity disrupts farms, factories, markets and other economic activities. These hydra-headed challenges, the government notes, have been treated as a national emergency due to their impact on productivity, livelihoods, and the confidence of both workers and employers,” Tinubu said.
Aligning his message with the global May Day theme on the Decent Work Agenda championed by the International Labour Organization ILO, the president acknowledged that insecurity and poverty remain “significant obstacles” to building a peaceful Nigeria where citizens can “sleep with their eyes closed.”
On security, Tinubu pointed to the launch of the Community Protection Guards Initiative, which he said has recruited 45,000 young Nigerians to secure communities while simultaneously creating jobs.
He commended security forces for their role in protecting economic activities and paid tribute to personnel who had paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.
On the economy, the president highlighted a range of interventions under his Renewed Hope Agenda, including expanded cash transfers reaching 15 million vulnerable households and lifting an estimated 7.5 million Nigerians out of poverty.
He added that infrastructure projects — among them the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline — have generated over 600,000 jobs.
Tinubu said his government has also implemented a new national minimum wage, cleared pension arrears and reintroduced gratuity payments from January 2026.
According to him, over 800,000 informal sector workers have been enrolled in the micro pension scheme, with small businesses continuing to draw support from a N200 billion MSME fund.
“To you, our dear workers, I say this clearly; your welfare remains a priority. We are committed to improving working conditions, promoting fair wages, and ensuring that every Nigerian worker enjoys dignity, safety and equal opportunity in the workplace; hence, the recent reactivation of the payment of gratuity to Nigerian workers with effect from January 2026,” the president said.
Detailing the administration’s anti-poverty approach, Tinubu said the Federal Government had adopted a multi-dimensional strategy built around job creation, economic diversification and social protection.
“Through targeted interventions in agriculture, small and medium enterprises, infrastructure development, and skill acquisition, we are laying a solid foundation for inclusive growth. These are evident in the government’s key 2024-2026 interventions and initiatives, namely the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-pocket (NAGS-AP), the Dry Season Farming Schemes, the Mechanisation Drives, the Post-Harvest Management, the Financial Inclusion and support, anchored in the Bank of Agriculture, the Security for Farmers through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployment of 10,000 Agro-Rangers to 19 states to protect farmers and farm produce from banditry, among others,” he said.
Addressing the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC and the Trade Union Congress TUC of Nigeria, Tinubu called for sustained dialogue and restraint in the resolution of industrial disputes.
“Strike should be the last resort, not the first,” he said, urging collaboration to deliver lasting reforms.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment, the President said Nigeria remained on course to defeat insecurity and reduce poverty, promising a future where “decent work is not a privilege for a few, but a reality for all.”
Labour dismisses growth claims
Earlier, Organised Labour had declared that the country was drifting toward a dangerous tipping point, warning of a collapsing social contract, a failing economy, and a worsening security crisis that could force workers off their jobs nationwide.
NLC and TUC Presidents, Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo, made their feelings known in a joint speech that combined stark economic analysis, political warnings, and an unmistakable threat of mass action if conditions do not improve.
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