Employees observe International Workers' Day amidst hardship as unions condemn rising crime, destitution, and soaring prices

Nigerian workers marked May Day amidst a backdrop of anxiety, frustration, and economic hardship, as the country grapples with rising insecurity, deepening poverty, and persistent inflation, all of which are eroding the value of labour and the dignity of work.

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Across various sectors, including factories, farms, offices, and informal markets, workers expressed feelings of desperation, as the promise of a better life and renewed hope seems increasingly elusive, with wages being stretched thin by soaring food prices, transport costs, and energy expenses.

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Labor leaders echoed these concerns, lamenting a failing system where economic reforms have yet to yield real relief for ordinary citizens, and warning that without urgent action to stabilise prices, secure communities, and protect livelihoods, the condition of Nigerian workers could deteriorate further.

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This year's May Day has become a moment of reflection and quiet protest for many, a reminder that behind the ceremonies and speeches are millions struggling to survive, with President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero, lamenting the high level of insecurity, poverty, hardship, inflation, and the devaluation of the national currency.

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Ajaero warned that unless insecurity and poverty are urgently addressed, the nation will continue to struggle with rising unemployment and the collapse of decent jobs, noting that about 90 per cent of jobs in Nigeria are in the informal sector, where workers lack security, pensions, and decent conditions.

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He further stated that decent jobs are gradually vanishing across industries, worsening inequality and poverty, and that if insecurity is tackled, farmers will return to their farms, food production will improve, and jobs will expand.

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Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Dominic Igwebike, also spoke out on May Day, saying that Nigerian electricity workers are facing various economic challenges, including arbitrary sackings, non-negotiation and implementation of conditions of service, salary stagnation, insecurity, and unsafe work environments.

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Igwebike noted that electricity workers are threatened daily by kidnappers and bandits, while distribution engineers and technicians are beaten daily by hoodlums and community youths, and sales and marketing teams face severe harassment, intimidation, and abuse while rendering services to the public.

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Insecurity has cast a long shadow over workplaces and communities nationwide, with transmission lines being vandalised, substations attacked, and technical employees exposed to life-threatening risks simply for doing their jobs, according to Igwebike.

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No worker should have to choose between earning a living and staying alive, Igwebike said, also noting that deepening poverty is equally troubling, with many Nigerian workers barely able to meet their basic needs due to rising inflation, stagnant wages, and the increasing cost of living.

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Earlier, during a Pre-May Day lecture, development expert Dr. Toyin Olawunmi warned that rising poverty and deepening insecurity are pushing Nigeria toward a dangerous tipping point, threatening national stability, economic productivity, and the future of decent work.

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According to Olawunmi, Nigeria cannot build decent work on frightened communities, hungry households, collapsing purchasing power, and weak public institutions, and that millions of Nigerian workers are no longer merely earning wages but struggling to survive under multiple invisible burdens.

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These burdens include what Olawunmi described as insecurity, inflation, transport, energy, healthcare, and corruption "taxes," as well as the psychological toll of uncertainty, and he maintained that insecurity is no longer merely a policing or military issue but a direct economic threat.

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Olawunmi noted that when farmers are unable to access their land, traders cannot move goods safely, and essential workers avoid vulnerable communities, the entire economy becomes destabilised.