As Nigeria celebrates International Workers’ Day on May 1, 2026, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged all levels of government to move beyond symbolic gestures and address the pressing socioeconomic challenges facing the nation’s workforce.
In a statement issued by Robert Egbe, Media & Communications Officer, CAPPA today Thursday, CAPPA highlighted that this year’s observance coincides with an increasingly dire situation for workers across Nigeria, who are grappling with soaring living costs, stagnant wages, and diminishing social protections. These factors continue to erode workers’ dignity, productivity, and overall quality of life.
“May Day should not be merely ceremonial,” emphasized CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi. “It must serve as a wake-up call. For millions of Nigerian workers, survival has become a constant negotiation with inflation, rising rents, and decreasing real incomes.”
CAPPA pointed to a grave housing crisis in major urban centers such as Lagos, Abuja, and Rivers State, where rental costs have skyrocketed, making it increasingly difficult for average earners to find affordable accommodation.
The organization expressed alarm over reports of university lecturers and other public sector employees who have resorted to sleeping in their offices and on campuses, unable to afford housing close to their workplaces.
“It is an indictment of our economic priorities that educators, who have the profound responsibility of shaping the future of the nation, are forced to sleep in their offices,” Oluwafemi stated. “This underscores a critical housing emergency that requires immediate, coordinated intervention.”
Furthermore, CAPPA criticized the Federal Government’s recent decision to approve land allocations for political appointees who have yet to serve the country.
“By providing land allocations, likely in prime areas of Abuja, to ambassadors and high commissioners-designate, the government raises serious questions about who truly benefits from public assets,” the organization commented.
“In a time of acute housing challenges for ordinary Nigerians, decisions regarding land use should prioritize public needs over elite advantages. Failing to do so risks exacerbating public distrust.”
While acknowledging recent efforts to review the national minimum wage, CAPPA contended that simply adjusting wages will not suffice without simultaneous efforts to combat inflation, regulate housing costs, and enhance access to essential services.
“A wage increase that is immediately offset by rising rents, transportation costs, and food prices offers minimal relief,” the statement noted. “What workers truly need is a comprehensive framework that aligns their income with the actual cost of living.”
CAPPA also drew attention to the declining state of public services, including healthcare, education, and transportation, which places additional financial burdens on workers forced to seek private alternatives.
The group warned that the continued commercialisation of basic services risks widening inequality and pushing more Nigerians into precarious living conditions.
To address these challenges, CAPPA called for a national housing strategy that prioritises affordable rental schemes and curbs speculative practices in urban property markets.
The group demanded stronger labour protections and enforcement of fair wage standards across both public and private sectors, targeted social investments in healthcare, education, and public transport to ease the cost burden on workers and fiscal policies that prioritise public welfare, including health-promoting taxes and reinvestment of revenues into social services.
“Workers are the backbone of any economy. When they are pushed to the margins, the entire system weakens,” the group added.
Furthermore, CAPPA urged labour unions, civil society, and policymakers to use May Day as an opportunity to reassert the rights of workers and demand accountability from those in positions of power.
“This is not just about commemoration; it is about commitment,” the organisation said. “Nigeria must choose whether it will continue on a path where workers are overburdened and undervalued, or one where their welfare is placed at the centre of national development.”
Reaffirming its solidarity with Nigerian workers, the group called for urgent, sustained action to reverse the current trajectory.
“A nation that neglects its workers undermines its own future,” the statement concluded.
As International Workers’ Day approaches, CAPPA’s call to action underscores the need for substantive change that addresses the struggles faced by Nigerian workers, advocating for a focused and equitable approach to economic policy.
