ORGANISED labour has issued an urgent call to the Federal Government to take decisive action against the twin crises of insecurity and poverty, warning that both factors have become major obstacles to job creation and the availability of decent employment across the country.
The appeal came during a Pre-May Day lecture held on Wednesday in Abuja, where labour leaders and experts gathered to examine the deepening challenges facing the nation’s workforce.
The event, themed “Insecurity, Poverty – Bane of Decent Work,” was jointly organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
In his address, the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, noted that rising violence and economic deprivation continue to weaken economic opportunities nationwide, warning that unless these challenges are addressed with urgency, Nigeria will face a sustained cycle of rising unemployment, declining productivity, and the gradual collapse of decent, sustainable jobs across multiple sectors.
Comrade Ajaero drew attention to the staggering size of the informal economy, stating that approximately 90 per cent of jobs in Nigeria are now in the informal sector, leaving most workers without security, pensions, or decent working conditions.
“Decent jobs are gradually vanishing across industries,” Ajaero said, adding that “this trend is worsening inequality and poverty.”
Ajaero argued that tackling insecurity would have a direct and positive impact on livelihoods if farmers can return to their fields without fear, food production will improve, and employment will expand.
He also pointed out that even formal sector workers remain inadequately protected, citing weak compliance with pension regulations and persistently poor working conditions in many establishments. The dominance of informal employment, he added, has left millions of Nigerians without stable income, social protection, or any real job security.
Speaking in the same vein, the TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, described the lecture’s theme as highly timely given the country’s current economic realities.
He observed that insecurity and rising poverty levels are reducing productivity, worsening living standards, and directly threatening the prospect of decent work for millions of Nigerian workers.
While commending the forum as a valuable opportunity for reflection and problem-solving, Comrade Osifo urged the Federal Government and all stakeholders to move beyond discussion and take concrete action to improve workers’ welfare, strengthen the economy, and promote social justice.
Further insights came from Dr Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, who linked insecurity directly to economic losses and the transfer of wealth from citizens to criminal groups.
He explained that fear and violence reduce productivity, limit labour mobility, and weaken investment, thereby distorting economic activity away from productive work.
He traced the root of the crisis to weak governance and poor democratic responsiveness, which reduce pressure on leaders to address citizens’ suffering.
He also noted that inadequate labour laws and weak social protection systems leave workers vulnerable, with limited legal safeguards for their welfare and economic security.
To reverse this trend, he called for stronger labour solidarity and non-partisan activism aimed at reducing inequality and improving government accountability.
Representing the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Nigeria Office, Workers’ Rights Specialist, Ms. Inviolata Chinyangarara, emphasised that evidence already shows poverty severely undermines decent work and demands urgent action.
She recalled the 1944 Philadelphia Declaration, which linked poverty to global threats against prosperity, and noted that rising inequality further destabilises economies and decent work conditions. The growing prevalence of informal employment, she argued, signals a failure of governance, even as the ILO continues to support Nigeria’s transition to formal job creation.
Expressing concern over youth unemployment, underemployment, and food insecurity, Chinyangarara described these as signs of a weakening social contract that requires urgent reconstruction.
She called for evidence-based research and stronger social dialogue through labour unions, stressing that decent work remains the central pillar for addressing Nigeria’s pressing socio-economic challenges.
