As the country marks International Workers’ Day 2026 on Friday, May 1, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has urged all tiers of government to move beyond symbolic gestures and address the worsening socio-economic realities confronting workers in Nigeria.
This was communicated in a statement issued on Thursday, by CAPPA’s Media & Communications Officer, Robert Egbe.
CAPPA said this year’s commemoration comes amid rising hardship, with workers grappling with soaring living costs, stagnant wages, and declining social protections, conditions eroding productivity and quality of life.
According to CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, “May Day should not be reduced to ceremonial speeches. It must be a moment of reckoning. For millions of Nigerian workers, survival has become a daily negotiation with inflation, rising rents, and shrinking real incomes.”
Housing crisis deepens in urban centres
The organisation highlighted a worsening housing crisis across major cities such as Lagos, Abuja, and Rivers State, where accommodation costs have surged beyond the reach of average earners.
CAPPA expressed concern over reports of university lecturers and other public sector workers sleeping in offices due to unaffordable rents near their workplaces.
“That Nigeria’s educators, entrusted with shaping the nation’s future, are compelled to sleep in their offices is an indictment of our economic priorities,” Oluwafemi said, describing the trend as evidence of a broader housing emergency requiring urgent intervention.
Concerns over government land allocation
The group also criticised the Federal Government’s decision to allocate land to political appointees, including ambassadors-designate, questioning the prioritisation of public assets.
“In a period defined by acute housing stress for ordinary Nigerians, government decisions on land use must visibly prioritise broad public need over elite benefit,” CAPPA stated, warning that such actions could deepen public distrust.
Beyond wage increase
While acknowledging moves to review the national minimum wage, CAPPA stressed that wage increases alone would not address workers’ challenges without complementary policies to control inflation, regulate housing, and improve access to essential services.
“An increase in wages that is immediately swallowed by rent hikes, transport costs, and food inflation offers little real relief,” the statement noted.
The organisation also raised concerns over the declining quality of public services; healthcare, education, and transportation, which forces workers to seek expensive private alternatives.
Call for comprehensive reforms
To tackle the crisis, CAPPA called for a national housing strategy focused on affordable rental schemes, stronger labour protections, and increased social investments in key sectors.
It also advocated fiscal policies that prioritise public welfare, including health-promoting taxes and reinvestment into social services. “Workers are the backbone of any economy. When they are pushed to the margins, the entire system weakens,” the group said.
CAPPA further urged labour unions, civil society, and policymakers to use May Day as a platform to demand accountability and push for reforms.
“This is not just about commemoration; it is about commitment,” the statement added.
“Nigeria must choose whether it will continue on a path where workers are overburdened and undervalued, or one where their welfare is central to national development.”
Reaffirming solidarity with Nigerian workers, CAPPA called for urgent and sustained action to reverse current trends.
“A nation that neglects its workers undermines its own future,” the statement concluded.
