May Day: NLC plans protests against states not paying minimum wage

Nigeria Labour Congress, the country’s biggest Labour union, on Friday directed workers in states that have not fully implemented the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act to observe May Day 2026 on the streets, suspending all indoor or official celebrations.

ValidViewNetwork reports that President Bola Tinubu signed Nigeria’s new minimum wage bill into law on July 29, 2024, raising it from N30,000 to N70,000.

This amendment to the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 followed negotiations between the government, labour unions, and the private sector.

May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, is celebrated every year on May 1 to honour workers and labour movements worldwide.

The NLC, however, is urging both reflection on the state of workers’ rights and a celebration of collective efforts in continuously building the wealth of nations.

The union, in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, on Friday, condemned several state governments for continuing to violate the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act, refusing to implement key provisions, including consequential adjustments for senior workers, regular and timely payment of the new wage, and the extension of coverage to local government staff, primary school teachers, and health workers.

The union said such violations constitute not only a breach of the law but an assault on the dignity of Nigerian workers.

Accordingly, the NLC directed all State Councils in states where full implementation has not been achieved to ensure there are no May Day ceremonies inside government houses, banquet halls, or any enclosed venue hosted by or in collaboration with defaulting state governments, with all official receptions suspended.

Workers are expected to assemble at designated labour houses, union secretariats, or public squares by 7:00 a.m. on May 1, 2026, and take to the streets of their respective state capitals in peaceful, organised, and resolute processions.

Each State Council is required to design a route that terminates at either the State Government House, the State House of Assembly, or the office of the Head of Service, where a formal memorandum of demands shall be submitted.

The directive is binding on all affected state councils, and any chairperson who fails to comply or substitutes the directive with passive celebration in a defaulting state shall face immediate disciplinary action. Reports of compliance are expected immediately.

“Comrades, the 2024 Minimum Wage Act did not come through supplication. It came through struggle.

“To celebrate May Day indoors while our rights are trampled upon is to betray that legacy. Let us therefore return to the streets!” the NLC noted.

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Complaints about the N70,000 minimum wage are high among workers and unions, who argue it is insufficient amid soaring inflation and rising living costs.

Headline inflation has eroded the wage’s real value, and workers say it cannot cover basic needs such as schooling, housing, or food, with some calling it ‘too poor’ and a driver of corruption.

The NLC has previously demanded an urgent review, citing galloping inflation and unsustainable earnings. Organised labour proposed a new minimum of N154,000 in March 2026, including a 120 per cent salary adjustment tied to inflation.