Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has called on the Nigerian government to move beyond symbolic gestures and confront the worsening socioeconomic realities confronting Nigeria’s workers as the country marks International Workers’ Day 2026.
CAPPA lamented that this year’s commemoration comes at a time when workers across the country are grappling with soaring living costs, stagnant wages, and deteriorating social protections.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director, said May Day should not just be reduced to ceremonial speeches but 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,” Oluwafemi said.
CAPPA highlighted the deepening housing crisis in major urban centers such as Lagos, Abuja, and Rivers State, where the cost of accommodation has surged beyond the reach of average earners who are now being priced out of cities.
The organization expressed particular concern over media reports of university lecturers and other public sector workers resorting to sleeping in offices and on campuses, unable to afford rent close to 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. It underscores a broader housing emergency that demands urgent, coordinated intervention,” Oluwafemi said.
CAPPA criticized the Federal Government’s decision to approve land allocation to political appointees who are yet to serve the country.
“Ambassadors and High Commissioners-designate are part of the political and administrative elite. Providing them with land allocations, most likely in prime areas of Abuja, raises questions about who benefits from public assets,” CAPPA stated.
The organization said in a period defined by acute housing stress for ordinary Nigerians, government decisions on land use must visibly prioritize broad public need over elite benefit.
“Anything less risks deepening public distrust,” CAPPA added.
While acknowledging recent efforts to review the national minimum wage, CAPPA noted that wage adjustments alone are insufficient without parallel measures to tame inflation, regulate housing costs, and expand access to essential services.
“An increase in wages that is immediately swallowed by rent hikes, transport costs, and food inflation offers little real relief. What workers need is a comprehensive framework that aligns income with the actual cost of living,” the statement said.
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 commercialization 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 prioritizes affordable rental schemes and curbs speculative practices in urban property markets.
The organization demanded stronger labor 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 prioritize public welfare.
“Workers are the backbone of any economy. When they are pushed to the margins, the entire system weakens,” CAPPA said.
The organization urged labor 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. 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 center of national development,” the statement concluded.
CAPPA reaffirmed its solidarity with Nigerian workers, calling for urgent, sustained action to reverse the current trajectory.
International Workers’ Day is observed annually on May 1 to celebrate the achievements of workers and advocate for their rights and welfare worldwide.
