As Nigeria marks International Workers’ Day 2026, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has warned that worsening living conditions are pushing workers to the brink, calling on governments at all levels to take urgent and practical steps to address the crisis.
In a statement issued Thursday, CAPPA said this year’s May Day comes at a time when workers are facing rising costs, stagnant wages and weak social protection, conditions it said are eroding productivity and quality of life.
“May Day should not be reduced to ceremonial speeches,” CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said. “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.”
The group highlighted the growing housing crisis in major cities such as Lagos, Abuja and Rivers State, noting that many workers can no longer afford accommodation near their workplaces.
It expressed concern over reports of lecturers and other public workers sleeping in offices due to high rents.
“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. “It underscores a broader housing emergency that demands urgent, coordinated intervention.”
READ ALSO:
- CAPPA Slams Lagos Over ‘Secret’ Water PPP Deals
- CAPPA Demands Swift Action on Abereke Oil Spill Crisis
- CSOs Slam Lagos Govt Over Makoko Demolition, Allege Deaths
- CPPE to FG: Cut Living Costs, Wages Alone Won’t Save Workers
CAPPA also criticised government decisions it said, favour elites over ordinary citizens, particularly land allocations to political appointees.
“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.
“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. Anything less risks deepening public distrust,” the group said.
While acknowledging moves to review the national minimum wage, CAPPA stressed that wage increases alone cannot solve the problem.
“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,” it maintained.
The organisation further pointed to the poor state of public services, including healthcare, education and transport, which it said is forcing workers to spend more on private alternatives.
It warned that the continued commercialisation of essential services could widen inequality and deepen hardship.
CAPPA urged the government to adopt a national housing strategy focused on affordable rentals, strengthen labour protections, and increase investment in public services to ease the burden on workers.
It also called on labour unions and policymakers to use May Day to push for accountability and meaningful reforms.
“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 centre of national development.
“A nation that neglects its workers undermines its own future,” the group added.
Alex is a business journalist cum data enthusiast with the Pinnacle Daily. He can be reached via ealex@thepinnacleng.com, @ehime_alex on X