As Nigeria marks International Workers' Day, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on governments to take urgent action to ease the burden on workers facing rising living costs.
In a statement released to commemorate the day, CAPPA noted that workers across the country are struggling with “soaring living costs, stagnant wages, and deteriorating social protections.”
It warned that these conditions are affecting their quality of life.
CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said May Day should go beyond celebration.
“May Day should not be reduced to ceremonial speeches,” he said.
“It must be a moment of reckoning.”
He added, “For millions of Nigerian workers, survival has become a daily negotiation with inflation, rising rents, and shrinking real incomes.”
The group raised concerns about the housing crisis in cities like Lagos and Abuja, saying many workers can no longer afford rent.
“That Nigeria’s educators are compelled to sleep in their offices is an indictment of our economic priorities,” Oluwafemi said.
CAPPA also criticised the government’s land allocation to political appointees.
“Providing them with land allocations raises questions about who benefits from public assets,” the group said.
While noting efforts to review the minimum wage, CAPPA said this alone is not enough.
“An increase in wages that is immediately swallowed by rent hikes and food inflation offers little real relief,” the statement said.
The group called for affordable housing, better wages, and improved public services, warning, “Workers are the backbone of any economy.”
