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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday declared a national emergency on insecurity and poverty, describing them as major threats to jobs, productivity, and national stability.
Addressing thousands of workers and labour leaders at Eagle Square, the president said decent work cannot thrive in an environment plagued by fear and economic hardship.
His remarks aligned with the global May Day theme centred on the Decent Work Agenda championed by the International Labour Organization.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, Tinubu acknowledged that insecurity and poverty remain “significant obstacles,” but maintained that his administration is addressing them with urgency.
He highlighted the launch of the Community Protection Guards Initiative, which he said has recruited 45,000 young Nigerians to strengthen community security while creating employment opportunities.
The president also outlined key interventions under his Renewed Hope Agenda, including expanded cash transfers reaching 15 million vulnerable households and lifting an estimated 7.5 million Nigerians out of poverty.
He added that major infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline have generated more than 600,000 jobs nationwide.
On workers’ welfare, Tinubu said the government has implemented a new national minimum wage, cleared pension arrears, and reintroduced gratuity payments from January 2026.
He further noted that over 800,000 informal sector workers have been enrolled in the micro-pension scheme, while small businesses continue to benefit from a N200 billion MSME support fund.
He said: “There cannot be decent work where workers fear for their lives, where wages cannot feed a family, or where insecurity disrupts farms, factories, markets, and other economic activities. These hydra-headed challenges, the government notes, have been treated as a national emergency due to their impact on productivity, livelihoods, and the confidence of both workers and employers.
“The administration also acknowledged that insecurity and poverty remain major obstacles to building a peaceful Nigeria where citizens can ‘sleep with their eyes closed,’ and to achieving the Decent Work Agenda as envisioned by the International Labour Organization.
“It stressed that the agenda is not merely an international framework but a national imperative, aligned with its vision of a country where hard work is rewarded, opportunities are accessible without discrimination, and every citizen can reach their full potential.
“Despite the challenges, the government assured that it is not relenting in its efforts.
“It said it is confronting the issues through deliberate, coordinated, and sustained actions, backed by targeted policies and the resilience of security personnel, some of whom have paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.”
Addressing labour unions, including the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, the president called for sustained dialogue and restraint in industrial disputes.
“Strike should be the last resort, not the first,” he said, urging collaboration to achieve lasting reforms.
Tinubu also commended security forces for their role in safeguarding economic activities, noting that improved safety is directly linked to job creation and national growth.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment, the president said Nigeria remains on track to overcome insecurity and reduce poverty, pledging a future where “decent work is not a privilege for a few, but a reality for all.”
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has declared that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi have failed Nigeria in the past.
Okpebholodisclosed this during an interview with Channels Television’s one-on-one Politics Today on Thursday.
He noted that despite the opposition, President Bola Tinubu would win his second term in 2027.
According to Okpebholo: “Tinubu has made a great landmark in this country and this election is as good as won because we have every instrument to win this election, his works, his policies are speaking for him.
“Evil people are the ones causing this insecurity, the more the president is trying to stop them the more they are sponsoring them to come out.
“The opposition are using them to make people believe that this president is not doing well.
“Tinubu must win, who is going to be better than Tinubu on the ballot? Atiku, Peter Obi, Amaechi have all failed this country in the past.
“Atiku was not president but as vice president he was handling privatization.”
The Director General of the All Progressives Congress campaign organisation, Oluwole Oke, has said the party’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, will defeat the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, before 10:00pm on election day.
Oke made the assertion on Wednesday during the inauguration of more than 800 members of the party’s campaign council for the 2026 governorship election in Osun State.
He criticised the management of state resources under the current administration, stating that Oyebamiji was prepared to “rescue Osun from the drift of collapse being plunged into by the current administration.”
