Communications Expert, Dr Ganiu Okunnu (left); President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero and President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro, at the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN) 2026 Conference in Lagos.
Nigeria’s economic reforms may be restoring fiscal stability, attracting investment and reshaping the economy, but for millions of workers grappling with rising living costs, declining purchasing power and uncertain retirement prospects, the benefits of recovery remain largely out of reach Gloria Nwafor writes.
From a minimum wage that struggles to meet basic household needs to pensioners waiting for entitlements recognised by the courts, the country’s economic transition is exposing a fundamental contradiction: an economy pursuing growth while the workers whose labour sustains it face increasing economic insecurity.
This concern dominated discussions at the 2026 yearly workshop of the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN), where academics, labour leaders and social security administrators called for a more inclusive approach to economic reforms, with workers’ welfare, employment security and social protection placed at the centre of national development.
Under the theme: “Workers at the Centre of Nigeria’s Political Transition: Defending Rights, Advancing Welfare and Building Economic Justice”, participants argued that macroeconomic stability and investment growth would have limited social value if they failed to translate into improved living conditions and greater economic security for ordinary Nigerians.
Professor Tunde Akanni of Lagos State University (LASU), who examined the relationship between economic reforms, workers’ welfare and inclusive governance, said the fundamental weakness of Nigeria’s reform programme was the inadequate attention paid to its social consequences.
In a presentation titled “Economic Reforms in Nigeria, Workers’ Welfare and the Imperative of Inclusive Governance”, Akanni acknowledged the economic rationale behind petrol subsidy removal, foreign exchange liberalisation and efforts to improve public revenue mobilisation. However, he cautioned that the justification for these policies did not absolve the government of responsibility for the hardship associated with their implementation.
He argued that the success of economic reforms should not be determined solely by improved government revenue, investor confidence, foreign exchange operations or access to external financing, but by their impact on citizens’ quality of life.
According to him, the government could record improved fiscal performance while workers struggled to feed their families and pensioners waited for their entitlements. Consequently, economic stability should be accompanied by policies that guarantee dignity, security and opportunities for citizens.
Akanni maintained that resources released through subsidy removal and other economic adjustments should produce visible improvements in infrastructure, healthcare, education and social investment.
He also called for a comprehensive social protection framework covering unemployment, healthcare, affordable education, food assistance, disability support, maternity protection and pension administration, warning that temporary cash transfers and other relief measures could not substitute for sustainable social security institutions.
On pensions, he stressed the need to enforce regulations and statutory obligations more strongly, particularly employers’ contributions and the transparent administration of retirement benefits. He maintained that introducing new pension arrangements could not extinguish legitimate liabilities inherited from previous schemes, which should be identified and discharged in accordance with applicable laws and judicial decisions.
The inadequacy of workers’ earnings featured prominently in the presentation by the President of the Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA), Rufus Olusesan, who questioned the relevance of a minimum wage that could no longer guarantee access to necessities.
“You cannot talk of economic justice when minimum wage cannot buy a bag of rice. You cannot talk of transition when workers’ rights are violated with impunity,” he said.
Olusesan identified subsidy removal, foreign exchange liberalisation, inflation and the energy crisis as developments that had intensified the pressure on workers’ living conditions.
He argued that economic justice would remain elusive if the benefits of economic reforms accrued disproportionately to a small section of the population while millions of workers struggled to meet essential household expenses.
The labour leader also expressed concern over the growing use of casualisation, outsourcing and algorithmic management. He warned that these practices could weaken employment security and undermine workers’ rights.
He maintained that decent living conditions should be treated as an entitlement, insisting that employees unable to feed their families adequately, access healthcare or educate their children would find it increasingly difficult to remain productive.
Another LASU lecturer, Ganiu Okunnu, examined the potential consequences of government restructuring for public sector employees and warned against pursuing administrative efficiency primarily through workforce reductions and expenditure cuts.
