Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has urged government and employers to prioritise workers’ welfare, saying workers remain central to the functioning of the economy.
Keyamo made the call on Thursday at the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit in Abuja, organised by XEM Consultants Ltd., where stakeholders also called for stronger welfare and social protection for retirees.
He said workers remained indispensable to economic activities, despite advances in technology and automation.
“Issues affecting workers should be treated with urgency whenever they are brought to the attention of the government or employers.
“Without these workers, we will not have a country. I urge leaders across sectors to always put workers first,” Keyamo said.
The minister, who received an award at the summit for his leadership and commitment to workers’ issues, also called for greater consideration of workers’ welfare when allocating resources.
“Employers should ensure that adequate resources are made available to workers and unions to enable them to perform legitimate responsibilities,” he said.
Keyamo commended the organisers for drawing attention to issues that could help workers prepare for life after active service.
He said he supported initiatives aimed at promoting workers’ rights and improving their welfare.
NLC seeks welfare package for retirees
Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), called for legislation to establish special welfare packages for senior citizens.
Ajaero said the proposed legislation should provide retirees with support in areas such as transportation and healthcare.
He also called for social protection arrangements that would cover workers in the informal sector and self-employed persons.
According to him, institutions such as the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) could play a role in providing such support.
Olwaseun Falaye, Director-General of the NSITF, said retirees should continue to have access to healthcare after leaving active service.
Falaye urged the National Health Insurance Authority to develop modalities that would ensure retirement did not automatically terminate access to healthcare services.
Omolola Oloworaran, Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), said the commission had introduced the PenCare initiative to facilitate continued access to healthcare for retirees.
Oloworaran, who was represented by Awa Elendu, Assistant Director, Legal and Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution at PenCom, also advised workers to monitor their pension contributions.
She urged workers to ensure they could track their pension savings and remain informed about their retirement funds.
The National Pre-Retirement Summit 2026 was organised to equip workers and senior professionals with practical knowledge for preparing for retirement.
The summit had the theme, “Own Your Retirement: From Planning to Action.”
