The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its state councils to boycott official May Day celebrations organised by state governments that have failed to fully implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage.
In a directive issued to state council chairpersons, the NLC General Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Ugboaja, stated that organised labour would no longer participate in events hosted in collaboration with non-compliant state governments, including ceremonies held at government houses and banquet halls.
The decision follows mounting concerns over partial implementation of the wage structure, particularly the failure of some states to apply consequential salary adjustments for senior workers and extend coverage to local government employees, primary school teachers, and healthcare workers.
Ugboaja described the situation as a violation of labour law and a direct affront to workers’ dignity, stressing that full compliance across all tiers of the public sector is non-negotiable.
He added that May Day should serve as a platform for advancing workers’ rights, rather than a symbolic observance disconnected from prevailing labour realities.
Accordingly, the NLC announced that the 2026 May Day activities in affected states will take the form of coordinated street processions. Workers are expected to assemble at labour houses, union secretariats, or designated public spaces from 7:00 a.m. on 1 May before proceeding in organised marches across state capitals.
“From there, we shall take to the streets of your respective state capitals in peaceful, organised, and resolute processions,” Ugboaja said. “Each state council shall design a route terminating at the State Government House, the State House of Assembly, or the Office of the Head of Service, where a formal memorandum of demands will be submitted.”
He warned that the directive is binding on all affected councils, noting that any deviation or attempt to hold passive celebrations would attract disciplinary measures.
Emphasising the historical significance of the wage struggle, Ugboaja said: “Comrades, the 2024 Minimum Wage Act did not come through supplication; it came through struggle. To celebrate May Day indoors while our rights are being undermined is to betray that legacy. Let us return to the streets.”
The directive signals a strategic shift by organised labour towards stronger enforcement, accountability, and visible advocacy in addressing wage compliance gaps across states.
