ABUJA, Nigeria: Nigeria‘s President, Bola Tinubu, declared insecurity and poverty as national emergencies during the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration at Eagle Square in Abuja on Friday, May 1, 2026.
Okay News reports that Tinubu made the declaration through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who represented him at the event.
The statements were contained in a release by the media aide to the Secretary, Yomi Odunuga. Tinubu said there could be no meaningful employment or economic growth in an atmosphere of fear and hardship.
“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,” Tinubu said.
The President outlined government interventions under his Renewed Hope Agenda, including expanded cash transfer programmes reaching 15 million vulnerable households and the recruitment of 45,000 young Nigerians into the Community Protection Guards Initiative. Major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, have generated over 600,000 jobs nationwide.
Addressing workers’ welfare, Tinubu said his administration implemented a new national minimum wage, cleared pension arrears, and reintroduced gratuity payments starting from January 2026. He noted that over 800,000 informal sector workers are enrolled in the micro pension scheme, while small businesses are accessing a 200 billion Naira (approximately 133 million USD) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises support fund.
The government has deployed 10,000 Agro-Rangers through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps across 19 states to protect farmers and agricultural investments.
