May Day: NLC Orders Nationwide Street Protests Over Minimum Wage

AS the 2026 Workers’ Day approaches, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed all state councils where the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act remains unimplemented to shun traditional ceremonial parades and take to the streets in protest.

​In a move aimed at forcing the hand of defaulting state governors, the labour center declared that there would be no official receptions or indoor celebrations in states still paying the old wage. Instead, workers have been mandated to transform the May 1 celebration into a day of national agitation.

​In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, NLC General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, made it clear that the congress would no longer tolerate the “flagrant violation” of the law by certain state governments. He emphasized that the 2024 Act is a binding piece of legislation that leaves no room for selective compliance.

​The directive instructs workers to converge at their various labour houses and union secretariats by 7:00 a.m. on May Day, from where they will embark on “peaceful and organised” processions through state capitals.

​The NLC has identified specific targets for the demonstrations, ordering that all processions must terminate at State Government Houses, Houses of Assembly, or the offices of the Heads of Service. At these locations, labour leaders are expected to formally present their demands for the immediate commencement of the new wage and its corresponding consequential adjustments.

​“Observe 2026 May Day on the streets if the National Minimum Wage Act has not been fully implemented in your state,” the statement read, serving as a final notice to governors who have stalled on the payment.

​To ensure total compliance with the protest order, the national leadership of the NLC warned that any state council chairperson who opts for a ceremonial parade in a defaulting state will face stiff disciplinary action.

​The congress urged Nigerian workers to remain resolute and united, maintaining that the street rallies are a necessary tool to secure the economic rights of the workforce in the face of rising inflation and the high cost of living.