News Investigators/ President Bola Tinubu on Friday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity and poverty, saying both challenges are major threats to decent work and national development.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, said this at the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration in Abuja.
He said the theme of the celebration, “Insecurity and Poverty: The Bane of Decent Work Agenda,” was timely and reflective of prevailing realities in Nigeria and other developing countries.
“The theme is quite timely and deeply reflective of the current realities we face as a nation.
“It speaks to the challenges confronting not just Nigeria, but many developing economies striving to secure prosperity, stability and fairness for their citizens.
According to him, insecurity and poverty have remained significant obstacles to achieving decent work, noting that workers cannot thrive in unsafe environments or where wages are insufficient to meet basic needs.
The president said his administration had treated the twin challenges as a national emergency since assumption of office on May 29, 2023.
“Indeed, there cannot be decent work where workers fear for their lives, or where wages cannot feed a family, and where insecurity disrupts farms, factories, markets and other economic activities.
“My administration has treated these hydra-headed challenges as a national emergency bearing in mind that these challenges affect productivity, threaten livelihoods, and undermine the confidence of workers and employers alike, ” he said.
He added that the government was implementing deliberate and coordinated policies to address the issues, including strengthening security architecture and creating employment opportunities.
Tackling the incident, the President explained that the Federal Government had launched the Community Protection Guards Initiative in partnership with states, with 45,000 youths already recruited and trained.
He said the initiative was aimed at enhancing community security while also providing gainful employment.
On economic interventions, Tinubu said the administration had scaled up the National Social Investment Programme to reach 15 million vulnerable households through conditional cash transfers.
He added that the programme had lifted about 7.5 million Nigerians above the poverty line, citing recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
The president also highlighted the implementation of a new national minimum wage in 2024, noting that no federal worker currently earns below the approved threshold.
He said major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway and Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, had created over 600,000 jobs.
According to him, the jobs come with social protection benefits such as pensions and health insurance.
Tinubu further said government interventions in small and medium enterprises, including a N200 billion Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) fund, had supported over one million businesses and preserved jobs in the informal sector.
“The federal government has further adopted a multi-dimensional approach militating against poverty by developing policies focused on job creation, economic diversification, and social protection. “
He added that the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative had reduced transportation costs by 40 per cent through the conversion of over 100,000 commercial vehicles.
Speaking on workers’ welfare, Tinubu said his administration had cleared inherited pension arrears and expanded the micro pension plan to cover over 800,000 artisans and traders.
He noted that gratuity payments had been restored and workers’ allowances reviewed upward, as part of efforts to improve welfare.
The president reiterated government’s commitment to social protection, job creation, and inclusive economic growth through programmes in agriculture, infrastructure and skills development.
He also called on organised labour to sustain dialogue with government, urging that strikes should be a last resort.
Tinubu assured workers that his administration would continue to enforce labour laws and align Nigeria’s labour practices with international standards.
He expressed appreciation to security agencies for their efforts in safeguarding lives and economic activities across the country.
In reported speech (NAN style):
The President reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to overcome insecurity and poverty and ensure that decent work became a reality for all Nigerians.
NAN
