May Day 2026: No Plan of Mass Struggle Despite the Deepening of Cost-of-Living Crisis
Unfortunately, this year’s May Day has passed as another annual ritual, not an opportunity for mobilization for a mass struggle. Labour leaders gave speeches and workers paraded before governors in a display of jamborees, in most cases without putting forward any demand. To be fair to the national leadership, they do not sing praises of the government unlike their state counterparts.
As usual, the NLC and TUC national leadership in a joint address made strong speeches, spiting fire. The problem is that this could be another hot air. Speaking to the theme for this year, “Insecurity, Poverty: Bane of Decent Work”, they did not mince words on the monumental failure of the Tinubu government on security and economy. They rightly asserted that “the state of economy is deeply troubling. It is not getting better; it is getting worse”. But what lacking was the ability to offer a viable solution largely beyond platitudes. This could be because they do not have alternative outside the confines of capitalism.
For instance, they argued that an effective economic management demands a careful balance of fiscal and monetary policies. The reality is that on the basis of capitalist policies, especially a neo-liberal model in a neo-colonial economy, no extent of careful balance would guarantee a decent life for the majority of the working people. They correctly called for “a decisive shift in direction” of economy to the “one that places Nigerian people, not abstract market ideology, at the centre of policies”. The problem with this is that coming from the current Labour leaders makes it an abstract gesture in itself. This is because such “a decisive shift” cannot be achieved by preachment but by a decisive struggle – a struggle for socialist alternative, something they do not subscribe to.
Indeed, the fact that they vowed to support in the 2027 elections only candidates committed to workers’ welfare and national development underscores the limitation of their ideological persuasion or orientation. Such a stance creates an impression that there are among the leading capitalist politicians whose policies would be pro-worker or genuinely develop the country. Or, do they believe that national development and people-first economic policies are possible on the basis of capitalism, especially in a neo-colonial economy? This apparently explains why they uncritically supported Peter Obi who boldly advocated neoliberal capitalist economic policies in the 2023 elections. To begin working towards achieving national development, placing people, not profit and greed of a few, at the centre of policies and decent work for all workers require having a radical and fighting trade union movement and leadership that consistently lead struggle against anti-poor policies and committed to building of a mass working people political alternative on a socialist program.
The NLC and TUC leaders also talked about a new national minimum wage which is due early next year and whose negotiation would begin in July. However, they demanded that “from July every worker be paid a certain percentage, even if not up to 100 percent, of his basic until a new national minimum wage is signed into law to cushion the effects of the renewed crisis of survival facing Nigerian workers”. Good demand, but the problem is that it may become another empty demand that is not backed up with a force of action.
It should be recalled that on March 15, the NLC put forward a set of demands “to cushion the rising cost of living”. The government ignored the demands, and six weeks after on May Day, the Labour leaders did not talk about them again. Similarly, in the May Day speeches, Labour leaders lamented about the failure of several state governors to fully implement the current minimum wage. However, the NLC chickened out from its own directive to its state leaderships to organize street protests in the defaulting states on the workers’ day. Neither did they mention or declare in their speeches any future plan of struggle to force the rogue state governors to implement it.
Despite the limitations of the national Labour leadership, they are better than virtually every state leadership to whom May Day is primarily for a jamboree or celebration of their respective state governors. This is evidenced in the reports below on the rallies in Lagos, Ogun and Osun. However, the reports from Abuja, Lagos and Oyo show militant disposition of some trade unions employing May Day to register a form of protest.
In Lagos, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) together with the Joint Action Front (JAF) held a protest march in solidarity with the five victimized ASUU leaders at the Lagos State University (LASU). In Abuja, the chair of the NLC in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), made radical demands, which drew applause from workers, calling for the plight of the teachers and FCT workers in general to be immediately addressed by the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. In Oyo, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN, boycotted the May Day rally in protest against the Oyo State government’s continued refusal to grant financial autonomy to the judiciary and legislative arms of government.
Members of the DSM participated at May Day rallies at four states (Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun) and FCT Abuja. Thousands of copies of the DSM May Day leaflet, calling for building of fighting and democratically run trade union movement, were circulated. About 190 copies of ‘Socialist Democracy’, the DSM newspaper, were sold.
Below are reports from rallies at the centres where comrades intervened.
Abuja
The day started inauspiciously, with few workers gathering at Eagle’s Square between 8am and 9am; there were more workers organized under different tents with music blaring. It wasn’t until 10am that the numbers started giving hope that the event would have a filled room. Perhaps, they had to appeal to unions to bring their members in.
The main event started around 11:30am, and there was no time for the usual parade, except for unions like NURTW and delivery riders, who came in a parade-like manner. Speeches were given by Labour leaders and government representatives, but no one bothered to be attentive, let alone boo or cheer anyone. The speech by the FCT NLC enjoyed some cheering; this was majorly because the Abuja teachers had been involved in several struggles against the Wike-led administration, and many of the teachers were attentive to what their leadership wanted to say.
Of course, the chairman had to make radical demands, calling for the plight of the teachers and FCT workers in general to be looked into. It should be recalled that the teachers had just suspended their strike action a few days to May Day. This explains why the FCT workers appeared to be the most agitated and attentive. Many workers are disenchanted with the leadership of the NLC and TUC, a consequence of the criminal silence of Ajaero and Osifo, NLC and TUC Presidents respectively, over the spree of attacks from the Tinubu government that have gone unchallenged by the Labour leadership.
Oyo State
Seven comrades of the Democratic Socialist Movement, DSM, intervened at this year’s Oyo State Workers’ Day celebration held at Adamasigba Stadium, Ibadan. The DSM contingent comprised four comrades from the Ibadan Community Branch and three comrades from the University of Ibadan Branch. Comrade Omoregie, Convener of CEPED-UI, also joined the intervention in solidarity.
The event, which started around 10:00 a.m., witnessed late arrival of trade unions and their members. Attendance was largely dominated by informal sector associations, with a noticeable boycott by major public sector unions. Notably, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN, stayed away in protest against the Oyo State Government’s continued refusal to grant financial autonomy to the judiciary and legislative arms of government.
As with previous editions, the celebration was reduced to jamboree. It served primarily as a platform to celebrate the state governor and his administration, with emphasis on the so-called achievement of “prompt payment of salaries and pensions,” while fundamental issues such as living wage, underfunding of public education and healthcare, and attacks on democratic rights were ignored.
The DSM was the only socialist organization that intervened politically at the event. Comrades distributed leaflets and sold copies of ‘Socialist Democracy’, SD, engaging workers and attendees on the need for a fighting labour movement and a socialist alternative to capitalist hardship.
At the end of the intervention, 1,000 copies of DSM leaflet were circulated and 78 copies of ‘Socialist Democracy’ were sold.
The DSM intervention was well received, with many workers expressing agreement with our analysis of the economic crisis and the need for independent working-class political action.
By Nnamdi
Osun State
Four (4) comrades participated in the organization’s May Day intervention. It was supposed to be six, but two contacts who showed interests were unable to join for one reason or the other.
Twenty-four copies of the SD were sold. The interesting thing is, despite the depressing sales, majority of those who bought our papers were first time buyers unlike previous years where many of those who bought the papers were our traditional buyers, who were mostly trade unionists. The low sale reflected the disillusioned mood and the treacherous character of Labour leaders in Osun State. The ebb in class struggle, especially labour actions, also affected the sale. Worth noting also is the fact that this is an election year in Osun State with the governorship election coming up in August. The Labour leaders ja e sold the workers to the ruling party in the state. This of course have negative impact on consciousness. While the Adeleke government might be relatively tad better than the previous APC governments that were outright anti-worker, this does not mean the state is not experiencing its own cases of abuse of workers’ rights.
Generally, the May Day Rally was nothing short of a sycophantic display by Labour leaders. Many local leaders were seen donning campaign caps of the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking a second term. However, interactions some workers, especially federal and private sector workers show the disparity between the conditions of state public sector workers and others. This was papered over by the Labour leaders.
Overall, the May Day Rally has become a depressing event for serious-minded workers, trade unionists and pro-Labour activists. Nothing reflects this than the fact that a programme scheduled for morning did not actually start until after 12 noon. Worse still, the sound system was simply inaudible, just making noise, while no serious message is passed. Unlike in the past where labour leaders interact with civil society allies to have their own march, the Rally is strictly controlled, and a display of sycophancy became the order of the Day.
As noted by one local trade union leader from Rattawu, “trade unionism is so terrible now that with the rotten politics in trade unions now, it is better to commit energy to party politics than trade unions. There is little difference”.
Ogun state – 1
The May Day celebration by the Ogun State workers took place at the Hubert Ogunde Cultural Centre Kuto, Abeokuta, just like the previous year, 2025. This was against the usual venue at the MKA Abiola Stadium, which was renovated last year by the state government and is no longer willing to allow the workers’ day event to be celebrated there.
Due to the space constraints, many workers had to stay out as the hall could only accommodate fewer workers.
The event was essentially used to eulogize the state governor Dapo Abiodun, who was represented by his deputy, who came to the program at about 11:30am
The state leaderships of both the NLC and the TUC, had no concrete demands to the government, save for whimpering platitudes regarding pension, gratuity, staff promotions, filling of vacant positions, building of staff club, renovation of Asero Stadium to host workers’ day as against Kuto, among others!
Instructively, the TUC chairman chided the pensioners who are currently campaigning against their unfair treatments under the Contributory Pension Scheme, declaring that “the era of workers’ confrontation with the government through mass actions are over. That what is in vogue now is dialogue and partnership with the employer”!
His NLC counterpart advised the workers to engage in other “ventures” to augment their salaries, to ameliorate the biting economic hardship in the country. In other words, rejecting any idea of mass mobilization for joint and leaving workers to sort their own problems out, an approach which contradicts the whole purpose of trade unions.
The deputy governor, who was overjoyed by the accolades from the labour leaders, thanked them and promised the government would do “more”. However, the rank-and-file workers did not seem to share their leaders’ opinions.
Over all, this year’s May Day event was more of a carnival of some sort. The security agencies especially the DSS operatives downplayed their usual overzealousness of preventing access to the hall.
All the copies of the DSM were circulated and copies of ‘Socialist Democracy’ sold.
Report by Eko.
Ogun state – 2
This year 2026 May Day was held at Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State. The programme started around 11am. Eko and Ronke represented the organization at the venue.
However, this year’s workers’ day took a different turn which deviated from the structure of the May Day celebration, such that comrades and Labour leaders alike were engulfed in a more celebrative and festive mood. They made the day look more like a fashion parade or a fashion show other than the traditional workers’ day celebration which should be a day to reflect on the problems and challenges facing workers and substantial solutions to move forward and improve their standard of living amidst these rising economic, financial and security crisis nationally.
The Ogun State Governor was represented by his Deputy and in all her speech at the venue, there was no where she stated on how the government of Ogun State would improve on the living working conditions of its workers but instead advised them to learn more skills so that they can be more useful for themselves and the government.
Report by Ronke
Lagos
In Lagos, May Day rally assumed the usual character which has defined it for many years. It appeared organized to celebrate the so-called achievements of the state governor and also for the parade of workers in different union attires before the governor. The Lagos State Labour leaders have never hidden their cozy relationship with the ruling party – APC. Of course, this is not peculiar to Lagos State.
However, while the Labour leaders sounded sycophantic and groveling to the state governor, they also made appeal on some issues bordering welfare of workers in a few segments in the state public sector.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was represented by his deputy Obafemi Hamzat. The absence of the governor was obviously intentional and orchestrated together with the Labour leaders to yield the stage for Hamzat who has been endorsed by him and key APC leaders as the ruling party’s guber candidate in the 2027 elections. It was not surprising that the Labour leaders brazenly declared the endorsement of the NLC and TUC for Hamzat. Apparently as a return of favour, Hamzat announced an award of N50,000 to every worker for the month of May by the state government “as part of efforts to cushion the impact of rising economic pressure”
An exception to the atmosphere of jamboree that characterized the rally was a protest march held by members of the Academic State Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Joint Action Front (JAF) – a coalition of left organisations including the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) – over the unjust dismissal of five leaders of the union at the Lagos State University (LASU). The protest called on the government to end the injustice which has lasted nearly a decade by immediately recalling the victimized lecturers. The NLC and TUC were also challenged to end their disturbing silence over the victimization of the ASUU-LASU 5. The protesters were able to march with banners and placards on to the main bowl of the stadium, where the deputy governor and both the state NLC and TUC chairs were receiving salutes of parading workers, to bring close the demands and messages of the solidarity action to their face, and they did not miss them.
Eleven members of the DSM participated at the May Day rally. 58 copies of Socialist Democracy, paper of the DSM, were sold and thousands of copies of both DSM May Day leaflet, calling for a fighting and democratically run trade union movement and JAF leaflet on the ASUU-LASU 5 were circulated. Three people expressed interest in learning more about the DSM and its activites.