Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Hundreds of local government employees in Borno State abandoned ceremonial May Day activities on Friday, 1 May 2026, and took to the streets of Maiduguri to protest the state government’s failure to implement the ₦70,000 national minimum wage for their cadre. The demonstration, organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), marked a sharp departure from traditional Workers’ Day celebrations. Instead of gathering at stadiums for official parades, the workers converged on public squares and marched through the state capital, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards decrying the prolonged exclusion of local government staff from the new wage structure.
The protest was part of a nationwide directive by organised labour, which had ordered workers in ‘defaulting states’ to shift their May Day observances from ceremonial venues to the streets, a move designed to pressure governors who have not fully complied with the Minimum Wage Act. Addressing journalists during the protest, the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Yusuf Inuwa, declared that the plight of local government workers had become unbearable. “You may like to know why we are celebrating our Workers’ Day on the street today,” he said. “We all know the situation we find ourselves in this country. Nigerian workers are the poorest citizens in this country. Therefore, we chose to celebrate our Workers’ Day on the street.”
Inuwa reminded the government that the ₦70,000 minimum wage was not a recommendation but a binding law. “Last two years, the national leadership of organised labour negotiated the N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers. That makes it a law for all states to pay their workers,” he stated. He acknowledged that the Borno State government had implemented the wage for primary school teachers and primary healthcare workers, but he lamented that local government staff remained excluded. “The teachers’ and primary healthcare workers’ minimum wage has been covered, but local government staff are yet to be captured,” Inuwa said. “An injury to one is an injury to all. We go to the same market with them; hardship and inflation are affecting us all. Their salary cannot even sustain them for one week. We say enough is enough.”
The Borno State Government has previously cited the over‑bloated size of its local government workforce as a major obstacle to implementing the minimum wage. In July 2025, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Modu Alhaji Mustapha, disclosed that Borno’s 27 local government councils collectively employ approximately 90,000 staff – a figure far higher than that of much larger states such as Kano, which maintains a comparatively leaner workforce of about 30,000 employees across its 44 local government areas. Mustapha explained that the wage bill had expanded beyond sustainable limits, with some councils receiving federal allocations that fall short of the amount needed to pay even the old wage rates. He cited the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council as an example: its monthly allocation sometimes stands below ₦700 million, yet the council would need ₦778 million simply to meet the new minimum wage obligation.
Despite these fiscal realities, labour leaders have insisted that financial constraints should not be used as an excuse to deny workers their lawful entitlements. They have warned that prolonged inaction could trigger further industrial action, including a total withdrawal of services across the local government system. The protest in Maiduguri also resonated with a broader national conversation about wage equity and the strain of economic reform on grassroots workers. In a country where inflation continues to erode purchasing power and insecurity has disrupted livelihoods across the North‑East, the demand for timely implementation of the minimum wage has become a litmus test for government commitment to worker welfare and inclusive economic growth.
As the workers dispersed from the rally, they left behind a clear message: they will not be silenced. For the thousands of local government employees who have waited nearly two years for the wage adjustment, the May Day street protest was not a celebration – it was a warning.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments