Peter Obi Says Competent Leadership Is the Only Path Out of Hardship

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has called on Nigerian workers to harness their collective strength, both on the streets and at the ballot box, to reject bad governance and demand competent, accountable leadership. In a statement issued on Friday, 1 May 2026, to mark International Workers’ Day, Obi described Nigerian workers as the “backbone of every nation,” but lamented that decades of poor governance, corruption and policy failures had turned their labour into a daily struggle for survival.

Obi, who is widely regarded as a leading voice of the opposition, did not mince words. He said that while Nigerian workers remain resilient and hardworking, their efforts have been systematically undermined by leaders who prioritise personal gain over public welfare. “Workers are the engine of any economy, yet in Nigeria, they are the most neglected,” Obi said. “They wake up early, commute for hours, work under unsafe conditions, and return home to face inflation, insecurity and unpaid salaries. This is unacceptable.”

The former Anambra governor noted that Workers’ Day 2026 comes at a time when the country is grappling with a cost‑of‑living crisis, soaring unemployment and a minimum wage that has lost most of its value. He pointed out that despite the statutory N70,000 minimum wage, many state governments have yet to fully implement it, and even where it is paid, inflation has effectively slashed its purchasing power. “No worker should be forced to choose between feeding their family and paying rent. No worker should be owed salaries for months while their leaders live in opulence,” Obi said.

Obi urged workers to see themselves not as helpless victims but as powerful agents of change. “Your collective voice can shape policies. Your votes can remove bad leaders. Your determination can hold governments accountable,” he said. He called on trade unions, civil society and professional associations to organise and mobilise around a common agenda: good governance, economic justice and the protection of workers’ rights.

He also criticised the federal government’s handling of the economy, particularly the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, which he said were implemented without adequate social safety nets. “Reforms that hurt the poor are not reforms; they are punishment,” Obi stated. He argued that while subsidy removal might have been inevitable, the government’s failure to cushion its impact on workers and the poor was a colossal failure of leadership. “The pain workers are feeling today is not the price of progress; it is the price of incompetence,” he added.

Obi’s message resonated with many labour leaders who have been agitating for better wages and living conditions. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) had earlier directed workers in states that have not fully implemented the minimum wage to abandon ceremonial May Day events and take their protests to the streets. In several states, workers complied, holding marches and rallies to demand full implementation of the wage law. Obi commended their courage and urged them to sustain the pressure until every worker receives a living wage.

He also used the occasion to reiterate his call for a new national orientation that prioritises production over consumption. “We must move from a country that imports everything to one that makes things. That is the only way to create decent jobs and lift workers out of poverty,” he said. He challenged the government to invest in education, healthcare, and infrastructure as a matter of urgency, and to cut the cost of governance drastically.

Obi expressed solidarity with workers in both the public and private sectors, as well as those in the informal economy, who make up the vast majority of Nigeria’s workforce. “We must not forget the market women, the okada riders, the artisans, and the daily paid workers who have no union to speak for them. They too are workers, and they too deserve dignity and a decent living,” he said.

In his concluding remarks, Obi urged workers to see the upcoming 2027 elections as a golden opportunity to “reclaim their country.” He said that by registering to vote, participating in primaries, and electing candidates with proven integrity and competence, workers can change the trajectory of the nation. “Do not sell your votes. Do not be intimidated. Your future is in your hands,” he told them.

The statement was issued on the same day that President Bola Tinubu’s administration marked Workers’ Day with a pledge to continue reforms and create jobs. But for Obi and millions of workers, the promises of the past three years have not translated into tangible relief. As the 2027 elections approach, his message serves as both a warning and a rallying cry: the workers are watching, and their patience is wearing thin.

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