A wave of unease is spreading across state councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, following a recent directive that could fundamentally reshape the tone of the 2026 May Day celebrations.
What was once a day of colourful parades and speeches alongside government officials is now set to become a nationwide show of resistance in states yet to fully implement the N70,000 minimum wage.
Circular sparks nationwide tension
The tension stems from a strongly worded circular issued by NLC’s General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, directing state councils in defaulting states to abandon traditional celebrations and instead mobilise workers for mass street protests.
Titled: Observe 2026 May Day on the street if the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act has not been fully implemented in your state, the circular leaves little room for compromise.
In it, the labour centre declared that May Day must revert to its roots as a day of struggle: “May Day, the international day of the working class has always been a Day of solemn reflection on the state of workers’ rights and the celebration of our collective efforts in continuously building the wealth of nations.” However, it lamented what it described as persistent violations of the wage law by several state governments.
“Regrettably, several state governments have continued to violate the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act, refusing to fully implement its key provisions, including consequential adjustments for senior workers, regular and timely payment of the new wage, and extension of coverage to local government staff, primary school teachers, and health workers. This constitutes not only a breach of the law but an assault on the dignity of Nigerian workers.”
In a decisive break from tradition, the circular bans any form of official celebration in collaboration with non-compliant state governments:
“No Indoor or Official Receptions. There shall be no May Day ceremonies inside government houses, banquet halls, or any enclosed venue hosted by or in collaboration with defaulting state governments. Official receptions are hereby suspended.”
Instead, the NLC has ordered that the streets-not stadiums-become the focal point of Workers’ Day.
Protest marches take centre stage
The directive outlines a coordinated protest structure nationwide: “Street Processions shall be the main event. All workers shall assemble at designated labour houses, union secretariats, or public squares by 7:00 a.m. on May 1, 2026. From there, they shall take to the streets of your respective state capitals in peaceful, organised, and resolute processions.”
State councils are also mandated to ensure that protests end at key government institutions: “Each State Council shall design a route that terminates at either the State Government House, the State House of Assembly, or the office of the Head of Service. A formal memorandum of demands shall be submitted at the end point.”
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Perhaps most striking is the threat of sanctions embedded in the circular. The NLC leadership made it clear that defiance will not be tolerated:”This directive is binding on all affected State Councils. Any Chairperson who fails to comply or substitutes this directive with any form of passive celebration in a defaulting state shall face immediate disciplinary action. Reports are expected immediately after.”
Driving home the ideological weight of the directive, the circular concludes with a rallying call:”Comrades, the 2024 Minimum Wage Act did not come through supplication. It came through struggle. To celebrate May Day indoors while our rights are trampled upon is to betray that legacy. Let us therefore return to the streets!”
State councils under pressure
The circular has jolted many state councils that were already planning to engage their respective governments for support ahead of May Day. Those plans now hang in the balance.
While Kaduna State remains the only state to publicly admit incomplete implementation of the new wage, multiple others are believed to be quietly affected.
Many are now scrambling to interpret the directive and determine their next move without attracting sanctions.
Sources indicate that the NLC national secretariat is closely monitoring compliance and already has intelligence on affected states. However, it is reportedly holding back immediate punitive action until after May Day-when it may wield what insiders describe as a “big hammer.”
An NLC official who spoke anonymously confirmed that the directive was not issued lightly:
State councils, he said, are aware that the leadership acted on “concrete evidence,” warning that those who ignore the order will face the full weight of disciplinary measures.
He added pointedly that the era of compromising workers’ welfare “for personal aggrandizement” is over, signaling a tougher enforcement posture within the labour movement.
With just weeks to go, the stage is set for an unprecedented Workers’ Day – one that pits labour directly against state governments in a public test of compliance and authority.
For many state councils, the choice is stark: align with the national directive and confront their state governments in the streets, or risk becoming scapegoats in what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential internal crackdowns in the history of the NLC.
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