Every first day of May, nations across the world pause to honour the dignity of labour and the men and women whose sweat and toil sustain civilisation. In Nigeria, Workers’ Day has always carried a particular poignancy, a moment to celebrate the resilience of a workforce that endures much and receives little.
But as we mark this year’s commemoration, I write not with celebration in my heart, but with grief. Grief for the Nigerian worker who was promised renewed hope and received instead renewed hardship.
A Slogan Betrayed.
“Renewed Hope” – those two words carried the dreams of millions of Nigerians who trooped to the polls in 2023. They were words that promised a departure from the suffering of previous years; a promise that the government would finally work for the people. Today, as we assess nearly three years of the Tinubu administration, it is painfully clear that what was renewed was not hope, but hardship. What was refreshed was not the fortunes of the Nigerian people, but the pockets of those in power.
The Nigerian worker, the teacher, the nurse, the factory hand, the civil servant, the artisan, has been the primary victim of an administration that, by all observable evidence, is far more interested in increasing the revenue at its disposal than in improving the lives of the citizens it governs.
Trillions Saved, But Nothing Felt.
The fuel subsidy removal was a necessary step, recklessly executed.
Let me be clear: the removal of the fuel subsidy was, in principle, a policy that many, including myself, had long advocated. The subsidy had become a fiscal haemorrhage that enriched cabal middlemen while denying the government of the resources needed for development. Its removal was necessary and overdue.
But the manner in which the Tinubu administration executed this policy was irresponsible and callous. On the day of inauguration, with no preparation, no safety nets, no cushioning mechanisms, and no transition plan for ordinary Nigerians, the President announced the end of the subsidy. The price of fuel skyrocketed. Transportation costs doubled and tripled overnight. The cost of food and basic goods hit the roof. The Nigerian worker, who was already struggling to survive on a salary eroded by years of inflation, was suddenly confronted with a cost of living that made mere survival feel like a luxury.
A responsible government would have spent the preceding months preparing Nigerians for this transition, establishing social safety nets, empowering the most vulnerable, and ensuring that the pain of reform was shared equitably. This administration did none of that. It simply removed the subsidy and left the Nigerian worker to drown.
Trillions were ostensibly saved, but nothing gained by the people. The fuel subsidy removal freed up enormous sums of money. Billions of dollars that had previously been committed to keeping pump prices artificially low were suddenly available. Nigerians, who had suffered the immediate consequences of the removal, were right to ask: Where has this saved money gone? What has been done with it to improve their lives? The answer is deeply troubling. Rather than being channelled into programmes that would directly benefit Nigerians, infrastructure that serves the people, healthcare, education, or an economic stimulus, these funds have been shared among the various tiers of government. The bulk of the federal government’s share, disturbingly, appears to be financing the controversial $11 billion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. As desirable as this project was, it was not subjected to competitive bidding or due process. It was awarded to a company owned by a man that President Tinubu himself has publicly acknowledged as his business partner. This is not governance, it is the brazen conversion of public resources for private enrichment.
