By Our Correspondent

National News – Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has called for urgent wage reviews and broad economic reforms in Nigeria during Workers’ Day commemoration on May 1, 2026, warning that rising inflation and cost of living have weakened the purchasing power of workers’ salaries nationwide.

He stressed that Nigerian workers across education, healthcare, transport, agriculture and security remain the backbone of national productivity, yet continue to face hardship.

Obi argued that the current minimum wage can no longer guarantee a decent standard of living as food prices, transportation costs and general inflation keep rising, eroding real income.

He urged government action to restore dignity to labour and protect citizens from worsening economic pressure.

Obi, in a statement released on his social media handle marking Workers’ Day 2026, commended Nigerian workers as the backbone of the economy, noting that they sustain families, communities and critical institutions despite ongoing economic hardship, inflationary pressure and uncertainty across the country.

He stressed that those in teaching, healthcare, transport, agriculture and security deserve fair compensation and dignity for their daily contributions to national development.

He added that no nation can develop beyond the strength and wellbeing of its workforce, warning that when workers suffer the nation suffers, and when workers are empowered, the nation prospers.

Obi also urged citizens to participate actively in governance through democratic processes, calling for leadership rooted in competence, character, capacity, credibility and compassion.

He emphasised that economic reforms must prioritise human capital development, fair wages and policies addressing inflation, rising food prices and declining purchasing power nationwide.

He concluded by calling for justice, fairness and respect for labour, insisting that urgent structural reforms are needed to improve living conditions and stabilise incomes across Nigeria.