A pro-worker group, Working People United, WOPU, has urged Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, saying his economic policies have shielded the country from worse hardship.
Its National Coordinator, Comrade Prince William Akporehe, made this known at the group’s Good Governance Summit 2026 in Abuja.
He said Tinubu’s promise to review the minimum wage proves he has workers’ interests at heart.
He added: “Yes, for us as working people, united for good governance, the message and understanding are clear: reforms are painful, but avoiding a reform would be more dangerous.
“However, reform must deliver visible and tangible results for all. That is why our strategic message here today is simple: support continuity and demand to do so. We support continuity because national stability matters.”
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, who served as the chairman of the event, said that the N70,000 minimum is no longer viable, necessitating plans to increase it for value addition to the lives of workers.
Speaking, Minister of Labor and Employment, Mohammad Dingyadi, reiterated commitment by the Tinubu’ s to translate policies into increased productivity, social protection, economic opportunities, and dignity for the working people.
Every major transformation, he said, requires courage, patience, sacrifice, and political responsibility.
According to him, the objective of the federal government has remained clear to build a stronger, more productive, and more resilient economy that works for all Nigerians in the area of labor and employment,” he said.
In his remarks, the National Coordinator of Operations and Programs and also President of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners, Billy Gillis-Harry, advocated the need for stronger participation of Nigerian workers in government policy formulation.
He said government policies will not achieve their objectives without the support of workers across different sectors of the economy.
He added: “The simple goal is to let working people buy into the policy formulation of any government. Especially in this government of the president, where difficult decisions that should have been taken years ago are now being taken to reshape Nigeria. If the working people don’t buy into that, the chances of these policies coming to fruition will be almost zero.”
The Working People United movement, he explained, was created to ensure workers have a seat at the decision-making table rather than merely reacting to policies after they have been introduced.
The organization brings together workers from different professions, including farmers, traders, artisans, oil workers, and other stakeholders, to contribute to governance.
“We are calling on all the working people in this country to come together as one, review the policies of the government, understand the benefits therein, and look at the areas that can also be inimical to us as Nigerians so we can make our inputs and corrections. We do not want to come to the pages of newspapers to argue about policies; we want to be in the room, on the table, with a chair and a voice,” he stated.
He added that discussions at the conference, attended by more than 29 labor and union leaders, focused on assessing the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s policies and identifying ways to improve implementation.
He maintained that an informed electorate and active worker participation would help shape a stronger Nigeria.
“Nigeria is a superpower waiting to happen, and this is the beginning. Working people united will support the President Bola Tinubu-led government for continuity in 2027 and also hold the government responsible for delivering on its promises,” he added.
Gillis-Harry welcomed remarks by the president’s Chief of staff that the current N70,000 minimum wage is no longer sustainable.
Noting that negotiations involving the government, organized labor, and other stakeholders were already underway,
Gillis-Harry maintained that the minimum wage should be doubled.
He added: “One man working as the breadwinner of the family cannot have a sustainable livelihood on N70,000. In my personal opinion, it may be good to review it by another 100 per cent. N140,000 may not be a bad place to start.”
He argued that rising transportation, feeding, housing, healthcare, education, and other living costs justify an upward review of workers’ pay.
According to Gillis-Harry, private sector employers in some parts of the country already pay between N120,000 and N130,000 for jobs such as drivers, suggesting that the government should adopt a wage structure that reflects current economic realities.
He expressed confidence that the Tinubu administration would continue engaging workers on key national policies and said the reforms, though painful, would ultimately deliver long-term benefits for Nigerians.
He said:”It is painful now, but just like a woman going through labor pains eventually smiles after childbirth, that is what this experiment is. We have come together under the aegis of Working People United to ensure President Bola Tinubu is given another shot to see these policies through to fruition for a better Nigeria.”
