Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has issued a scathing critique of the Nigerian government for what he described as widespread abuse of workers’ rights and systemic looting of public resources meant for the poor.
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In a statement released on Thursday to mark Workers’ Day, Falana called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to rise to their constitutional responsibilities by demanding full enforcement of Nigeria’s labour and welfare laws.
“The members of the ruling class have sold public enterprises and awarded oil blocks to themselves. They have criminally diverted the commonwealth under the guise of privatisation,” Falana said.
He accused the political elite of turning the Nigerian economy into a playground for self-enrichment, while millions of citizens suffer in poverty and neglect.
Citing Sections 16 and 17 of the 1999 Constitution, Falana reminded the labour unions that the Nigerian state is obligated to provide suitable shelter, food, healthcare, equal pay for equal work, and decent working conditions. He said these obligations are now “observed in the breach.”
Falana condemned what he described as a “deliberate abandonment” of the poor, exposing how over N135 billion in Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds remain unaccessed due to the failure of state governments to pay their required counterpart funding. This, he said, has left more than 20 million Nigerian children out of school.
“Federal and state governments are legally bound to provide free education up to Junior Secondary School. But instead of complying, they are challenging the locus standi of citizens suing to enforce the right. That shows their total disdain for the children of the poor,” he said.
The Senior Advocate also decried the refusal of nearly 20 states to implement the newly legislated N70,000 minimum wage for local government and primary school workers. He said both public and private employers are openly violating the National Minimum Wage Act, 2024.
“Despite having a binding law, the federal government is complicit in refusing to ensure its implementation,” he added.
On the plight of pensioners, Falana revealed that the government has borrowed N10 trillion from the nation’s pension fund, even as retirees are left to languish without access to their entitlements.
“As of December 2024, the National Pension Commission reported that pension assets had grown to N22.5 trillion. Yet, workers who contributed these funds are dying in frustration,” he lamented.
Falana also exposed large-scale fraud in the National Housing Fund (NHF)—a scheme funded by 2.5% deductions from workers’ salaries. He cited the November 2024 arraignment of former Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) managing director, Gimba Ya’u Kumo, who was accused of diverting $65 million meant for affordable housing.
“The NHF has been hijacked by crooks,” Falana declared. “Kumo himself confessed in 2012 that employers had looted the fund to the tune of N100 billion.”
He called on the NLC and TUC to monitor the trial of Kumo and demand a full-scale investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with a focus on recovering stolen funds.
“The NLC and TUC owe Nigerian workers a historic duty. They must ensure that the $65 million and N100 billion stolen from the housing fund are fully recovered and used to build decent homes for workers,” he said.
Falana concluded by urging the labour unions to abandon passive lobbying and mobilise sustained pressure on the federal government.
“It is high time the NLC and TUC mobilised workers and allies. The enforcement of these welfare laws will go a long way in improving the living conditions of the Nigerian people. Enough is enough,” he said.
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