The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly cautioned the National Assembly against removing labour-related provisions from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
This warning was delivered by the Lagos State NLC Chairperson, Mrs. Funmi Sessi, during the South-West Zonal Public Hearing on Constitution Review held in Lagos on Saturday.
The public hearing, organized by the Senate Constitution Review Committee, took place simultaneously across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
Labour Provisions Must Remain Exclusive – NLC
Sessi condemned alleged behind-the-scenes efforts by some lawmakers and vested interests to remove Item 34 in Schedule 1 of the Constitution, which currently places labour under the exclusive control of the federal government.
She warned that such a move would “institutionalize slave labour camps across the country” and jeopardize the minimum wage system that protects millions of Nigerian workers.
- “The removal of labour from the Exclusive to the Concurrent List will render the national minimum wage ineffective and open the door to exploitation by state governments,” Sessi said.
She reminded lawmakers that Nigeria had ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Convention No. 026 on June 16, 1961, which mandates a national wage framework.
Sessi also said that many state governors, even while labour remains on the Exclusive List, have already shown disregard for workers’ rights, proscribing unions and violating labour laws. She warned that transferring labour to the Concurrent List would empower more of such abuses.
- “Nigerian workers see this move as an existential threat. We resisted it before, and we are ready to resist it again with every legal and civil tool at our disposal,” she declared.
NLC Backs Electoral Reforms and Justice Uwais Report
Sessi used the opportunity to call for comprehensive electoral reform, urging the full implementation of the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee Report.
- She advocated a new system for appointing INEC leadership, where civil society groups, professional bodies, and marginalized communities would nominate members, not politicians.
- She also proposed the unbundling of INEC into specialized bodies to manage pre-election logistics, polling, and dispute resolution independently.
- “The country needs an electoral system overhaul now more than ever,” she said. “We must ensure that INEC becomes truly independent and credible.”
Other reform suggestions included:
- Full adoption of electronic and diaspora voting
- Establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission
- Proportional representation (PR) to replace the first-past-the-post system (FPTP)
- Call for Broader Socio-Economic Reforms
- Beyond electoral issues, Sessi demanded constitutional reforms to:
- Make Chapter 2 of the Constitution justiciable, ensuring economic and social rights are enforceable
- Achieve gender equity
- Strengthen public revenue management, security architecture, and oversight institutions
- Address the nation’s federal structure, power distribution, and judicial autonomy
- Prioritise education, housing, poverty eradication, and youth employment
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- She also called for repositioning the Nigeria Police, creating new states where necessary, and guaranteeing access to human rights and justice for all citizens.
Senate Promises to Consider Labour’s Demands
In response, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, represented by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, assured participants that their concerns would be submitted to the full Senate.
“We are here to listen and report your demands back to the National Assembly,” he said.
Other stakeholders, including youth, women, and student groups, also made presentations during the two-day public hearing.
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