The Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Comrade Issa Aremu, has called on governments, employers, and stakeholders to take labour issues seriously in 2026, emphasizing that a motivated workforce drives productivity, wealth creation, and sustainable economic growth.

Speaking in Ilorin during his 65th birthday media interaction, Aremu commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2025 labour record, citing achievements in job creation, job security, timely salary payments, and workplace dispute resolution. He recalled that Tinubu, during his 2022 campaign, prioritized labour reforms, establishing a directorate to engage organized labour and promising fiscal and monetary policies that would improve Nigerians’ livelihoods.

“Labour creates wealth through critical success factors. Therefore, it must be consciously motivated to enhance productivity and workplace discipline,” Aremu stressed. He added that while governments and employers must take labour seriously, organized labour must also take itself seriously by improving productivity, avoiding corruption, and embracing collective bargaining and social dialogue to prevent disruptive strikes.

Aremu highlighted that the Renewed Hope Agenda is intentionally job-led, pointing to initiatives such as new federal tertiary institutions, ministries of livestock, and regional development commissions that have generated thousands of jobs. He also cited the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides interest-free loans to students, benefiting millions.

In infrastructure, Aremu referenced projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry and Trans-Saharan Highways, noting their potential to create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs while boosting trade, tourism, and regional development.

He further noted employment growth in the manufacturing and energy sectors, citing the Naira-for-Crude Policy and Dangote Refinery, which collectively are projected to create tens of thousands of jobs, including direct and indirect roles in construction, operations, and logistics.

“No private sector investment in recent years has driven local employment on the scale of Dangote Refinery,” Aremu concluded, emphasizing the importance of sustained engagement between labour, government, and the private sector to maximize job creation and economic benefits in 2026.