As Nigerian workers today mark the 2025 May Day, a day set aside to celebrate workers, a Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence, Christopher Chukwuma, has called for the review of laws and policies, especially the Cybercrime Act and the Public Order Act, restricting and criminalising civic engagement in the country.
Chukwuma spoke Wednesday at the 2025 Pre-May Day Lecture themed: “Reclaiming the Civic Space in the Midst of Economic Hardship” in Abuja.
While noting that a civic space was essential for the functioning of democratic processes, the don regretted that democracy in Nigeria was being threatened by corruption, non-accountability, the threat of life to the actors involved, and the imposition on the domestic laws regulating activities of what he described as “the civic society of decision.”
“We know how they happen in this country. The very moment there is increase in vulnerability and marginalization of certain groups of people, the civic space is dying. There is a problem,” he said.
Chukwuma added that the restrictions on free protests, the mobilisation of security outfits threatening lives of those that want to exercise their right, the control of the social media, attack on media outfits and practitioners, limited access to justice, inadequate protection of human rights defenders and insult, were all threats to the civic space in Nigeria.
The university teacher maintained that even though the economic hardship could kill the civic space or the actors by diverting attention to survival, Nigerian workers have an opportunity to resuscitate and reclaim their civic space.
He said: “There is need for a focus for policy reforms; there should be a need for certain restrictive laws to be amended. The NLC can advocate for changes in certain laws that potentially criminalize civic engagement, such as the Cybercrime Act and the Public Order Act, the NLC can do that.
“The NLC can advocate for reforms that prevent excessive force against civic actors and increase transparency and oversight of security agencies, especially towards human rights defenders or activists.
“There is a need to strengthen the workers’ rights and civic empowerment by reviewing and revisiting laws and regulations that make civic space, ensuring they align with international human rights to their standards. This includes revisiting restrictive legislation, such as the Companies and Allied Matters Act, to protect thoughts of civil society organizations and felicitate their operations. The Congress can do that.”
Speaking further, the labour expert said: “There is need for implementation measures to enhance citizens’ participation in decision-making processes. These can be achieved through the mechanisms such as town hall meetings. It has always been going on, but encouraging to move on. The Media Rights Agenda is still another aspect of civil society organizations. But there can be collaborations where one finds it difficult, the other helps.
The need to resuscitate or reclaim the civic space in order to sustain democracy in Nigeria focuses on the experiences we have had from the past administrations, and it highlights the urgent need for safeguarding freedom of expression, strengthening civil society engagement, enhancing transparency and accountability, especially from the leaders, in order to foster dialogue and reconciliation.
“These measures are crucial for nurturing a vibrant democratic environment that will uphold citizen rights, promote inclusivity, and foster the long-term sustainability of democracy in Nigeria.”
…Ajaero
Also speaking at the event, President Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Joe Ajaero lamented that the civic space in Nigeria was being compressed, restricting citizens from freely expressing themselves using security measures.
“The civic space is being compressed. Even last two weeks or last week, the people came out to protest police stopped them in Port Harcourt and other places. These days, protests are being fought; people are not allowing Nigeria to freely protest.
“Even that of minimum wage and hardship we tried and they tried to stop us. Forces are being used to compress the civic space and if you do that, you match the end to democracy even those sponsoring it will be the potential victims of it.
“I can tell you, all the people there now are beneficiaries of the suffering of some of us, who protested the military stay in office, annulment of June 12 and all that. None of them was known, their names are not even known in their community. If the civic space was closed, none of them will be in National Assembly; none will be a governor today.
I think they’re having a momentary relief, it’s not going to last. It is the duty of the civil society, the labour movement to make sure that we’ll fight for the civic space to open.”
Ajaero, who noted that student protests had been caged and many voices were being sponsored to work against popular views, said the labour movement in Nigeria would continue to talk truth to power and fight for the rights of Nigerians.
…NNPP chieftain on inflation, purchasing power
Meanwhile, a South-west chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has called on the government to reduce inflation and improve workers’ purchasing power to ensure economic growth and development.
Ambassador Ajadi made the call in a statement Wednesday to congratulate the Nigerian workers on this year’s Workers’ Day celebration.
The NNPP chieftain stressed that the rise in salaries of workers may not be the solution to their plights if the current galloping inflation is allowed to continue.
“We appreciate your contributions to the country and wish you a successful celebration. Let me use the occasion of this year’s Workers’ Day to appeal to both the state governments and the Federal Government to improve the purchasing power of the workers,” he said.
“Nigerian workers deserve our appreciation and respect for their contributions to the development of our country. I also salute them for their patriotic cooperation with the government and other institutions in the collective efforts to address societal challenges.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that Labour creates wealth for the nation, the more reason that the welfare of the Nigerian workers should always be accorded priority,” he added.
Speaking further, Ajadi said: “Increment in salaries alone without a corresponding value will not end the workers’ suffering. The current galloping inflation should be halted by the governments, so that workers can enjoy the good value of their hard – earned income.
“Governments should assist the workers by bring down the prices of goods and services as this would buoy the workers’ purchasing power.”
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