Labour Correspondents Call for Local Resource Mobilisation to Tackle Poverty

By Chinedu Echianu

The Acting National Chairman of the Labour Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (LACAN), Patrick Abulu, has called on government, labour leaders, and development partners to prioritise domestic resource mobilisation as a key strategy for financing anti-poverty and inequality interventions in Nigeria.

Abulu made the call in his welcome address at the maiden edition of the Annual Labour Conference (ALC 2025), held in Abuja.

The event, themed “Improving Internal Resource Mobilisation for Financing Anti-Poverty and Inequality Interventions in Nigeria,” brought together top government officials, labour union leaders, civil society representatives, and media professionals.

According to Abulu, the theme reflects Nigeria’s urgent need to rely less on external aid and focus on harnessing internal resources for sustainable development.

“Waiting for external saviours is a strategy of the past,” he said. “The solutions to our problems, and the resources to fund them, must be generated from within. We must plug the leaks in our national treasury and demand that Nigeria’s immense wealth be mobilised for the benefit of all, not just a privileged few.”

He explained that discussions at the conference would explore innovative and equitable domestic funding strategies such as fair taxation, efficient governance, and investment in human capital and social protection.

Abulu also addressed a key sub-theme of the conference, “Casualisation and Fair Labour Recruitment in Nigeria,” describing the rise of precarious work and unfair recruitment as major drivers of poverty and inequality.

“You cannot finance the fight against poverty while simultaneously creating new poor,” he warned. “When workers are denied living wages, job security, and dignity, we are not building a nation — we are constructing a powder keg of social discontent.”

The LACAN chairman urged all stakeholders to dismantle systems that perpetuate labour exploitation and replace them with frameworks that guarantee decent work, fair pay, and worker protection.

“The fight for fair labour recruitment is inseparable from the fight for a prosperous Nigeria,” he said.

Abulu commended the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi; Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris; and other dignitaries for attending the conference. He encouraged participants to engage constructively in discussions that would lead to actionable policy recommendations.

He expressed optimism that the conference resolutions would serve as a roadmap for promoting fair labour practices and reducing economic disparity in Nigeria.