Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has pledged to permanently end casualisation and what he described as exploitative contract staffing in Nigeria if elected president in 2027.
Sowore made the declaration in a post shared on his X handle on Thursday, where he criticised labour practices that subject workers to poor welfare conditions, insecurity and limited job protections.
According to him, Nigerian workers deserve dignity, fair treatment and improved working conditions rather than being treated as disposable labour.
“We are permanently discontinuing casualization and exploitative contract staffing in Nigeria. Workers are not slaves, disposable tools, or modern-day serfs,” he wrote.
The activist stressed that every worker should have access to job security, fair wages, healthcare, pensions and humane conditions of service.
“Every worker deserves dignity, job security, fair wages, healthcare, pensions, and humane working conditions,” Sowore stated.
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He further argued that rising unemployment and economic hardship have been exploited over the years to weaken workers’ bargaining power and expose them to unfair labour practices.
“The era of using insecurity and unemployment to exploit Nigerian workers must come to an end,” he added.
Sowore also linked the promise to his 2027 political ambition, declaring that labour rights and workers’ welfare would become central priorities under his proposed administration.
“Under #Sowore2027, labor will regain its dignity and workers will regain their power,” he said.
Casualisation and contract staffing have remained contentious issues within Nigeria’s labour sector, with trade unions and labour activists repeatedly calling for stronger regulations to protect workers from exploitation, poor remuneration and lack of social benefits.