The Federation of Informal Workers Organisations of Nigeria (FIWON) has urged the Federal Government to ensure the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) is extended to cover informal workers who suffer injuries, disabilities, or death on the job, providing compensation and rehabilitation.

The workers also called for the government’s co-contribution to micro-pensions, in which the government matches informal workers’ pension savings on a 50:50 basis, similar to the formal-sector model.

Currently, the union argues that informal workers must save entirely from meagre and irregular incomes, while inflation erodes whatever is saved.

FIWON, in its message on Democracy Day, urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently expand social protection coverage for informal workers as part of a comprehensive national security strategy.

FIWON General Secretary Gbenga Komolafe expressed deep concern about the rising insecurity, banditry, and kidnapping nationwide, warning that these issues are linked to the structural exclusion and social vulnerability experienced by most Nigerian workers.

Komolafe called for job creation and skills development, noting that massive investment in skills training, access to credit and support for informal enterprises to provide legitimate livelihoods for millions of unemployed and underemployed Nigerians was crucial.

He bemoaned the recent abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oyo State, describing the incident as a tragic reminder of how far the nation has drifted from the promise of democracy.

Noting that the Oyo State abduction was not an isolated incident, he said it is a symptom of a deeper crisis.
According to him, the young men who carried out the kidnapping were themselves once children who deserved education, opportunity, and a future.

Komolafe maintained that the growing army of unemployed, underemployed and socially unprotected youth and adults provides fertile ground for criminal recruitment and violent extremism.

“The young person who cannot afford healthcare, has no pension to look forward to and sees no future in legitimate work that pays slave wages becomes easy prey for bandits and criminal networks offering quick money. Insecurity is not just a military problem, but a social protection crisis,” he said.

Putting a call to action, the association urged all informal workers across Nigeria to use Democracy Day to reflect on their collective power and to continue the struggle for recognition, protection and dignity.