While the recent approval of the National Industrial Relations Policy (NIRP) by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is a welcome development, it must not become another policy with high ambitions but limited impact.
Development Diaries reports that the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has announced the federal government’s approval of the NIRP, a new framework aimed at reducing industrial disputes and promoting stable labour relations nationwide.
It is understood that the decision was taken after Thursday’s FEC meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.
Coming amid a crippling nationwide strike by nurses and other looming industrial actions, the policy is intended to guide government, employers, and trade unions through structured negotiations and dispute resolution.
The ongoing wave of industrial actions crippling Nigeria’s essential services, from hospitals to universities, raises grave concern about the country’s fragile labour relations system.
The nationwide strike by nurses under the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), along with ongoing threats from ASUU and disruptions by doctors and other workers, clearly shows that Nigeria urgently needs a more organised, open, and reliable way to handle labour disputes.
Although the new policy shows the government is trying to improve how labour issues are managed, there are still concerns about whether it will be properly put into action, especially since strikes keep happening in key sectors like health, education, judiciary, and aviation.
The big question is whether this policy will truly work or just end up as another unused document gathering dust in government offices.
Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the right of workers to associate and form unions to protect their interests, while Section 17(3)(a) mandates the state to ensure opportunities for meaningful employment and just conditions of work.
These rights, however, are undermined when the government fails to honour agreements or when there is no binding framework to mediate disputes.
The NIRP, if implemented in full spirit, could offer a transformative shift, yet a policy document alone will not rebuild trust. The government’s track record of neglecting union grievances until industrial actions erupt must change.
The health sector is currently overwhelmed, with patients turned away from hospitals amid the nurses’ strike, while students risk academic disruption due to the unresolved ASUU salary crisis.
This level of dysfunction cannot be allowed to persist under the guise of policy transition.
The NIRP must serve as more than a reference document. It must be a living framework that informs budget planning, wage negotiations, and conflict resolution across the board.
Immediate action is needed to de-escalate ongoing strikes and proactively prevent future ones. This requires coordinated leadership, adequate funding of public institutions, and genuine political will.
Development Diaries therefore calls on the ministers of labour and employment, health, and education to treat the NIRP as a mandate for urgent reform. They should engage unions not as adversaries but as partners and fulfil existing agreements.
Photo source: Mohammed Idris
