The Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday rejected the proposed Nigeria Social Security Trust Fund bill, warning that it could seize workers’ contributions and diminish their role in managing social security funds.

Although the bill has cleared the Senate’s second reading, it has not yet become law. It proposes repealing the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund Act and the Employees’ Compensation Act, merging them into a single framework under the NSSTF.

In a letter dated October 27, 2025, addressed to Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, the NLC, representing millions of Nigerian workers, expressed strong condemnation and outright rejection of the bill.

The union labeled the legislation a “brazen and unpatriotic act of class warfare” and a “grave assault on the principles of tripartism,” accusing certain elements within the state of attempting to seize and mismanage workers’ collective wealth.

President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said, “We outrightly and completely reject the NSSTF Bill in its entirety. Workers’ representation on the board is non-negotiable, and the sanctity of the tripartite governance structure must be preserved. Equal voice for government, employers, and labour is the bedrock of the Fund.”

The NLC emphasized that the bill is designed to dismantle the tripartite governance framework established under the NSITF Act of 2004 and the Employees’ Compensation Act of 2010. This structure guarantees balanced representation for the government, employers via the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, and workers through the NLC—acting as the sole safeguard against the Fund being treated as a political slush fund.

The union stated that the proposed bill would replace this collective trusteeship with a government-dominated board, curtail the NLC’s representation, and give political appointees substantial control over workers’ funds.

The Congress called this a “catastrophic and unacceptable dilution of workers’ voice,” noting that the bill contravenes International Labour Organization conventions, particularly ILO Convention 144 on Tripartite Consultation, as well as the Philadelphia Declaration.

The union also criticized the bill for eliminating the Independent Investment Committee, a key fiduciary safeguard.

The NLC argued that the legislation centralizes power, creates ambiguity, and establishes a direct channel for political interference, making the Managing Director accountable to the Minister rather than a balanced board.

The Congress demanded that workers’ representation on the board be increased to three seats to reflect the collective strength of the working class. It warned that failure to address these concerns could trigger direct action, including national mobilization of its members and collaboration with civil society to resist any attempt to compromise the Fund.

The NLC accused the Senate of placing political expediency above workers’ rights, calling the NSSTF Bill “a solution in search of a problem.” The union urged the Senate to abandon the legislation, warning against using the legislative process as a “conveyor belt for the alienation and impoverishment of Nigerian workers.”