*how years of agitation, support from ILO led to landmark feat
By Michael Oche, Abuja
Nigeria’s newly updated climate plan known as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), has for the first time, explicitly captured the concerns of workers and trade unions, marking a major policy shift after about a decade of agitation for a “just transition” that leaves no worker behind.
NDC is the commitment each country makes to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The NDC is updated periodically to reflect evolving scientific, economic, and social considerations, and serves as the framework for both domestic policy implementation and international reporting
Trade unions in Nigeria, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliates, have long criticised previous versions of the country’s climate pledges for ignoring the social and economic realities of workers, especially those in carbon-intensive sectors like oil and gas.
What does this mean for workers? For the first time, workers who risk displacement or job losses due to climate policies are formally acknowledged, with promises of protections, retraining, and social support. It marks a recognition that climate action and social justice must go hand in hand.
Workers unions and their representatives say this policy shift is a bold step toward an inclusive energy transition, ensuring no Nigerian worker is pushed to the margins of economic activity due to climate-induced job losses. A signal that the government intends to ensure no worker is left behind.
“This is a big win for workers” says Suleiman Pema, an Assistant General Secretary in charge of Research & Public affairs at the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG)
Pema is a member of the NLC’s Just Energy Transition Network, a coalition of focal persons from the Congress’s affiliate unions. The network, spearheaded by the NLC, has been at the forefront of the push for workers’ inclusion in climate and energy transition policies. His union, NUPENG, represents workers in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, one of the sectors most directly impacted by the country’s shift toward cleaner energy.
He says, “globally, the world is transiting, so we must do everything to ensure that we are not left behind.”
For years, trade unions complained about the impact of climate change on workers, insisting that it is a workplace issue.
For instance, Comrade Hamza Muhammed, president of Nigeria Union of Mine Workers (NUMW) says workers in mining sites have experienced increased heat stress, exacerbated by climate change.
He said, “For us in the mining sector, we are directly affected by climate change because of the weather. Most of the time our workers work in hazardous areas where there’s a lot of heat and vibration in the mining sites.”
“As the world is transiting, we need government to look directing at the impact of climate change on workers in mining sector,” he adds
One of such recommendations, according to him, is for the government to establish a mining skills academy for upskilling of workers in the mining sector.
Yet, Nigeria’s earlier NDCs, first adopted in 2015 (NDC 1.0) and updated in 2021 (NDC 2.0), largely focused on emissions targets and energy reforms, with limited mention of the human impact of climate policies. The 2025 revision (NDC 3.0) now signals a shift toward a more inclusive approach.
“The inclusion of the Nigerian Workers concern in the NDC 3.0 is a big win because it’s about justice, justice for Nigerian workers” NLC Climate Change and Just Transition National Coordinator, Comrade Echezona Asuzu says.
Echezona explains that for the first time, issues of just transition, workers inclusion, decent work, social protection and social dialogue are all mainstreamed in the NDC document.
“This new NDC shows that the government is beginning to listen to the voices of workers. This is the first time we are having workers’ voices resonate across the different aspects of the document,” he says.
Years Of Struggle:
For over a decade, Nigerian workers struggled to have their voices heard in the country’s climate policies. Persistent advocacy, and policy engagements, supported by international partners like the International Labour Organization (ILO) culminated in the landmark inclusion of workers’ concerns in Nigeria’s newly updated NDC.
“It was a tough struggle. But organised labour was committed and determined that the voices of workers must be captured,” Echezona said.
The National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), which led the NDC revision process, described the update as a product of “extensive stakeholder consultations.”
Inviolata Chinyangarara, ILO Senior Specialist on Workers Activities (ACTRAV) Abuja Country Office, explained how the organisation provided support for trade unions to engage in climate discussions through evidence-based advocacy.
She says, “ILO also contributed a lot in capacity building to the NLC Just Transition network. We also were empowering the trade unions to come to the discussion table with evidence, evidence on why they think workers’ issues should be integrated into the national climate plan. So theirs was social dialogue that was led by evidence.”
She commended the strategies used by workers unions in the process, saying it highlights the role of social dialogue between government, employers, and unions as a pillar for achieving a fair and inclusive transition to a low-carbon economy.
“They (trade unions) didn’t go into that policy discussion with a militant approach. For the ILO, it demonstrates that when we consult, when we are inclusive, when we listen to all the voices, when we go to COP, we are going as Nigeria,” she says.
What does the NDC 3.0 Say about workers:
The updated NDC 3.0, submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in September, includes stronger commitments to decent work, labour rights, social protection, and retraining for workers who may be displaced by the energy transition.
Specifically on workers issues, the document stated: “While Nigeria currently lacks legal provisions or policies to protect workers from the risk of unemployment, the anticipated disruptions in the context of climate change and the transition present a strong case for establishing some form of unemployment protection, both for formal and informal workers.
“In the immediate- to short-term, time-bound unemployment assistance in the form of cash transfers, conditioned on the active search for alternative employment, may be extended to workers affected by climate-related restructuring and the phase-out of environmentally harmful industries and practices.
“This is also relevant for those workers engaged in the informal firewood and charcoal value chain who will see their jobs and income disappear as households transition to cleaner energy technologies.
“Unemployment cash benefits will be provided in combination with skills development initiatives and other forms of employment promotion, including support for microenterprise development.”
From Policy to Action:
Despite early excitement, stakeholders caution that implementation and financing will be key to translating commitments into action.
“We must maximise this opportunity,” Pema said.
He adds: “it is a policy document and we have to make use of it and try to see where we can inculcate some of its contents into collective bargaining. We will leverage it so we can negotiate from a position of strength.”
For Chinyangarara, the ILO is optimistic that the country can move from policy to action by ensuring effective implementation of the NDC 3.0
She said, “Yes, we are optimistic, but with a big caution. Nigeria, like many countries in Africa, has good policies, but the issue of implementation is the real challenge.”
To ensure effective implementing of the NDC 3.0, the National Council on Climate Change early in October, with the support of ILO and UNIDO validated Nigeria’s Just Transition Guideline and Action Plan (JT-GAP)
NCCC Director General Teniola Majekodunmi at the validation ceremony explained that the JT-GAP serves as a strategic instrument for the implementation of the National Climate Change Act (2021) and the country’s NDC 3.0, aligning all actions with the government’s agenda for inclusive growth.
She said, “The Just Transition Guideline and Action Plan (JT-GAP) is a core strategic instrument designed for seamless integration into our national development architecture. It doesn’t stand alone; it provides the socio-economic and workforce dimension for our Energy Transition Plan (ETP), addressing job-displacement risks while mapping new green job creation.
“It is the practical tool for operationalizing the National Climate Change Act (2021), charting a course toward Net Zero by 2060. Furthermore, the JT-GAP ensures our enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) and the vision of the Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) are built on a foundation of equity, aligning every climate action with the Renewed Hope Agenda’s goal of inclusive growth.”
Looking Ahead:
For now, the inclusion of workers’ concerns in Nigeria’s NDC 3.0 is being hailed as a symbolic victory for organised labour, a sign that years of policy advocacy are beginning to yield results.
But as the world looks toward COP30 in Brazil, the real test will be whether Nigeria can move beyond paper commitments to concrete action that truly bridges climate ambition with social justice.
