CIoDN urges responsible leadership to create jobs, ease cost pressures

By : Gloria Nwafor

Date: 6 January 2026 4:22am WAT

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Taiwo Nolas-Alausa

Taiwo Nolas-Alausa

The Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria (CIoDN) has called for responsible leadership and collective commitment across government and the private sector to translate Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms into jobs, productivity growth and improved living standards for workers.

While acknowledging signs of economic stabilisation and clearer policy direction, the institute warned that reforms will not deliver tangible benefits for workers without ethical leadership, disciplined governance, and coordinated action at the boardroom and policy levels.

In a New Year message titled, ‘From Transformation to Prosperity’, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of CIoDN, Dr. Taiwo Nolas-Alausa, said reforms implemented since May 2023 have helped stabilise the economy and improve public sector digitalisation, with 2025 emerging as a critical transition year.

However, he stressed that the real test of reform success lies in whether macroeconomic gains translate into employment creation, wage stability, and reduced cost-of-living pressures.

“The responsibility now rests on leaders in government and industry to ensure that economic stabilisation delivers higher productivity, decent jobs and improved welfare for Nigerians,” Nolas-Alausa said.

He noted that Nigeria enters 2026 amid a fragile global outlook marked by restrained growth, rising costs, and geopolitical tensions, warning that such pressures often hit workers hardest through inflation, job insecurity, and weakened purchasing power.

Against this backdrop, the CIoDN said emerging economies like Nigeria must uphold fiscal discipline, strengthen domestic production, and enforce strong corporate governance to protect jobs and attract sustainable investment.

The institute identified security challenges as the single biggest threat to unlocking Domestic and Foreign Direct Investment, noting that insecurity continues to disrupt supply chains, reduce industrial activity, and limit employment opportunities, particularly in agriculture and manufacturing.

Reacting to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s New Year message, the CIoDN said the President’s call for unity and responsibility was timely, urging deeper coordination across fiscal, monetary, and trade policies to ensure predictable economic management capable of supporting business expansion and job growth.

For organised labour and workforce advocates, the institute highlighted three governance priorities with direct implications for workers’ welfare: strategic alignment with national priorities, fiduciary responsibility including tax compliance, and sustainability in the evolving global trade environment.

With food inflation remaining the most severe burden on Nigerian households, CIoDN urged corporate boards to treat supply-chain efficiency as both a commercial opportunity and a social responsibility capable of easing pressure on workers’ incomes.

On taxation, the institute said the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 places new obligations on corporate leadership, insisting that tax compliance should be treated as a core governance responsibility rather than an administrative task, as transparent tax practices help strengthen public finances for social services and infrastructure.

The CIoDN also warned that global trade rules, including the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), could affect employment in export-dependent sectors such as cement, steel, aluminium, and fertiliser if Nigerian firms fail to adapt.

It urged boards to treat carbon management and sustainability disclosures as business-critical, noting that early compliance is essential to preserve market access and protect jobs.

The institute called for a renewed culture of discipline, ethical leadership, and accountability beginning from the boardroom, stressing that responsible corporate leadership is central to building an inclusive economy that works for workers, businesses, and the nation.

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