By: Ganiyu Olayinka
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award, and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage, warning that rising living costs have eroded workers’ purchasing power.
The demands were contained in an Independence Day statement signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero on Wednesday, titled “Our Hope Depends on the Choices We Make and the Actions We Take.” The union said the demands had become necessary as workers and other Nigerians continue to grapple with rising transportation, food, rent and education costs, linking the worsening cost-of-living crisis directly to the rise in petrol prices that followed the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023.
“Petrol now sells at N1,430 per litre or higher in major cities and far more in remote areas. The surge in transportation costs drives up the prices of food, school fees, rent, and nearly every necessity of life, while nominal wages remain stagnant,” the NLC said, calling on the Federal Government to urgently address how fuel costs ripple through transportation and the wider economy. “Without cutting this chain, any effort to ease the suffering of the people is futile,” it added.
The union also demanded the immediate implementation of a nationwide wage award covering federal, state and local government workers, describing it as an emergency response to declining real incomes rather than an act of charity. “A wage award is not charity. It is an emergency intervention against the collapse of real income,” it said.
The demand harks back to the October 2023 agreement between the Federal Government and organised labour following the subsidy removal, which provided for a N35,000 monthly wage award for federal workers and called for similar relief to be considered for state and local government workers. The NLC accused the government of failing to fully implement the tax relief measures contained in that agreement, calling on it to deliver on the commitment and to expedite negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
“The current N70,000 minimum wage was already destroyed by inflation before it was implemented,” the union said, demanding the immediate constitution of a tripartite committee to formulate and legislate a new wage standard for 2027 before the end of this year. The current N70,000 minimum wage was approved by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024, with the President indicating at the time that it would be reviewed after three years.
The NLC further called for a reduction in the cost of governance, greater transparency in public spending, and increased investment in roads, hospitals, schools and other social infrastructure. “When workers are asked to tighten their belts, the extravagance and waste of the governing class are unacceptable. Government must lead by example,” it said.
On the subsidy removal itself, the labour centre questioned what became of the savings the policy was supposed to generate. “Government claimed subsidy removal would free up resources for infrastructure and social services. Three years later, petrol prices have multiplied several times over, yet the promised infrastructure and social services remain mirages. Where exactly did the subsidy savings go?” the union asked a question that revisits the October 2023 understanding between government and labour, which had included commitments on wage support, tax incentives, CNG buses and other measures meant to cushion the policy’s impact.
The NLC also criticised Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported refined petroleum products despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, calling for greater investment in domestic refining capacity: “Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, depends on imported refined petroleum, while domestic refining capacity has been systematically neglected, except the efforts of a few private refineries.”
On social welfare, the union called for affordable, quality public education, functional healthcare facilities and improved road infrastructure, arguing these were necessary to ease pressure on households and boost economic productivity. It also raised concerns about youth unemployment and migration, insisting the government must create genuine opportunities for young Nigerians rather than simply exhorting them to stay hopeful. “The government must create genuine opportunities so that young people can see hope instead of being preached to about hope,” the statement said, adding that dangerous journeys across the Sahara and Mediterranean should not remain young Nigerians’ main source of hope.
The union also linked the country’s security challenges to its economic difficulties, arguing that violence has disrupted farming, education and healthcare delivery, and that insecurity, poverty, unemployment and inequality are interconnected problems requiring attention to how economic opportunities and resources are distributed.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, the NLC said workers must be free to make independent political choices, warning against electoral manipulation, voter intimidation, and rhetoric capable of inflaming ethnic or religious tensions. The union said it would use its proposed Workers’ Charter to articulate its positions on policies and candidates when appropriate, while stressing that workers’ organisations should not be treated as mere electoral tools.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress will, at the appropriate time, use our Workers’ Charter to make it clear which policies and candidates deserve the support of the working class,” Ajaero said. “However, we will never accept any force treating workers’ organisations as dispensable electoral tools. Workers have the right to independent political thoughts, judgement, and choice.”
The union said its continued focus would be on decent wages, safe workplaces, accountability and the protection of workers’ welfare. “The unity and action of the masses is the only reliable force capable of changing this country. Hope belongs to those who organise, who struggle, and who choose their own destiny,” the statement concluded.
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