The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced on Thursday its intention to meet with the federal government to discuss how workers can cope with the recent surge in petrol prices.
The labour movement stated that the current price of petrol has nullified the benefits of the yet-to-be-implemented N70,000 national minimum wage. During the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop in Lagos titled “Minimum Wage Implementation Workshop, Southern Zone,” NLC President Joe Ajaero disclosed that organized labor felt deceived by President Bola Tinubu into accepting the N70,000 minimum wage, believing it would prevent a rise in petrol prices.
He urged the government to address the growing hunger, poverty, and frustration among Nigerians before the situation spirals out of control, emphasizing that citizens are enduring significant suffering.
Reflecting on conversations with President Tinubu prior to the agreement on the N70,000 minimum wage, Ajaero expressed concern that Nigerians are beginning to adapt to the current hardships, partially due to government distractions aimed at organized labor.
“There seems to be a tactic to divert our focus—calling us names and levying baseless allegations against us, such as cybercrime and terrorism financing,” he criticized.
He further asserted, “We have been betrayed by the President. Our statement regarding this betrayal is being denied by government officials, but I must reiterate: we have been betrayed. Many here remember when the President said, ‘Ajaero, you are the problem.’”
He recounted a pivotal moment during negotiations, stating, “After we announced that subsidies were gone, the President urged, ‘If you let us increase prices, we’ll pay you N250,000.’ The very next day, I shared his words on Arise Television.”
The President had given them an hour to decide between the N250,000 minimum wage and a hike in petrol prices. “We told him, ‘No, sir, we need time for consultation; let’s take a week to think this over.’ He agreed, postponing his trip for a week.”
Ajaero noted that following their discussions, they returned to the President, asserting, “We cannot allow any price increase that would harm all Nigerians; it would be selfish. Even N250,000 wouldn’t suffice, as rising salaries will undermine the economy if petrol prices continue to escalate.”
The President had also offered to fund a trip to neighboring West African countries, where petrol costs considerably more—N1,700 in some places and N2,000 in Cameroon—highlighting that those nations lack refineries but source their products from Nigeria. “We urged him to address border smuggling issues that exacerbate the situation.”
On the scheduled meeting date, Ajaero stated, “We went to inform the President that we weren’t there to negotiate price increases, but rather to focus on establishing a fair minimum wage.” He acknowledged that the acceptance of the N70,000 minimum wage was contentious, with many believing it was inadequate while some still claimed they couldn’t afford it.
“This reflects the dilemma we all face. Private sector employers have resisted adjustments, trying to align with state and federal government interests against labor. These struggles have led to the walkouts you witnessed.”
