Olusegun ARIYO
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC, Joe Ajaero, has said President Bola Tinubu’s much-publicised “age of prosperity” has not yet translated into improved living conditions for Nigerian workers.
Speaking on the Mic On Podcast, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, Ajaero argued that rising petrol, food, transportation and accommodation costs have significantly eroded the value of the N70,000 minimum wage.
“Prosperity is not with the Nigerian worker,” Ajaero said, while expressing hope that the government’s promise could eventually become a reality.
He maintained that although inflation may be slowing, Nigerians are still burdened by the high prices created by previous inflationary increases.
According to him, organised labour accepted the N70,000 minimum wage partly because of government assurances that the impact of fuel subsidy removal would be cushioned through measures such as compressed natural gas (CNG) transportation, vehicle conversion kits, cash transfers and other interventions.
However, he said many of those promises have either not been fully implemented or have failed to provide meaningful relief.
Ajaero stressed that workers’ welfare depends not only on salary increases but also on the cost of living and the value of the naira.
“If I get N500,000 minimum wage, and I can’t pay my house rent, of what use?” he asked.
On fuel pricing, the NLC president argued that petrol could sell for about N500 per litre if locally produced crude oil was supplied to domestic refineries at favourable rates.
He also criticised the slow rollout of CNG infrastructure, noting that the limited number of CNG buses and refuelling stations across the country has done little to ease transportation costs.
Ajaero further accused the Federal Government of inadequate engagement with organised labour, warning that unresolved concerns over wages and workers’ welfare could trigger industrial action.
The labour leader also faulted the positions of President Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi on fuel subsidy removal, saying all three share similar market-driven economic views.
“Peter Obi, Atiku and Asiwaju (Tinubu), they all have the same position, and they have shown that they are market people from the far right,” Ajaero said.
