President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, says it would be unfair to expect the union to organise protests over every N1 increase in petrol prices under Nigeria’s deregulated downstream petroleum sector.

Ajaero made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television, while responding to questions about his performance as NLC president over the past three years.

Appearing visibly angry over the question, he defended the union’s record, insisting that the NLC had consistently spoken out and protested against economic hardship affecting Nigerian workers.

“It will be unfair to expect NLC to protest or shut down the economy over every N1 per litre fuel price hike in Nigeria’s deregulated downstream petroleum sector,” he said.

The NLC had threatened to shut down economic activities over rising fuel prices and the minimum wage review on October 27, 2026.

However, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu subsequently intervened with the approval of a N70,000 transport allowance for public workers.