The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award for workers and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage, warning of a worsening survival crisis.
In an Independence Day statement signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero on Wednesday, September 30, the labour centre said inflation had severely eroded workers’ earnings, while rising petrol and transport costs had pushed up the prices of food, school fees, rent and other necessities.
“We stand at the crossroads of a full-scale survival crisis. The real value of wages has been devoured by structural inflation. Petrol now sells at ₦1,430 per litre or higher in major cities and far more in remote areas,” the statement said.
The NLC described the May 2023 petrol price increase as a “systematic assault on the working class” and questioned how savings from the removal of petrol subsidy had been utilised.
“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? Nigerians deserve an answer, and they deserve it now,” it said.
The union also criticised Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported refined petroleum products despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, saying the situation had exposed workers to fluctuations in international oil prices.
It urged the government to take urgent steps to reduce petrol prices, citing transportation costs as a major driver of inflation.
“Without cutting this chain, any effort to ease the suffering of the people is futile,” the NLC said.
The labour centre also demanded an immediate nationwide wage award for workers across the federal, state and local governments.
“A wage award is not charity. It is an emergency intervention against the collapse of real income,” it said.
The NLC further called for the implementation of tax relief measures agreed during the October 2023 dialogue between the government and labour, alleging that provisions contained in their Memorandum of Understanding remained unimplemented.
On the minimum wage, the union demanded the immediate establishment of a tripartite committee to formulate and legislate a new wage standard for 2027 before the end of the year.
“The current ₦70,000 minimum wage was already destroyed by inflation before it was implemented,” it said.
The NLC also called for reduced governance costs and greater transparency, alongside increased investment in roads, hospitals, schools and other social infrastructure.
It urged the government to create more opportunities for young Nigerians, saying they should “see hope instead of being preached to about hope”.
On insecurity, the union said violence had worsened Nigeria’s macroeconomic situation and threatened national stability. It claimed that nearly 2,000 Nigerians died from violence in the first quarter of 2026, leaving farmers, teachers and doctors unable to work in some areas.
The NLC linked poverty, unemployment, desperation and inequality to violence and crime, arguing that “without addressing distributive justice, insecurity cannot be cured, and without curing insecurity, no economic recovery is possible.”
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the union warned political actors against manipulating elections, intimidating voters or using divisive rhetoric to fuel ethnic and religious tensions.
The NLC said it would, at the appropriate time, use its Workers’ Charter to state which policies and candidates it considers deserving of the working class’s support, while stressing that workers retained the right to independent political thought, judgment and choice.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress will always stand on the side of workers, fighting to the end for decent wages, safe workplaces, and a life of dignity,” Ajaero said.
