The much-publicised “age of prosperity” promised by President Bola Tinubu has yet to translate into improved living conditions for Nigerian workers, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, said at the weekend, accusing the federal government of failing to adequately engage organised labour on policies affecting the working population.
Ajaero, who spoke on the ‘Mic On’ Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, said the sharp increases in the cost of petrol, food, transportation and accommodation had eroded the purchasing power of workers, arguing that a so-called lower inflation rate did not mean Nigerians were experiencing cheaper prices.
Tinubu, in his 66th Independence Day broadcast on October 1, 2026, had declared that Nigeria had moved beyond a period of emergency economic reforms into what he described as an “age of prosperity.” He said the “emergency treatment is over”, arguing that the foundation of the economy had been repaired.
Using the biblical imagery of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, Tinubu said Nigeria had “passed through its own Red Sea” and should not look back, with the “Promised Land” ahead representing abundance, opportunity and shared prosperity.
But Ajaero said that while the government had repeatedly pointed to falling inflation and other economic indicators as evidence of progress, ordinary Nigerians were still paying the higher prices created by previous rounds of inflation.
“Prosperity is not (currently) with the Nigerian worker,” Ajaero said, while acknowledging that he remained hopeful that the government’s promise could eventually be realised.
He challenged the administration to demonstrate where the gains of its economic reforms were being felt by workers, pointing particularly to the removal of petrol subsidy and the subsequent increase in the pump price of petrol.
According to him, organised labour accepted the N70,000 minimum wage partly because of assurances that the government would cushion the consequences of subsidy removal through measures including cheaper Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transportation, vehicle conversion kits, cash transfers and other interventions.
But he argued that many of those promises had either not materialised at the required scale or had failed to provide meaningful relief to workers.
He recalled that during negotiations over the minimum wage, Tinubu had indicated that he could pay as much as N250,000 but was constrained by the implications for the states and private sector.
Ajaero said labour had deliberately avoided demanding an excessively high wage because it understood that simply increasing nominal wages without addressing inflation and the exchange rate would not necessarily improve workers’ welfare.
“We either peg the new minimum wage based on cost of living index or on inflation,” he said, arguing that future wage reviews should automatically reflect changes in the cost of food, accommodation and other basic necessities.
The NLC president warned that even a N500,000 minimum wage could become inadequate if the cost of living continued to rise. “If I get N500,000 minimum wage, and I can’t pay my house rent, of what use?” he asked.
He explained that the central problem was not simply the size of workers’ salaries but the declining value of the naira and persistent increases in the cost of goods and services.
Ajaero used the price of garri, one of Nigeria’s staple foods to illustrate his argument, saying that if the price increased from N20 to N30 and subsequently rose from N30 to N32, the fact that the latest increase was smaller did not mean the price had fallen.
He therefore rejected the interpretation that Nigerians were experiencing relief simply because the rate of inflation was slowing.
“If they are now coming out with this one, they say, ‘Oh, in the last two weeks, it moved by N10, but in the last week, it moved by N2.’ The whole increase is a value on the consumer,” he pointed out.
He also criticised the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage, saying that in some states, the consequential adjustments had been poorly handled, leaving workers worse off than anticipated during negotiations.
According to him, the N70,000 figure represented the minimum for the lowest level and step in the public service structure and was not necessarily the final salary received by every worker. He said the failure to properly implement consequential adjustments had contributed to dissatisfaction among public servants.
On petrol prices, Ajaero argued that Nigeria’s status as an oil-producing country should allow it to shield its citizens from international price shocks by expanding domestic refining and ensuring local refineries have access to crude.
He said petrol could potentially sell for about N500 per litre if crude oil produced in Nigeria was supplied to domestic refineries rather than forcing local refiners to source crude at international prices. “If you refine locally, you can even get N400,” he maintained.
The NLC chief argued that the domestic supply of crude to Nigerian refineries would reduce costs and allow the country to retain more value from its oil resources. Ajaero also questioned the logic of exporting crude and importing refined petroleum products when Nigeria had increasingly developed domestic refining capacity.
He cited the Dangote refinery and other private refineries, arguing that their ability to offer cheaper products would be constrained if they had to buy crude at international prices.
The labour leader also maintained that higher crude oil prices following geopolitical disruptions should provide Nigeria with additional revenue that could be used to cushion citizens from the impact of higher domestic living costs.
He noted that Nigeria’s budget benchmark was around $70 per barrel while international prices had risen substantially above that level, arguing that the additional revenue should be considered for intervention measures.
Ajaero further criticised the government over the slow development of CNG infrastructure, saying the promise of cheaper transportation had not yet translated into widespread relief.
He recalled that labour had agreed to the N70,000 minimum wage partly because of commitments by the government to expand CNG buses, conversion kits and refuelling infrastructure. He said the distribution of a relatively small number of CNG buses across the six geopolitical zones could not materially change the transportation situation in a country as large as Nigeria.
“If you give me a CNG bus and I can’t get any CNG station to fuel it, I will still be buying the same PMS that the price is still going high and high,” he said.
The NLC president also accused the federal government of failing to maintain adequate engagement with organised labour, saying the lack of dialogue was contributing to tension between the government and workers. He disclosed that labour had written to the President over issues affecting workers and had, at one point, planned industrial action after receiving no response.
According to him, the situation eventually required the intervention of some governors before discussions could resume. “The government, this government, doesn’t engage,” he said, alleging that labour had not been sufficiently consulted on major economic policies affecting workers.
Ajaero also expressed concern over wage awards and other agreements reached with the government, saying some workers were still waiting for benefits that were intended to cushion the immediate impact of rising living costs.
He said the current pressure on workers could eventually trigger broader industrial action if the government failed to respond to the concerns being raised by public and private sector workers.
On the economy, Ajaero said Nigeria’s difficulties predated the Tinubu administration but argued that the deterioration in public infrastructure and social services had reached a point requiring urgent intervention.
He cited the decline in public transportation, healthcare, roads, power supply and social safety nets, saying the deterioration had progressively increased the burden on ordinary Nigerians. He also called for greater attention to pensioners and retirees, arguing that the absence of adequate social protection was leaving many elderly Nigerians vulnerable.
Ajaero said the government should recognise that workers support several dependants and that improving workers’ welfare could therefore have a wider economic impact. “Every worker takes care of at least six or five people who are not working,” he said.
He also maintained that organised labour was not opposed to economic reforms but wanted the government to engage workers on how the reforms were implemented and their consequences.
On the 2027 elections, Ajaero said the NLC had not endorsed any presidential candidate or political party, stressing that the union would engage presidential candidates ahead of the election and present a workers’ charter of demands. He said any candidate whose programme aligned with the charter could receive the consideration of organised labour.
NLC Chief: Tinubu, Atiku, Obi Wrong on Subsidy
Besides, Ajaero faulted the positions of President Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, on the controversial fuel subsidy issue.
Ajaero also pointed to the ideas of Accord Party’s Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim and Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Adewole Adebayo, as worthy of consideration, pointing out that the trio of Tinubu, Atiku and Obi held the same thoughts on subsidy withdrawal in the run-up to the 2023 election.
Ajaero’s intervention came as Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), renewed his promise to restore fuel subsidy during an impromptu encounter with Nigerians at a filling station in Abuja.
Ajaero said he had examined the economic positions of the major political contenders and found a broad similarity among Tinubu, Atiku and Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (ADC) in next year’s poll.
“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,” he said.
But Ajaero drew a distinction between the three and Olawepo-Hashim and Adebayo, pointing out that he had examined their economic propositions and found them sufficiently different to warrant attention.
“I have looked at Gbenga-Hashim’s position and I think he’s an expert to an extent. I also looked at Adebayo. I may listen to them,” he said.
The NLC president’s comments came against the backdrop of the prolonged controversy over the removal of petrol subsidy by the Tinubu administration and the subsequent escalation in fuel, transportation and food prices.
Ajaero maintained that it is no longer simply whether subsidy should be removed, but how the government should protect workers and other Nigerians from the consequences of high energy costs.
Chuks Okocha and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
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