NLC Seeks New Minimum Wage, Lower Petrol Price

The Nigeria Labour Congress has demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award for workers and negotiations for a new national minimum wage, warning of a worsening survival crisis in Nigeria.

In an Independence Day statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, the NLC said inflation had eroded the real value of workers’ wages, while rising petrol and transport costs had increased the prices of food, school fees, rent and other essential goods.

“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 labour union described the May 2023 petrol price increase as a “systematic assault on the working class” and questioned how savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy had been used.

“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 NLC also criticised Nigeria’s reliance on imported refined petroleum products despite the country being Africa’s largest oil producer, saying this had left workers vulnerable to fluctuations in international oil prices.

The union said its first demand was for the Nigerian Government to immediately explore measures to reduce petrol prices, arguing that transport costs were a major channel through which inflation affected Nigerians.

“Without cutting this chain, any effort to ease the suffering of the people is futile,” it said.

The NLC also demanded the immediate implementation of a nationwide wage award for workers at the federal, state and local government levels.

“A wage award is not charity. It is an emergency intervention against the collapse of real income,” the union said.

It further called for the implementation of tax relief agreed during the October 2023 dialogue between the government and labour, alleging that the tax incentives contained in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both sides had not been implemented.

On wages, the NLC 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 labour union also called for a reduction in the cost of governance and greater transparency, saying the government should lead by example when workers were being asked to tighten their belts.

It demanded increased investment in roads and social infrastructure, as well as improvements in hospitals, schools and other public services.

The NLC also called for more opportunities for young people, saying they should “see hope instead of being preached to about hope”.

On insecurity, the labour centre said violence had worsened the macroeconomic situation and threatened national stability.

It said nearly 2,000 Nigerians died from violence in the first quarter of 2026, adding that farmers, teachers and doctors were 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.”

With political campaigns beginning ahead of the 2027 general elections, the NLC warned political actors against manipulating elections, intimidating voters or using divisive rhetoric to fuel ethnic and religious tensions.

The union said it would, at the appropriate time, use its Workers’ Charter to state which policies and candidates it considers deserving of the support of the working class.

However, it stressed that workers had the right to independent political thoughts, judgement 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.