Precious Nwonu, Enugu
The Nigeria Labour Congress has called for an immediate reduction in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage, saying Nigerian workers are facing worsening economic hardship.
The NLC made the demands in an Independence Day statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
The labour centre said persistent inflation and rising costs of petrol and transportation had significantly reduced the purchasing power of workers, while driving up the prices of food, rent, education and other essential goods and services.
The union described the situation as a “full-scale survival crisis”, noting that petrol was selling for about ₦1,430 per litre or higher in major cities and at even higher prices in some remote areas.
The NLC also criticised the increase in petrol prices that followed the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023, questioning how the savings from the policy had been utilised.
According to the union, the Federal Government had promised that subsidy savings would be redirected towards infrastructure and social services, but Nigerians were yet to see the expected benefits.
The labour centre also expressed concern over Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported refined petroleum products despite being one of the world’s major crude oil producers.
It argued that dependence on imported fuel exposed workers and households to fluctuations in global oil prices and contributed to rising transportation costs.
The NLC said reducing petrol prices should be an immediate priority because transportation costs affect the prices of goods and services across the economy.
“Without cutting this chain, any effort to ease the suffering of the people is futile,” the union said.
The labour body also demanded the immediate introduction of a nationwide wage award for workers employed by the federal, state and local governments.
It described the wage award as an emergency measure to cushion the erosion of workers’ incomes rather than a permanent solution to the wage problem.
“A wage award is not charity. It is an emergency intervention against the collapse of real income,” the NLC said.
The union further demanded the implementation of tax relief measures agreed upon during the October 2023 negotiations between organised labour and the Federal Government.
It said some of the tax incentives contained in the Memorandum of Understanding reached during the dialogue had yet to be implemented.
On the minimum wage, the NLC called for the immediate constitution of a tripartite committee to negotiate and establish a new wage structure for 2027 before the end of the year.
The labour centre argued that the current ₦70,000 minimum wage had already lost substantial purchasing power to inflation.
It also called for a reduction in the cost of governance and greater transparency in public spending, saying government should demonstrate restraint while workers are being asked to cope with economic pressures.
The NLC urged increased investment in roads, hospitals, schools and other public infrastructure, while calling for more opportunities for young Nigerians.
On insecurity, the union said violence had compounded Nigeria’s economic challenges and undermined national stability.
It claimed that nearly 2,000 Nigerians were killed in violent incidents during the first quarter of 2026 and said insecurity had disrupted the activities of farmers, teachers, doctors and other workers in some parts of the country.
The NLC linked poverty, unemployment and inequality to insecurity and argued that addressing economic deprivation was necessary for sustainable improvements in national security.
With political activities increasing ahead of the 2027 general elections, the labour centre warned political actors against manipulating elections, intimidating voters or using ethnic and religious sentiments to create divisions.
The NLC said it would, at the appropriate time, use its Workers’ Charter to communicate the policies and political positions it considered relevant to the interests of the working class.
However, it stressed that individual workers retained the right to make their own political choices.
Ajaero said the NLC would continue to advocate decent wages, safe working conditions and improved living standards for Nigerian workers.
