The Nigeria Labour Congress has insisted that its two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government over rising petrol prices and fresh minimum wage negotiations remains in force, warning that Nigerian workers continue to face severe economic hardship despite the implementation of the N70,000 national minimum wage.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, stated this on Monday in Abuja during a retreat organised by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, where he called on the government to introduce urgent measures to ease workers’ financial burden.
Ajaero said the prevailing economic conditions had significantly eroded workers’ purchasing power, making it increasingly difficult for many to afford basic necessities, including food and transportation.
He maintained that the government should address workers’ concerns proactively rather than wait for organised labour to resort to strikes or protests before taking action.
“I’ve not come here to discuss my ultimatum. My ultimatum stands. I’ve said something about it, and this is not a table. The fact that the permanent secretary is here does not give us the opportunity to start negotiating an ultimatum. He has replied a letter, and we have replied him again. So, we will go into that game,” he said.
Addressing the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Abel Enitan, the labour leader stressed the urgency of the situation, saying workers needed immediate relief from the worsening economic conditions.
“But to the head of service, sir, Nigerian workers are really suffering. And if you do something, history and posterity will remember all of us for it,” Ajaero added.
The NLC had issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding a reduction in petrol prices and fresh negotiations on the national minimum wage, arguing that rising living costs had undermined the value of workers’ earnings.
Explaining the impact of the economic situation, Ajaero said workers were struggling to meet even their most basic needs despite the minimum wage increase introduced in 2024.
“The point we are making is not strike. The point we are making is that whether you enter bus or you buy fuel, you will not be able to eat,” he said.
He urged the government to adopt the practice of introducing economic relief measures before workers’ grievances escalate into industrial disputes.
“But to wait for Labour to be on the street before we address this is not really what is happening all over the world. Countries all over the world will come with interventionary measures even before Labour acts on it. I think we should be more proactive,” he stated.
The NLC president also challenged claims that the 2024 minimum wage agreement resulted in salary increases of about 133 per cent for federal public servants.
According to him, the adjustment involved adding N40,000 to workers’ salaries, a figure he argued did not justify the percentage increase being attributed to the agreement.
“After the last minimum wage negotiation, which some of you have been arguing that it attracted about 133 per cent increase, what the head of service—what they did was adding 40,000 to every worker. That’s not the real way to negotiate.
“All the federal public service workers, they added 40,000 to them. N40,000 does not translate to 100 per cent or 133 per cent. And the consequences are what we are facing now, sir,” he said.
Ajaero maintained that the adjustment had failed to provide sufficient relief as inflation and transportation costs continued to put pressure on household incomes.
He also raised concerns over unresolved industrial disputes, recalling an 84-day strike by health sector workers that was suspended following the intervention of organised labour.
According to him, the issues that led to the strike remained inadequately addressed more than a year after labour leaders intervened.
He further disclosed that members of the National Public Service Negotiating Council had considered embarking on industrial action but were persuaded by labour leaders to suspend their plans.
The NLC president also dismissed allegations that politicians were influencing the labour movement, describing such claims as an insult to workers demanding better living conditions.
“No politician can use us. That’s the greatest insult, to tell me at this age and time, you know, to say a politician is using you when you ask for increase of workers’ salaries,” he said.
Ajaero appealed to government officials and the leadership of the wages commission to take workers’ concerns seriously and pursue practical solutions capable of preventing further deterioration in industrial relations.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, called for a balance between workers’ demands for improved remuneration and the government’s financial capacity.
Akume, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr Abubakar Kana, said wage policies must reflect prevailing economic realities while supporting industrial harmony and national development.
“The commission must continually balance the legitimate expectations of workers with the fiscal realities of government and broader imperatives of national economic development,” he said.
The SGF noted that ongoing economic reforms, rising public expectations and preparations for the 2027 general elections had made the need for a fair and sustainable wage system increasingly important.
He urged the commission to strengthen its capacity to anticipate emerging wage challenges and make recommendations based on reliable economic data and consultations with organised labour, employers and other stakeholders.
Akume identified improved policy coordination, digital transformation and effective implementation of institutional reforms as key priorities for the commission.
He also stressed the importance of dialogue and cooperation in preventing avoidable industrial disputes and maintaining economic stability.
“A credible and inclusive approach towards governance is indispensable to building trust, preventing avoidable industrial disputes like we’re about to have now, and promoting a stable environment for national development,” he said.
The SGF further called for improvements in research, data management and administrative processes, urging the commission’s newly constituted board and management to establish clear implementation timelines and measurable performance indicators.
Earlier, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Junaidu Bindawa, said prevailing economic conditions required a strategic and sustainable approach to wage administration.
Bindawa explained that inflation, changing labour expectations and demands for greater efficiency in the public sector had increased the importance of effective salary and compensation policies.
He noted that wage administration had significant implications for workers’ welfare, government expenditure, industrial relations, productivity and the overall performance of the public service.
“Our work must reflect a careful balance between the legitimate expectation of workers, the imperatives of productivity and social justice, and the fiscal capacity of government,” he said.
The chairman said the retreat, themed Vision, Strategy and Institutional Renewal, was designed to reposition the commission to respond more effectively to emerging challenges in salaries, compensation and income policies.
He identified research, job evaluation, compensation management, public finance, industrial harmony and institutional accountability as areas requiring greater attention.
Bindawa also called for stronger collaboration between the commission’s board and management, improved internal processes and increased use of digital tools to support evidence-based decision-making.
He stressed that the retreat should produce a practical roadmap with clear priorities and measurable outcomes rather than recommendations that might not be implemented.
In her welcome address, the Secretary of the commission, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, called for a shift from reactive wage reviews to a permanent system of salary administration guided by credible data.
She recalled that previous wage reviews were conducted through temporary commissions, including the Morgan Commission of 1964, the Adebo Commission of 1971 and the Udoji Commission of 1974.
According to her, the establishment of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission in 1993 created a permanent institutional framework for advising the government on salaries, allowances and national income policies.
“We exist so that wage decisions rest on evidence, not emergencies,” she said.
Okoya-Thomas acknowledged that the 2024 minimum wage more than doubled the previous statutory minimum but emphasised that future wage decisions must remain fair, evidence-based and financially sustainable.
She said the retreat would focus on data reliability, fair remuneration, social dialogue, institutional capacity and governance.
The commission, she added, planned to develop an action plan aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria Agenda 2050 and the Medium-Term National Development Plan for 2027 to 2030.
She said the plan would outline responsibilities, implementation timelines and performance indicators, with the commission’s monitoring and evaluation division tasked with tracking progress.
Also speaking, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Abel Enitan, said improved workers’ welfare, institutional efficiency and modernised government operations were essential to achieving national development goals.
Enitan described salary administration as a matter of national interest, noting that the civil service and the wages commission had complementary responsibilities in improving employees’ welfare and public sector performance.
He said the government was prioritising capacity development and the digitisation of civil service operations, with the aim of establishing a fully paperless working environment.
Enitan also linked public service reforms to President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1tn economy by 2030, stressing that achieving the target would require a productive and adequately equipped workforce.
“It is achievable. Just that the workforce must be mobilised behind that agenda,” he said.
He identified efficiency, productivity, integrity and citizen-centred service delivery as essential features of a modern civil service, expressing confidence that the retreat would produce recommendations to improve wage administration, strengthen workers’ welfare and advance public service reforms.
