Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero has said President Bola Tinubu’s much-publicised “age of prosperity” has yet to translate into improved living conditions for Nigerian workers.
Ajaero made the remarks while speaking on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, where he argued that rising costs of fuel, food, transportation and accommodation had continued to erode workers’ purchasing power.
According to the NLC president, a slowdown in the rate of inflation does not necessarily mean that Nigerians are experiencing lower prices, as the increases recorded over the years have continued to affect household finances.
“Prosperity is not with the Nigerian worker,” Ajaero said, while expressing hope that the government’s promise would eventually become a reality.
He recalled that organised labour accepted the ₦70,000 minimum wage partly because of government assurances that measures such as compressed natural gas (CNG) transportation, vehicle conversion kits and cash transfers would cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal. However, he argued that many of the promised interventions had either not been implemented on the required scale or had failed to provide meaningful relief.
Ajaero also stressed that increasing salaries alone would not resolve workers’ difficulties 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.
The NLC president further criticised what he described as inadequate engagement between the Federal Government and organised labour, saying unresolved issues affecting workers could contribute to renewed industrial unrest.
On the 2027 elections, Ajaero said the NLC had not endorsed any presidential candidate or political party, adding that the union would engage presidential candidates and present a Workers’ Charter ahead of the election.
