By Stan Mgbaemena
President Bola Tinubu’s promise of an “age of prosperity”
has yet to translate into better living conditions for Nigerian workers, NLC
President Joe Ajaero has said, pointing to rising household costs and shrinking
purchasing power.
Ajaero said the N70,000 minimum wage had lost much of its
value as petrol, food, transport and accommodation costs continued to rise,
leaving many workers struggling despite receiving higher nominal wages.
“If I get N500,000 minimum wage, and I can’t pay my house
rent, of what use?” Ajaero asked during an appearance on the Mic On Podcast
hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.
The labour leader said workers’ welfare could not be
measured by salary figures alone, arguing that the real test was what workers
could afford after paying for basic needs such as food, housing and transport.
He said organised labour accepted the N70,000 minimum wage
partly because the government promised measures to cushion the effects of fuel
subsidy removal, including compressed natural gas transportation, conversion
kits, cash transfers and other interventions.
Ajaero argued that several of those measures had either not
been fully implemented or had failed to deliver meaningful relief, leaving
workers to bear much of the pressure created by higher living costs.
Although inflation may be slowing, he said Nigerians were
still facing prices shaped by earlier inflationary increases. A reduction in
the rate of price increases, he suggested, does not mean that household
expenses have returned to affordable levels.
The NLC president also questioned the country’s fuel pricing
structure, saying petrol could sell for about N500 per litre if locally
produced crude oil were supplied to domestic refineries at favourable rates.
He criticised the slow development of compressed natural gas
infrastructure, saying the limited number of CNG buses and refuelling stations
across Nigeria had so far done little to reduce the cost of transportation for
ordinary workers.
Ajaero said the government also needed to improve its
engagement with organised labour, warning that unresolved disagreements over
wages, living costs and workers’ welfare could eventually lead to industrial
action.
His comments come amid a wider debate over the economic
consequences of Tinubu’s reforms, particularly the removal of petrol subsidies
and the pressure those changes have placed on households and businesses.
Ajaero also challenged the differences often presented
between Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party
presidential candidate Peter Obi on fuel subsidy removal and economic policy.
“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,” Ajaero said.
Despite his criticism, the NLC president said he remained
hopeful that the government’s promised “age of prosperity” could eventually
become a reality, provided economic relief reaches workers in practical terms.
Post a Comment