NLC President Ajaero Says Tinubu's 'Age of Prosperity' Hasn't Reached Nigerian Workers
Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, declared that President Bola Tinubu's much-touted 'age of prosperity' has yet to improve living conditions for Nigerian workers. Speaking on the Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye on October 5, 2026, Ajaero argued that soaring petrol, food, transportation, and accommodation costs have drastically reduced the real value of the N70,000 minimum wage.
He explained that while organized labor accepted the N70,000 wage based on government promises to cushion fuel subsidy removal through CNG transportation initiatives, vehicle conversion kits, and cash transfers, many of these measures remain poorly implemented or ineffective. Ajaero specifically criticized the sluggish rollout of CNG infrastructure, noting the limited number of CNG buses and refueling stations nationwide has done little to alleviate transportation expenses for workers.
The NLC president warned that failure to address workers' welfare concerns—including not just wages but also cost of living and naira value—could provoke industrial action. He questioned the usefulness of even a N500,000 minimum wage if workers couldn't afford basic necessities like housing rent, asking: "If I get N500,000 minimum wage, and I can’t pay my house rent, of what use?" Ajaero also suggested petrol could sell for around N500 per litre if domestic refineries received locally produced crude oil at favorable rates.
He further criticized Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party's Peter Obi for sharing similar market-driven economic perspectives on fuel subsidy removal, stating they all represent "far right" market-oriented policies according to his view. Ajaero expressed hope that the government's prosperity promise could eventually materialize but emphasized current realities show workers are still bearing the brunt of inflationary pressures from previous years.
Will you adjust your household budget to cope with persistent high prices despite government promises, or do you believe relief measures like CNG expansion and local crude supply to refineries will eventually ease the cost of living burden?
SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/05/tinubus-age-of-prosperity-yet-to-reach-nigerian-workers-ajaero/