NLC demands living wage as economic hardship bumps daily survival in Nigeria

The Chairman of the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), Lagos State Council, Comrade Agnes Funmi Sessi, has called on the government to reopen dialogue on workers’ wages to reflect the current economic realities confronting citizens. Speaking on The Conversation on Lagos Television on the topic “Clamor for a New Minimum Wage,” Sessi lamented that the ₦70,000 national minimum wage, which organized labor accepted grudgingly, has been completely eroded by runaway inflation, soaring fuel prices, and mounting living expenses. She warned that workers are being pushed to the brink of survival rather than earning a living that matches their contributions to national wealth creation.

Addressing the sharp disparity between statutory pay and commodity prices, the labor leader noted that petrol prices have surged from around ₦550 to over ₦1,000 per liter, severely squeezing workers’ purchasing power. Sessi highlighted that basic logistics, such as commuting from the mainland to the island in Lagos, now consume daily earnings, while exorbitant rents, healthcare fees, and escalating food costs have broken many family structures. She justified labor’s proposed demand for a ₦500,000 minimum wage as a baseline for realistic negotiations, arguing that current salaries cannot sustain decent livelihoods in an unregulated pricing environment.

Beyond wage increases, Sessi criticized the prolonged infrastructure deficit, noting that government promises to provide alternative, affordable transportation had fallen short of public needs. She noted that Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and refueling stations remain acutely scarce across the federation, forcing citizens to queue overnight or rely exclusively on expensive road transit. The labor leader stressed that if past national revenues had been channeled into robust rail and water transit systems, the economic shock from the removal of fuel subsidies would not have had such a devastating impact on ordinary Nigerians.

The NLC chairperson also issued strong appeals across all three tiers of government, urging state governors and local council administrators to use their increased post-subsidy allocations for genuine development projects rather than self-serving ventures. Backing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) ‘s surveillance of public spending, she demanded that grassroots governance in rural and semi-urban communities be made functional to de-escalate population pressures on urban centers. Sessi concluded with an appeal to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to govern with empathy, plug systemic leakages, and implement urgent interventions that curb extreme hardship and halt the ongoing brain drain.

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