NLC and TUC Clash Over FG’s N70,000 Transport Allowance

According to a report by The Punch on Thursday, October 29, 2026, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has questioned the Trade Union Congress’s (TUC) rejection of the Federal Government’s proposed ₦70,000 transport allowance, saying the TUC took no part in the negotiations.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Thursday, Ajaero said the NLC made it clear from the start that it was negotiating on its own.

He said the TUC did not sign the agreement and should not kick against an arrangement it did not negotiate or ask for.

“Why is TUC challenging what was gotten for the workers when we stated clearly that NLC was acting alone?” he asked.

Ajaero said he would have preferred that the TUC demand a higher figure so both unions could push the government towards a common position.

According to him, if the NLC asked for one naira, the TUC could ask for ten, and the government might harmonise the two.

He explained that the disagreement began after the TUC president reportedly said the minimum wage would be due for negotiation in August 2027.

The NLC disagreed, insisting that position was inconsistent with the law, and went ahead with its own engagement with the government.

Ajaero added that the TUC distanced itself from the process after media reports suggested both labour centres were meeting the government together, which led the NLC to issue a statement clarifying that it was acting alone.

On calls for an immediate wage increase, he said such an adjustment could not simply be handed out, stressing that a formal process involving stakeholders must be put in place.

The TUC had earlier rejected the proposed ₦70,000 wage award and demanded an immediate salary increase, arguing that temporary wage awards cannot ease the economic hardship facing Nigerian workers.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary-General, N.A. Toro, the congress also accused the government of failing to meet its 2023 wage award obligations to some workers.

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