kwara NLC drives to secure six-month federal transport allowance for workers

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Kwara State Council is actively strategising to extend the federal government’s newly approved six-month transport allowance of ₦70,000 to all state public servants to alleviate current economic hardships.

State NLC Chairman Comrade Muritala Olayinka disclosed these ongoing advocacy efforts during a telephone interview with Western Post in Ilorin on Tuesday.

To prevent severe household financial distress, Olayinka urged local workers to exercise strict spending discipline and remain strictly within their current earnings while waiting for the disbursement of the relief package.

Addressing broader labor concerns, the chairman revealed that national union leadership has initiated strategic steps, prompting the federal government to establish a high-level committee to negotiate a revised national minimum wage.

Olayinka expressed high optimism regarding a favorable outcome from the minimum wage deliberations, emphasizing that organized labor must maximize this long-awaited opportunity for an upward pay review.

The state chairman, who also serves as the National deputy vice-president for the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in the North Central Zone, reiterated the congress’s unwavering commitment to advancing worker welfare.

Consequently, he enjoined public employees across Kwara State to maintain calmness and safeguard regional peace while wage negotiations progress at both state and national levels.

However, Olayinka firmly warned that the union leadership will not hesitate to take decisive collective action if authorities fail to deliver on these crucial financial reliefs, declaring that workers are utterly exhausted by the prevailing economic hunger.