NLC clashes with Obasanjo over labour rights, minimum wage

By Kunle Sanni

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his recent remarks on trade union leaders, accusing him of hypocrisy and historical revisionism.

In a statement issued by NLC President Joe Ajaero, the union rejected Obasanjo’s claim that labour leaders have failed their members, arguing that successive governments—including Obasanjo’s administration—have systematically undermined workers’ rights.

Ajaero referenced Obasanjo’s recent book, Nigeria: Past and Future, in which the former president acknowledged that the national minimum wage is inadequate to meet workers’ basic needs.

However, the NLC dismissed Obasanjo’s assertion that workers have been “victims of those meant to protect their interests,” insisting that the real culprits are “malevolent governments and predatory employers” who deny workers their rights.

Reiterating its demand for a ₦610,000 minimum wage, the NLC cited the severe economic challenges faced by Nigerian workers. The union accused the government, backed by the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), of offering a meager ₦50,000 without explaining how workers could survive on such an amount.

Ajaero stated that negotiations reached a deadlock, leading to a strike that was only suspended after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intervened with an improved offer of ₦70,000.

The NLC leader also revealed that Tinubu had initially considered a ₦250,000 minimum wage but only on the condition of increasing petrol prices to ₦2,500 per litre—an option the union rejected to prevent further hardship for Nigerians.

The NLC further criticized Obasanjo’s historical stance on labour unions, questioning his credibility on workers’ rights.