The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a sharp and uncompromising assessment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s midterm administration.
The union accused the government of worsening economic conditions and reneging on its promises to the Nigerian people.
In a statement marking the second anniversary of Tinubu’s presidency, NLC President Joe Ajaero lamented that the much-publicized economic reforms had resulted in widespread hardship rather than any meaningful relief.
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“When President Bola Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, he promised a new dawn, bold economic reforms that would rescue Nigeria from fiscal instability and set it on a path to prosperity,” Ajaero stated.
“But two years later, the only thing bolder than his rhetoric is the magnitude of suffering and hardship his policies have inflicted on workers and ordinary Nigerians.
”One of the most contentious issues, Ajaero said, was the abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy, which he blamed for unleashing a cascade of economic challenges that disproportionately affected the most vulnerable.
“The sudden removal of the petrol subsidy sent shockwaves through an already fragile economy, causing fuel prices to skyrocket from N187 to over N600 per litre overnight,” Ajaero said. “The government claimed it was a necessary sacrifice to free up funds for development, but where are the results?”
He said the consequences had been devastating—skyrocketing food and transportation costs, a weakened currency, widespread business closures, and rampant inflation. He argued that the administration’s approach mimicked past economic experiments that failed the majority.
“These same policies under past administrations only widened inequality, enriched a few, and left the majority poorer. Tinubu’s version is no different, except the suffering is deeper, the anger louder, and the government’s response more brutal,” he remarked.
On the plight of workers, Ajaero said incomes had deteriorated significantly, especially for pensioners and small business owners. He added that inflation had dramatically increased the cost of production, while backlogs of wage arrears remained unpaid.
“Nigerian workers have seen their real wages obliterated…150 million Nigerians are now multi-dimensionally poor,” Ajaero lamented.
The NLC further accused the administration of curtailing labour rights and failing to uphold its promises of social dialogue. It claimed peaceful protests were often met with state-sanctioned suppression rather than constructive engagement.
“Promised dialogue with Labour unions has been replaced with intimidation and violence. Workers demanding a living wage are met with batons and threats, while the government wallows in luxury,” the statement read. “The same officials who preach sacrifice travel in convoys, feast on bloated budgets, and treat public funds like personal piggy banks.
“Beyond economic woes, the union also raised alarms about growing insecurity, stating that deteriorating safety across the country had undermined serious discourse about policy.
“In any case, in the surreal landscape of a nation grappling with escalating insecurity, discussing the intricacies of economic policy seems akin to debating the colour of curtains in a burning house,” Ajaero stated. “Our nation is at war.”
He called for an urgent reevaluation of the government’s economic path and urged leaders to embrace policies that prioritize the needs of ordinary citizens.
“The truth is simple: reforms that bring only pain without gain are not reforms at all. They are deformations—deliberate assaults on the poor in service of a system that rewards the powerful,” Ajaero said.
“If this government truly wants to renew hope, it must abandon these cruel experiments, listen to the people, and chart a new course.”
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