The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has delivered a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, stating that two years into his tenure, Nigerian workers and citizens have endured only “pain and misery” with no tangible gains. In a statement issued by NLC President Joe Ajaero, the union criticized the government’s economic policies and failure to address escalating insecurity, describing the period as marked by suffering, hunger, and broken promises.
Ajaero highlighted the abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, which caused fuel prices to surge from N187 to over N600 per litre, triggering rampant inflation. He argued that the promised reinvestment of savings has not materialized, leaving families struggling to afford meals, businesses collapsing, and transport costs eroding workers’ wages. The naira’s devaluation, driven by market forces, has further weakened local industries and turned Nigeria into a “bargain basement” for neighboring countries, Ajaero said.
“Far from renewing hope, this administration has recycled failed neoliberal experiments,” Ajaero stated, pointing to past subsidy removals and austerity measures that widened inequality. He noted that real wages have been “obliterated,” with 150 million Nigerians now multi-dimensionally poor, pensioners and small businesses facing crippling inflation, and unpaid wage award arrears at the federal level.
The NLC also condemned the government’s response to labor demands, citing intimidation, violence, and disregard for court orders as union leaders face harassment. Ajaero described the provision of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses as a positive but “grossly inadequate” step, hampered by gas infrastructure deficits.
The union further criticized the government’s disconnect from citizens’ realities, accusing officials of indulging in luxury while workers and small businesses suffer. “Who benefits from this folly?” Ajaero asked, pointing to oil cartels, currency speculators, and political elites as the primary beneficiaries of Tinubu’s policies, alongside foreign institutions like the IMF and World Bank.
Ajaero also highlighted the worsening security crisis, with mass kidnappings, banditry, and insurgent activities rendering economic discussions “absurd” in a nation where citizens live in fear. “In a climate where lives and properties are lost daily, debating economic policy is like discussing the colour of curtains in a burning house,” he said, urging the government to prioritize security.
The NLC called for an end to “cruel experiments” and policies that prioritize foreign creditors over Nigerians. “Reforms that bring only pain without gain are deformations,” Ajaero stated, urging the government to listen to citizens and adopt policies that center on public welfare to restore trust.
