The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed disappointment over President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech, particularly his failure to announce a new minimum wage.
Acting President of the NLC, Comrade Prince Adewale Adeyanju, responded to the speech, noting that while Tinubu accurately recounted parts of Nigeria’s democratic journey, he appeared misinformed about the progress of the wage negotiation process.
The NLC had anticipated that the President would reconcile the two figures submitted by the Tripartite Committee in favour of workers, a gesture they deemed fitting for Democracy Day.
Quoting President Tinubu, “As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you.” He added that negotiations with organised labour had been conducted in good faith and an executive bill would soon be sent to the National Assembly to formalise the new minimum wage.
However, Adeyanju stated that despite the President’s commitment to democratic ideals, the NLC was surprised by his claims of an agreement. “Our demand remains N250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand Naira) only. We have not been given any compelling reasons to change this position,” he emphasised, rejecting any suggestions of a finalised agreement.
Adeyanju criticised the President’s advisers for allegedly misleading him and highlighted that the NLC had not seen the document submitted to the President.
He reaffirmed the NLC’s belief that the President should prepare an Executive Bill reflecting the true demands of Nigerian workers. “This is an opportunity for him to demonstrate his love for Nigerian workers and the masses by shunning advice from those focused on hurting the poor and struggling workers of Nigeria,” Adeyanju added.
Furthermore, Adeyanju revealed that trade union leaders had faced intimidation and harassment, contradicting the President’s claims of a cooperative negotiation environment. “Series of media propaganda calculated to intimidate and harass us were, and are still being waged against the trade unions by senior officials of this government,” he said, pointing to recent statements by senior government officials that reaffirmed these fears.
The NLC also disputed the proposed five-year duration for the minimum wage Act, emphasizing that they had not agreed to such a term.
They argued that inflation should be pegged at a certain level to establish a fair minimum wage. Adeyanju reiterated that Nigerian workers could not accept a minimum wage that equated to a starvation wage, calling for justice, equity, and fairness.
In conclusion, Adeyanju urged President Tinubu to act on his promise of a living wage for Nigerian workers, stating, “This is an opportunity to show that he listens to Nigerians as he promised.” He called for a stronger democratic nation based on equity and prosperity for the majority, not one where a few individuals monopolise collective resources.
“That is the only way to build a sustainable democracy,” Adeyanju declared, emphasising the need for true democracy that benefits all Nigerians.
