The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared that the current ₦70,000 national minimum wage is a "poverty wage" due to soaring living costs, and has called on workers and affiliate unions to prepare for a fresh negotiation battle for a living wage. NLC President Joe Ajaero made the announcement on Monday during the opening of the 2026 NLC Rain School at the Workers' Solidarity Centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Fresh negotiation for a living wage
Ajaero stated that organised labour will soon begin renegotiating the minimum wage and will not approach the talks from a position of weakness. "The battle for a living wage will soon begin in earnest," he said. "We are preparing for the renegotiation of the national minimum wage. Let us be clear: the paltry sum that currently passes for a minimum wage is no longer sustainable. It is a poverty wage." He urged unions to prepare for a robust demand that ensures dignity for workers: "We must demand a wage that truly approximates a living wage, a wage that enables every worker to feed, shelter, educate, and care for their family with dignity."
Workers' rights violations and delayed Labour Bills
Ajaero also criticised Nigeria's poor record on workers' rights, noting that the country remains among the ten worst nations for workers' rights violations globally. He accused authorities of attacking freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike. Furthermore, he condemned the Federal Government for a six-year delay in transmitting reviewed Labour Bills to the National Assembly. "We have laboured. We have negotiated. We have reached consensus. So why the delay? This six-year delay is a deliberate strategy to preserve the status quo of impunity and exploitation," he said.
Political education and 2027 elections
Former NLC President Ayuba Wabba addressed participants on the importance of political education and building a credible political structure ahead of the 2027 general elections. He warned against repeating past mistakes where trade union leaders who assumed political power changed their orientation. Wabba praised the NLC for sustaining education programmes like the Rain School, stating, "Workers that are educated ... will know their rights, and therefore will have strong unions to work and defend them."
Economic realities and mobilisation
Ajaero emphasised that Nigeria is not broke but that wealth is hoarded by the political elite. "Our wealth is being warehoused in the bank accounts of the political class. The problem is not that the money is missing. What is missing is our collective outrage," he said. He called on workers to return to their states and workplaces as the vanguard of a new Nigeria, ready to mobilise for the struggles ahead.
