The Nigeria Labour Congress has instructed its affiliate unions and workers across the country to prepare for a major push for a new national minimum wage, declaring that the current ₦70,000 baseline has degenerated into a poverty wage that can no longer sustain Nigerian families amid soaring living costs.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026 NLC Rain School at the Workers’ Solidarity Centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, NLC President Joe Ajaero warned that organized labour is gearing up for a fresh round of minimum wage negotiations and will not enter talks from a position of weakness.
The event, organized under the theme “The Working Class and the Politics of 2027: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities,” brought together union leaders, political office holders, and gender activists for ideological training and strategic planning.
Addressing participants, Ajaero stressed that relentless inflation, rising food prices, high electricity tariffs, and elevated transportation costs have stripped the ₦70,000 threshold of its value, making it impossible for average workers to meet basic household needs.
He charged state councils and affiliate bodies to remain vigilant and ready for industrial action if necessary, urging workers to reject government rhetoric on economic hardship and demand a genuine living wage that guarantees shelter, healthcare, education, and nutrition with dignity.
