NLC Faults Tinubu’s Governance, Cites Harsh Impact on Workers

As President Bola Tinubu’s administration reached its two-year mark, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) issued a harsh assessment, characterizing the time as one of intensified suffering, economic mismanagement, and increasing repression.
Reports indicate that Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, delivered a harsh assessment stating that Nigerians had little to celebrate.
Ajaero stated in a Wednesday release, “Upon assuming office on May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu promised a new dawn—courageous economic reforms aimed at rescuing Nigeria from fiscal instability and guiding it toward prosperity.

“However, after two years, the only thing bolder than his rhetoric is how much suffering and hardship his policies have caused for workers and everyday Nigerians. His administration has not renewed hope; instead, it has recycled past failed neoliberal experiments, demonstrating once again that you cannot cure a patient by prescribing the poison that caused their illness in the first place. “ The abrupt withdrawal of the petrol subsidy sent tremors through an economy already in a delicate state, leading to a fuel price surge from N187 to more than N600 per litre overnight. The government asserted it was a necessary sacrifice to allocate funds for development, but where are the outcomes?

“Rather than reinvesting, Nigerians faced an inflationary crisis so brutal that families are now skipping meals, businesses are closing daily, and transport expenses devour the meager wages of workers. When the naira is subjected to the so-called ‘market forces,’ its value has plummeted, making Nigeria a discount haven for neighboring nations, as local industries struggle under the burden of imported inflation.

“The frustration of this pain is compounded by the fact that it’s all familiar. This script is familiar: subsidy removals, devaluations, and IMF-approved austerity have been presented each time as the painful but necessary measures Nigeria must accept for a brighter future. But when has it succeeded at all? The same policies in previous administrations only exacerbated inequality, enriched a select few, and impoverished the majority. Tinubu’s version is not different—except that the suffering is greater, the anger more pronounced, and the government’s response more violent.

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Ajaero further asserted that the inflation rate for pensioners in the country exceeds 150 percent and that Nigerians are currently experiencing multi-dimensional poverty.

During its two years in power, the labour leader alleged that the current administration has engaged in intimidation and harassment of both Labour leaders and trade unions in Nigeria.

Ajaero added, “The real wages of Nigerian workers have been completely destroyed. Pensioners, SMEs (which are experiencing input inflation exceeding 150%), and 150 million Nigerians are currently classified as multi-dimensional poor. Nigerian Labour leaders and trade unions have faced two years of intimidation and harassment. Open contempt for court orders and the criminalization of union protests and activities have become standard. At the federal level, wage award arrears have not been settled, notwithstanding multiple assurances.

“The only significant initiative is the Federal Government’s provision of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to facilitate transportation for Nigerian workers. However, this effort is insufficient and hindered by serious deficiencies in gas infrastructure. ”
“The promised discussion with labor unions has been substituted with threats and brutality. As workers asking for a living wage are confronted with threats and batons, the government indulges in luxury. These officials who advocate for sacrifice travel in armored convoys, indulge in extravagant spending, and misuse public funds as if they were their own private savings. In the meantime, factories shut down, employment opportunities disappear, and hunger becomes a hallmark of Tinubu’s Nigeria.

“Whose gain is this foolishness?” Not those millions of Nigerians who can no longer afford food or transportation.

„Nicht die kleinen Unternehmen, die unter den steigenden Kosten begraben liegen. The true beneficiaries are the usual suspects: the oil cartels, currency speculators, political elites with offshore accounts, and their foreign supporters at the IMF and World Bank, who have long viewed Nigeria as a testing ground for their disastrous economic theories.

The NLC President commented on the economic situation of the country under Tinubu’s leadership, stating, “Economic performance can only be measured by how well the citizens feel. The enormous hardship that permeates our country cannot be accounted for by any degree of data manipulation. There is great concern regarding the future among workers and everyday Nigerians.

“Regardless, in the surreal landscape of a country struggling with growing insecurity, delving into the details of economic policy feels comparable to discussing the color of curtains in a house on fire. The widespread danger of mass kidnappings, abductions, and banditry looms large over society, making discussions about the economy seem almost ridiculous in light of pressing, life-threatening emergencies.

“Although economic stability is certainly an essential part of governance, the fact that citizens live in constant fear, with their lives disrupted by the atrocious deeds of criminals, necessitates urgent focus and action. In such an environment, who will invest other than looters and plunderers?

He expresses sorrow over the fact that terrorism has become commonplace in the country, resulting in daily casualties and damage to property nationwide.

Ajaero added, “The number of Boko Haram and other insurgent groups has increased in recent years, and lives and properties are lost every day throughout the country. Our country is engaged in war. Amidst such a climate, the absurdity stems from the glaring disconnection between bureaucratic deliberations on fiscal policy and the immediate, visceral needs of a population ensnared in the turmoil of insecurity.

“The hypothetical advantages of economic strategies and the immediate dangers to citizens’ safety and welfare leave them feeling divided. The immediacy of dealing with the security crisis serves as a clear reminder that, when it comes to priorities, safeguarding life and freedom must come before economic discussions, which calls into question the essence of governance during times of great hardship.

“The truth is straightforward: reforms that bring only suffering without benefit are not reforms at all. They represent distortions—intentional attacks on the impoverished to benefit a system that favors the influential. To genuinely restore hope, this government must forsake these inhumane trials, heed the populace’s voice, and establish a new direction that prioritizes Nigerians over foreign creditors and opportunists in its policymaking. Anything below that level constitutes a breach of public trust.