N環球 
Nigeria at 66: labour union demands petrol price cut, nationwide wage award and new minimum wage talks
NLC President Joe Ajaero issued an Independence Day statement on Sept 30 demanding an immediate petrol price reduction, a nationwide wage award for workers at all government levels, and fresh minimum-wage talks before 2027. Petrol now sells at ₦1,430 per litre; the ₦70,000 minimum wage has been eroded by inflation.
Why it matters
Since the fuel subsidy was removed in 2023, petrol prices in Nigeria have multiplied several times over, with transport costs pushing up food, school fees and rents and hollowing out workers' purchasing power. By issuing its demands on Independence Day, the NLC is pushing wages and fuel prices back to the centre of the national agenda.
Full story
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero issued an Independence Day statement on September 30 titled 'Our Hope Depends on the Choices We Make and the Actions We Take,' setting out three core demands: an immediate move to bring down petrol prices, a nationwide wage award for federal, state and local government workers, and the start of fresh national minimum-wage negotiations before 2027.
The statement said petrol now sells at ₦1,430 per litre or higher in major cities — and more in remote areas — while the current ₦70,000 monthly minimum wage has been devoured by structural inflation. Transport costs, it argued, are the main channel through which inflation reaches household necessities.
The NLC also questioned where the savings from the 2023 subsidy removal had gone, saying the promised infrastructure and social services remained mirages, and demanded implementation of the tax relief measures agreed during the October 2023 labour-government dialogue.
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