Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero says President Bola Tinubu’s much-publicised “age of prosperity” has yet to translate into better living conditions for Nigerian workers.
Speaking on the Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Ajaero argued that rising petrol, food, transport and housing costs have quietly eroded the real value of the N70,000 minimum wage, even as headline inflation shows signs of slowing. “Prosperity is not with the Nigerian worker,” he said, while adding he still hopes the government’s promise can eventually be realised.
He explained that organised labour accepted the N70,000 wage partly on the strength of government assurances that subsidy-removal pain would be cushioned through CNG transport conversions, cash transfers and similar interventions — many of which, he said, have either stalled or failed to deliver meaningful relief.
“If I get N500,000 minimum wage, and I can’t pay my house rent, of what use?” Ajaero asked, stressing that wages mean little without matching control over the cost of living and the naira’s value.
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