NLC: ₦1M Salary Means Nothing Without a Stable Naira
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared that even a ₦1 million monthly salary holds no real value for workers without a stable naira and meaningful improvement in economic conditions. NLC President Joe Ajaero made this statement during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, and the words landed like a thunderbolt on an already tense national conversation about wages and workers’ welfare.
Ajaero stressed that organised labour is far more concerned with the purchasing power of the naira than with nominal salary increases, pointing to relentless inflation as the silent force steadily eating into what workers take home each month. The NLC stable naira salary worth argument strips the wage debate of its noise and forces focus on what workers actually experience daily shrinking wallets despite rising figures on payslips.
He noted that the rising cost of living has made it increasingly hard for workers to cover basic necessities, including food, transportation, and housing, while also calling on Nigeria to build a resilient energy policy that shields citizens from global economic shocks.
Minimum Wage, Pensions, and Workers’ Day Protests
On the minimum wage, Ajaero was clear that negotiations have not yet started, emphasising that the process governed by law and must follow a defined review cycle. He also flagged growing confusion in the pension system caused by the multiplication of competing pension unions, saying the NLC has reached out to stakeholders and is working to convene a meeting to resolve the ambiguity around deductions and remittances.
Ahead of Workers’ Day, Ajaero confirmed that any planned protests would be limited to states yet to fully implement the approved minimum wage, particularly at the local government and education sector levels and not a nationwide action. He commended the federal government for reviewing peculiar allowances and the 100 percent duty tour allowance for civil servants, urging full implementation.
