THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to demonstrate greater sensitivity to the worsening hardship facing workers and citizens, warning that rising living costs, insecurity, and failing infrastructure are pushing millions into a daily struggle for survival.
The labour centre said current realities have severely eroded workers’ incomes and dignity, stressing that many Nigerians are being forced to make sacrifices they neither chose nor can sustain.
In a message marking the Easter period, NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said the situation confronting workers stands in stark contrast to the spirit of sacrifice and service that leadership should embody.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) salutes the resilience, the unyielding spirit, and the daily struggle for dignity, justice, and a better life of all Nigerian workers and masses. This season is not merely a religious ritual; it is a deep moment of ideological clarity,” he said.
Drawing a parallel between faith and governance, Ajaero said while sacrifice should serve the collective good, Nigerian workers are bearing unjust burdens imposed by policy failures.
“The sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary was not for personal gain, but for the redemption of the people. In contrast, the sacrifices demanded of Nigerian workers today are ones we never consented to; the sacrifice of our wages on the altar of profiteering, the sacrifice of our safety on the altar of insecurity, and the sacrifice of our very lives on the altar of missed opportunities to govern effectively,” he stated.
ALSO READ: INEC plotting to prevent us from fielding candidates – ADC
He criticised political leaders for failing to share in the hardship faced by citizens, accusing them of insulating themselves from the realities of governance.
“This is while our leaders hide in Armoured vehicles or surround themselves with heavy security refusing to make any significant sacrifice. We call on Nigerian leaders to learn from the Cross. They must stop seeing governance as an opportunity for primitive accumulation and instead see it as a platform for sacrificial service,” Ajaero said.
The NLC president stressed that governance must prioritise the welfare of the people, warning that policies should uplift citizens rather than deepen inequality and suffering.
“It is important that those who occupy positions of leadership understand that policies must be tools of liberation, not weapons of oppression,” he said, urging government to “break the choke hold that poverty, exploitation, insecurity and infrastructure collapse have on our people.”
He highlighted the crushing impact of rising transportation costs, describing it as a major burden on workers already grappling with low wages.
“Today, the soaring cost of transportation is a heavy yoke on the necks of workers. It devours our wages, steals our time, and reduces our existence to a daily struggle for survival,” he said.
Ajaero also pointed to the persistent electricity crisis, warning that it continues to undermine livelihoods, businesses, and national productivity.
“The absence of electricity inducing darkness across the nation is not merely a technical failure; it is a weapon of mass disempowerment. It cripples our industries, kills our small businesses, and plunges our homes into darkness, making it impossible for the working class to live with dignity,” he said.
He called for urgent policy interventions to address the crisis, insisting that governance must be people-centred and responsive to the needs of the majority.
“We demand that the pains of today be transformed into a victory for the people through the implementation of policies that restore public transportation, end the electricity crisis, stop the killings and place the welfare of the masses above the profits of a privileged few. We demand a more humane and responsive governance anchored on the people,” he said.
The labour leader further warned against the use of state power to suppress workers’ rights or dissenting voices, describing such actions as contrary to the essence of leadership.
“The use of state power to suppress workers’ rights, to silence dissent, or to impose austerity that benefits a tiny elite while crushing the majority is a betrayal of the very essence of leadership,” Ajaero said.
While expressing hope for a better future, he maintained that meaningful change would require collective action and sustained pressure from the working class.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the NLC to continue advocating for equity and justice, stressing that the nation’s resources must serve the broader population.
“We will continue to work for a Nigeria where the wealth of the nation is used for the welfare of the many, not the luxury of the few,” he said, urging Nigerians to remain resolute in demanding accountability and responsible leadership.
WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV
Leave a Reply