The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commended its President, Joe Ajaero, for his notable achievements in his one year in office, News About Nigeria reports.
In a statement, the NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs, Comrade Benson Upah, praised the Congress’ President for doing so much for Nigerians.
Reeling out his achievements, Upah noted that the Ajaero leadership is responsible for the wage award of N35,000 from the government, adding that the NLC is committed to ensuring that the next national minimum wage will be an amount that would take workers home.
He also stated that the NLC President is making sure negotiations are concluded on time for workers to have something that will take care of the inflation and hardship in the country.
“So the most important thing is that he is insisting that the minimum wage conversation be consummated within the appropriate timeframe,” he said.
He further noted that it is the strong character of the NLC President that has made the government careful in increasing the pump price of petrol, adding that if not for Joe Ajaero, Nigerians would be buying fuel at a much higher price.
“We signed two MoU’s (Memoranda of Understanding) with this administration (of President Bola Tinubu). The first was on June 5, 2023. The second was on the second or third of October 2023. Look at the contents of those MoUs. The wage award, the decision of the government to restore or accept to pay the withheld salaries of the four university-based unions, NASU, NAAT, SSANU and ASUU, was part of it
“I also want to tell you: but for the resolute stand of NLC under Ajaero, Nigeria should have been paying a much higher tariff for petrol, by now, it wouldn’t have been N700 or N800. I tell you, we would have been paying N1,500.
“But the government is being careful about crossing the threshold. It knows that if it does, NLC will mobilise to the streets, and NLC will mobilise the citizenry against it. So because of this, we are stuck where we are at six hundred and something naira and N700,” he said.
Upah also noted that the NLC President has been making interventions on several issues, including the state of insecurity, hunger in the land, anger in the land and what appears to be the shutting down of the democratic space, adding that Ajaero has also been acting on the issues and not just talking.
He maintained that the NLC is committed to representing Nigerians and ensuring life is better for everyone.
