The Nigeria Labour Congress has called on the federal government to implement sweeping economic reforms, warning that deteriorating living conditions have pushed millions of Nigerian workers to the brink of survival.
In an Easter message signed by its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the labour movement described the worsening hardship as a threat not only to productivity but to the very dignity of the working class. The congress linked the symbolism of Easter — sacrifice, renewal, and selflessness — to the kind of leadership it said Nigeria urgently lacks.
“The sacrifices demanded of Nigerian workers today are ones we never consented to,” the statement read. “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.”
The NLC identified three critical constraints crippling workers’ livelihoods: the rising cost of transportation, persistent electricity shortages, and worsening insecurity across the country. These challenges, the congress said, have continued to erode real wages, limit industrial productivity, and deepen economic hardship in both urban and rural areas.
While acknowledging the symbolism of Easter as a season of sacrifice, the labour centre made clear that involuntary austerity — imposed by poor governance rather than collective national interest — is neither Christian nor democratic.
“We demand that the government use its power to break the choke hold that poverty, exploitation, insecurity, and infrastructure collapse have on our people,” the NLC said.
The congress further warned against the use of state power to suppress dissent or silence organised labour. It insisted that any form of austerity that disproportionately benefits a small elite while crushing the majority represents a betrayal of democratic principles.
“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,” the statement added.
The NLC called for decisive government action to restore efficient public transportation systems, resolve the national power crisis, and improve security across all geopolitical zones. It also demanded that governance be rooted in fairness and inclusivity, warning against policies perceived to favour a connected few at the expense of ordinary citizens.
Reaffirming its commitment to advocacy, the Nigeria Labour Congress said workers would continue to organise and demand accountability from those in positions of authority — regardless of the political season.
“We demand a more humane and responsive governance anchored on the people,” the N
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