NLC THREATENS NATIONWIDE PROTESTS OVER NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S PLAN TO DEVOLVE MINIMUM WAGE TO STATES

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a strong warning to the National Assembly, threatening to mobilize Nigerian workers for massive nationwide protests if lawmakers proceed with plans to move the national minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List. This move would give individual states the power to set their own wages, a proposal NLC President, Joe Ajaero, described as “dead on arrival”.

Ajaero insisted that the proposal violates International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions and endangers the welfare of workers across Nigeria. “We will mobilize Nigerian workers to resist this, even until election day,” Ajaero vowed, stressing that the minimum wage is a national benchmark, not one to be decided on a state-by-state basis.

While acknowledging that some states currently pay above the ₦70,000 minimum wage, Ajaero warned that allowing each state to determine wages independently could lead to a fragmented and unjust wage system, undermining the principle of equality for Nigerian workers. “The minimum wage is a national benchmark, and we cannot allow it to be fragmented,” he said.

The NLC fears that decentralizing wage policy could erode workers’ rights and trigger disparities across the country. Ajaero urged lawmakers to act in the interest of justice and national cohesion, rather than undermine a framework that protects the most vulnerable in the workforce.

In addition to the minimum wage issue, Ajaero called for clear implementation of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on local government autonomy, emphasizing the need for strict enforcement in line with constitutional provisions. With tensions mounting, the NLC’s threat of nationwide protests marks the beginning of what could be a fierce standoff with the National Assembly.