NLC Vows to Shut Down Nigeria for One Month Over Minimum Wage Deregulation

As the nation anticipates a new National Minimum Wage, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened a one-month nationwide shutdown in response to the National Assembly’s plans to deregulate the Minimum Wage.

NLC President Joe Ajaero, speaking at the 67th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, emphasized that the minimum wage is a national issue. He warned that organized labor would not tolerate a situation where governors, in collaboration with the National Assembly, impose substandard wages and poverty on workers and citizens.

According to Ajaero, “A Joint Committee of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Judiciary is currently meeting. They have decided to remove Section 34 from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List, allowing state governors to determine wages, effectively abolishing the national minimum wage. You cannot decide what you should earn.

The moment the House of Representatives and the Senate enact such a law, Nigerian workers will stop working for one month. We cannot accept any situation where governors and National Assembly members impose slave wages on workers and force poverty on the citizens. Organized labor will not accept it.”