Nigerian workers, pensioners and the unemployed are groaning under the weight of soaring fuel prices, which have pushed up transportation and living costs across the country. As the crisis continues, labour groups are demanding relief measures to help workers keep up with the rising cost of living, GLORIA NWAFOR reports.

Nigerians from diverse backgrounds are groaning under the yoke of high energy prices. As salaries remain stagnant, high costs of premium motor spirit (PMS), diesel, kerosene and co
oking gas have boxed the citizens in a ‘survival mode’.

With energy costs sitting at the heart affecting other costs, the effect of the rise in fuel prices is immediate and widespread, thereby affecting transport costs and food prices even as the overall cost of doing business escalates.

Across the country and in major cities, including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja, petrol now sells for between N1,300 and N1,450 per litre, while diesel approaches N2000 per litre, reflecting the impact of global oil price movements.

In the face of the dire straits, organised labour and other critical stakeholders cautioned that if the situation is not properly managed, the gains from rising oil prices would be completely eroded by inflation and economic hardship.

They called for urgent government intervention before the situation worsens.

To tame the situation, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) urged the Federal Government to award a cost-of-living allowance (COLA) and tax relief for workers to cushion the effects of the increase in petrol caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

In a statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero noted that the petrol price hike had worsened the economic hardship for Nigerian workers and citizens.

To cushion the hardship and rising cost of living, Ajaero demanded an immediate wage award and COLA for all workers, expansion and overhaul of the cash transfer programme to ensure transparency and guarantee that assistance reaches the most vulnerable citizens with transfers adjusted to reflect inflation, and immediate tax relief for workers.

He accused the government of leaving Nigerians at the mercy of volatile global oil prices triggered by the escalating war crisis, alleging that the situation has exposed the fragility of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector and deepened the suffering of workers and their families, calling for immediate steps to revive Nigeria’s refineries.

According to him, the soaring cost of petrol and diesel has made transportation a heavy burden on workers.

He lamented that food inflation continues to rise, while meagre wages are being eroded by the rising cost of living.

He noted that when workers cannot afford transportation to their workplaces, the economy stalls, and “when families cannot afford three meals a day, society sits on a keg of gunpowder.

“Nigerian workers are being pauperised and subjected to immense suffering. Workers are not statistics—they are the engine of the nation. When the engine overheats, the entire vehicle crashes,” he said.

He said the estimated N30 trillion oil windfall expected from the Middle East crisis must not disappear like previous windfalls.

The NLC chief said that the resources must be invested in the Nigerian people and used to cushion the economic hardship caused by the current crisis.

“The government must engage in sincere social dialogue with Nigerian workers and the broader citizenry. Using the Middle East crisis as a justification for policies that deepen poverty is unacceptable. The primary duty of the government is to ensure the welfare and security of its citizens. We demand action. We demand justice. We demand survival,” he said.

A Lagos worker, Tajudeen Komolafe, while seeking relief measures from the government, lamented that he spends almost all his salary on transportation.

“We are spending almost our salaries on transportation. Just this morning, I spent N1,500 getting to work despite waking up very early and getting to the bus stop around 5:30–5:50 a.m,” he said.

Echoing sentiments shared across several states, another civil servant, Kanayo Madu, said, “It feels like our salaries are being swallowed up before we even get to spend them. I now spend over 80 per cent of my salary just to get to work. After paying for transport and feeding my family, there is almost nothing left. How are we supposed to save or plan?”

Similarly, Lagos State Council Chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Abiodun Aladetan, urged workers in the state to be patient, assuring that the state government under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would roll out relief measures to help cushion the high cost of transportation as presently experienced by workers.

He assured the workers that as leaders, “we are presently engaging the government and not resting on our oars, and very soon you will hear from the State government”.

This is a period where the world of work is undergoing challenges, including a tough and challenging time. We are optimistic that the government will attend to us,” he said.

Also, the Working People United (WoPU), a movement committed to good governance, has called on the federal and state governments to urgently introduce temporary relief measures to cushion Nigerian workers and the public from the harsh effects of rising fuel costs.

Interim National Coordinator, Williams Akporeha, urged President Tinubu to act swiftly to ensure that Nigerian workers and citizens do not bear the full weight of a global crisis that is entirely beyond their control.

He argued that the surge in fuel prices, largely driven by ongoing tensions and conflict in the Middle East, was placing additional economic pressure on millions of Nigerians.

According to him, rising transportation costs and the increasing prices of essential goods and services are eroding the modest gains achieved by the administration in recent years.

He stated that the group believes the period was a critical moment that required proactive intervention from government at all levels to protect the welfare of workers and ordinary citizens.

As an immediate measure, WoPU urged the federal and state governments to provide free transportation for workers across major cities, similar to arrangements already introduced by the Kaduna State Government and those often implemented during festive periods.

The initiative, Akporeha said, would help reduce the commuting burden on workers who travel daily to their workplaces.

He urged that the governments could also collaborate with transport unions and recognised transport companies to provide subsidised or cheaper transport services until the global crisis stabilises and fuel prices ease.

In addition, WoPU also called on the federal and state governments to partner with private and public sector employers, as well as their federating agencies, to introduce relief measures supporting all workers affected by the sudden rise in transportation and living costs.

The group stressed that governments should take deliberate steps to ensure that essential commodities are made available at reduced and controlled prices, as has been done in the past.

According to it, strategic interventions in food supply chains and other necessities will help ease the burden on households and prevent further economic hardship.

“This period demands the usual responsive and compassionate leadership from the President, who should act swiftly to ensure that Nigerian workers and citizens do not bear the full weight of a global crisis that is entirely beyond their control,” he said.

Speaking on the plight of workers, the National Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) and General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Olowoyo Gbenga, described the situation as unprecedented.

He said: “The current crisis is unprecedented in recent history, as complaints from our workers and other members of the public across the country indicate.”

Transportation costs have quadrupled for workers commuting from satellite towns around Abuja, including Mararaba, Suleja, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, Masaka, Keffi and Abaji.

“The same scenario has been reported by members in Lagos, Edo, Rivers, Kano and other states across Nigeria. Workers are struggling to cope, and urgent government intervention is needed.

“Government must rise to the occasion and take decisive action to address the soaring fuel prices. Failure to act exacerbates poverty, mental health challenges and economic hardship among Nigerian workers.

“Commuting costs have quadrupled. For workers from satellite towns like Mararaba, Suleja and Gwagwalada, it is almost impossible to reach work without spending the bulk of their salary on transport alone,” he said.