As Nigerians mark May Day amid rising economic hardship, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has declared that workers earning the proposed ₦70,000 minimum wage cannot afford to go to work five days a week.

Speaking at the 6th National Gender Conference organised by the NLC National Women Commission in Abuja, Ajaero said the country’s worsening inflation crisis has rendered the proposed wage structure unsustainable, especially in the face of skyrocketing transport fares, rent, food, and education costs.

“₦70,000 is not enough to transport a worker to and from work for 24 days in a month. That’s the painful reality,” he said.

He pointed out that many public workers are now rationing their attendance at work to cope with the cost of commuting.

The NLC president’s comments echo wider concerns that Nigeria’s inflation—hovering around 24 per cent—has eroded real income for workers by at least 25 per cent over the past year. In practical terms, the current wage floor would be worth only about ₦53,000 in real value by July, assuming inflation holds steady.

Labour leaders say the proposed minimum wage, though nominally more than double the current ₦30,000, is unable to keep up with today’s cost of living. Prices of basic food items like eggs, rice, tomatoes, and yams have soared by 500 to over 1,000 per cent since 2018. Rent in urban centres like Lagos has also quadrupled.

Former Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Tommy Okon, stressed that workers are still submerged in poverty, despite two years of economic reforms. He urged the government to review its economic and security policies urgently, warning: “Families are now focused on daily survival.”

NLC Deputy General Secretary, Chris Onyeka, warned that the number of “working poor” is rising across both formal and informal sectors, while the government seems to lack a coherent strategy to address the crisis.

Lagos NLC Chairperson, Funmi Sessi, said: “This year, we have witnessed hardship like never before… Prices keep rising, and nothing is being done to ease the pain.” She urged political leaders to prioritise the plight of workers and called on Nigerians to support one another through the crisis.

From rent to rice, transport to tomatoes, workers are calling for urgent, practical action to prevent Nigeria’s labour force from plunging further into despair.