Get Guardian on GoogleFG says CNG to power irrigation pumps, cut farmers’ energy costs
Amid disagreement with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has reiterated its demand for a sustainable salary increase for Nigerian workers, insisting that another wage award would not provide a lasting solution to the erosion of workers’ purchasing power.
In another vein, the Federal Government said Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) will be deployed to power irrigation pumps as part of efforts to reduce farmers’ energy costs and make agricultural production more affordable.
TUC said its demand was informed by the Federal Government’s failure to fully implement the 10-month wage award palliative agreed with organised labour on October 2, 2023, before the introduction of the new national minimum wage.
According to the union, workers received an average of only three months’ pay out of the 10 months agreed upon, leaving a substantial part of the intervention unpaid.
In a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting of the congress’ National Administrative Council (NAC), on Wednesday, the NAC maintained that a sustainable salary increase would provide a more meaningful intervention to address the declining living standards of workers, stressing that the national minimum wage should be regarded as a statutory minimum and not a ceiling on workers’ earnings.
Congress reaffirmed its position in its October 21, 2026, press statement, calling for renewed attention to workers’ welfare and collective bargaining. It also acknowledged the positions taken by three public-sector affiliates — Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), who claimed they neither participated in preparing the statement issued on October 30 nor authorised anyone to speak on their behalf.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Presidential CNG Initiative and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), Ismaeel Ahmed, disclosed the wide CNG deployment at the Abuja roundtable on Promise to Proof: The Renewed Hope Conversation’, organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Progressive Strategy Roundtable.
Speaking during a session entitled ‘Fuel That Works: Reliable Energy, Affordable Transport and Fair Prices for Every Household and Business’, Ahmed said the government was working to extend CNG adoption beyond transportation to agricultural activities, particularly irrigation.
Ahmed, who was also the Convener of the Roundtable, said consultations with state governments, especially in northern Nigeria, had shown that farmers were increasingly interested in switching from expensive diesel and petrol to CNG-powered irrigation pumps.
He cited Jigawa State, where the governor reportedly informed the initiative that the state had more than two million farmers who could benefit from cheaper energy for agricultural activities.
According to him, mechanical irrigation pumps can cover about three hectares of farmland, compared with solar-powered pumps, which typically cover about one hectare.
