By Ononye VC
Amidst current hardship faced by many Nigerians, the organised labour has accused the federal government of dashing its hope of improved living conditions for all Nigerians.
Labour therefore called for enhanced pay and improved living working conditions for its members across the country.
The lamentation and call came as Nigeria joins the global community to commemorate Workers’ Day today.
Labour blamed the worsening plight of Nigerians what it described as “ill-advised policies” of the federal government that have led to economic hardship and a decrease in the purchasing power of the average Nigerian worker.
In an interview, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) head of information, Comrade Benson Upah, lamented the challenges faced by workers, stating that life in the country had “worsened considerably” with no foreseeable improvement.
He said that the recent 250 percent increase in electricity tariffs had compounded the difficulties, leaving workers to grapple with an “ugly situation.”
The NLC has taken a strong stance against the triple policies of government’s removal of fuel subsidy, the flotation of the naira, and the hike in electricity tariffs and raised suspicions that these detrimental policies may be influenced by external forces and are not in the best interest of the nation or its people.
Comrade Upah urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider these policies and retrace his steps and address the plight of workers.
The labour leader also lamented the dire situation where even basic necessities such as transportation, education and healthcare had become unaffordable for Nigerian workers.
He said workers are currently seeking a return to better days, with “better life, better electricity, better infrastructure and enhanced pay” and despite their dashed expectations, he urged them to remain resilient, drawing inspiration from the philosophy that the current hardships would eventually subside.
Upah said, “Life has been very horrible for workers in the past one year, we wish it could be better, there is no silver lining in the sky yet. The purchasing power of the workers has been eroded beyond recognition.
“To be specific, the ill-advised removal of fuel subsidy, and the floating of the naira, and the hike in electricity tariffs, these three major policies have considerably reduced the value of the naira.
“For senior workers who earn from N80,000 and above. Their salary can only buy a bag of rice, we are not talking about beans, I’m not talking about garri and other necessities of life like transportation, education and healthcare.
So, what has happened to the Nigerian is that he has been demobilised in the name of democracy.
“The average Nigerian does not know where he or she is at the moment there is no room for planning. You can’t plan for anything you can’t hope for anything, so it is as bad as that, in a situation like this. We can’t hope for anything,” Upah said.
He continued, “We want a better life, we want a better electricity, we want better infrastructure, we want an enhanced pay to be able to cope with the realities of life, we want a Nigeria that we used to know, we are completely terrified by the prospect that our yesterday has always been better than our today, this narrative must stop.
“As for expectations, we expect nothing because our expectations have been repeatedly dashed but I wish we could expect something from this government.
“Our message is that workers should not be broken, they should remain strong and be guided by the philosophy of the bedbug that this hot water that they are pouring on us will one day grow cold,” he said.
