Joe Ajaero, Nigerian Labour Congress president, says the pump price hike is beyond the labour movement, urging Nigerians to organise mass protests against the hike implemented by President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Mr Ajaero’s call comes amid the latest upward review of pump prices by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company on Wednesday, which saw fuel prices rise above N1,030 per litre.

“Nigerians are expecting the labour movement to react to this hike. But, the issue at stake is more than the labour movement,” Mr Ajaero said at a book launch in Abuja.

He added, “If we can get some naira or are unable to get it, only workers will benefit from that. What I think Nigerians should do is to mobilise and react as a collective.”

Mr Ajaero’s statement comes months after he announced the NLC’s withdrawal from the August nationwide protest over economic hardships.

Though he mobilised the NLC to shut down the country when he was assaulted by thugs in Imo State in November 2023, his leadership has made no effort regarding the suffering of Nigerians.

Nigerians have criticised Mr Ajaero’s leadership of the NLC for remaining passive while the government’s policies push workers into poverty.

The NLC, under Mr Ajaero, agreed to a minimum wage review of N70,000 with the federal government and many states after months of negotiations.

However, the continuous upward review of pump prices has eroded the value of the minimum wage, which is yet to be paid by the federal government months after the agreement.