The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans to stage a nationwide protest on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in opposition to the proposed 50% increase in telecommunication tariffs.
In a communiqué issued after its National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting in Abuja, NLC President Joe Ajaero stated that the one-day demonstration would take place across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The union also warned of further actions against state governments and employers who fail to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage and the necessary salary adjustments before the end of the first quarter of 2025.
“To resist this unjust tariff hike, NLC will hold a nationwide mass rally on February 4, 2025. This protest will highlight the dangers of imposing such an increase on Nigerians who are already struggling with a minimum wage of N70,000, soaring fuel prices, high food costs, rising electricity tariffs, and worsening inflation,” the statement read.
NLC has instructed all its affiliates and state councils to begin mobilizing workers and supporters ahead of the protest, urging civil society organizations to also join the cause.
The labour body called for an immediate suspension of the proposed tariff hike and urged the federal government, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the National Assembly to engage in meaningful discussions with stakeholders to review the proposed increase in light of the country’s economic challenges.
Describing the 50% hike as unfair and insensitive, NLC condemned it as a direct assault on workers and the public, who are already struggling under severe economic hardship.
“If our demands are not met, NLC will escalate its actions, including a potential nationwide boycott of telecommunications services and further mass protests, which may involve the withdrawal of our services to resist policies that worsen poverty and inequality,” the communiqué warned.
On the issue of the minimum wage, Mohammed Ibrahim, President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and NLC’s National Internal Auditor, stressed that state governments and institutions failing to implement the new wage policy would face serious consequences.
Speaking at SSANU’s National Leadership Retreat in Abuja, Ibrahim criticized some states and employers for treating the wage increase as a mere announcement rather than fully implementing it.
“The national minimum wage has been signed into law, and payments should have commenced across the country. However, in many institutions and states, the figures announced have not been backed by actual payments,” he said.
He also noted that several state governments only acted after NLC’s intervention, signing rushed agreements that have yet to be implemented.
“But I am glad that the NLC is actively engaging on this issue. It was only after the directive that any state failing to implement the new wage would face a strike that governors started signing agreements, many of which are not being honored,” Ibrahim added.
