NLC, TUC leaders clash over Tinubu's ₦70,000 transport allowance
NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC President Festus Osifo traded barbs today over the federal government's newly approved ₦70,000 transport allowance for workers. In separate Channels Television interviews, Ajaero claimed Osifo is an "absentee president" who lives in the United States and only flies in for meetings, while insisting TUC was excluded from negotiations that produced the allowance. Osifo fired back that Ajaero has no authority to negotiate on TUC's behalf.
The allowance comes amid soaring fuel prices and renewed demands for a minimum wage review. Ajaero argues the ₦70,000 is inadequate and imposed without proper consultation, while the government positions it as immediate relief for workers.
This public split weakens organized labour's bargaining power at a critical moment. With both federation leaders questioning each other's legitimacy, workers face fragmented representation in ongoing wage talks. The allowance itself — ₦70,000 monthly — translates to roughly ₦2,300 daily, which barely covers current transport costs in major cities like Lagos and Abuja.
If labour unity fractures further, who actually speaks for Nigerian workers in the next minimum wage negotiation?