NLC Rallies Nigerian Workers to Shape 2027 Elections, Declares Current Minimum Wage a ‘Poverty Wage’
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has launched a major political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging Nigerian workers to unite and play an active role in determining the country’s political future.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 NLC Rain School in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said workers possess the collective strength to influence the outcome of the 2027 elections if they remain united and organised.
Ajaero described the theme of the programme, “The Working Class and the Politics of 2027,” as a deliberate effort to prepare workers for a more active role in shaping Nigeria’s future. He stressed that workers should no longer be treated as passive spectators or tools of political manipulation but as the driving force behind the nation’s economy.
He urged labour leaders, union organisers and gender activists to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections, while encouraging greater participation of women in elective positions and stronger leadership within the labour movement.
The NLC President also declared that organised labour would soon begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage, insisting that the current wage is no longer sustainable.
According to him, the existing minimum wage is a “poverty wage” that cannot meet the basic needs of Nigerian workers, adding that labour would demand a true living wage capable of providing food, shelter, education and dignity for workers and their families.
Ajaero further criticised the delay in transmitting long-awaited labour law reforms to the National Assembly, describing the six-year delay as unacceptable. He also blamed corruption and what he called “kleptocracy” for Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship, alleging that the country’s wealth is being diverted for the benefit of a privileged few.
He concluded by urging workers to return to their states and workplaces as agents of change, calling for unity, courage and sustained mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
