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Workers’ Day: Labour laments rising food prices, fuel crisis
•Reps, NLC, NBA, students reject electricity tariff hike, lament rising inflation
•Queues worsen gridlock, commuters stranded, more vessels discharge PMS
As Nigerian workers commemorate the 2024 May Day on Wednesday (today), organised labour has expressed concern about the rising food prices and fuel scarcity in the country, saying the current situation threatens workers’ survival.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress leaders, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Tuesday, lamented the harsh economic situation which had been compounded by the twin burdens of the electricity tariff hike and high fuel pump prices.
As the unions expressed concern about the economic hardship, queues at fuel stations worsened on Tuesday as a result of petrol scarcity. Many workers and students, who could not get to their destinations, were stranded.
Lamenting the high prices of food, labour leaders said workers were finding it difficult to make ends meet.
The prices of basic food commodities such as rice, beans, maize, plantain, and tomatoes surged by 25.34 per cent to 40.01 per cent as of March 2024.
Amidst the economic hardship, the government increased the tariff to be paid on electricity by 603 per cent to N225 per kilowatts.
The unions bemoaned how inflation and government policies had worsened the lot of workers across the country as the House of Representatives, Nigerian Bar Association and the National Association of Nigerian Students rejected the increase in electricity tariff.
This year’s Workers’ Day celebration comes in the face of rising inflation and biting fuel scarcity in many parts of the nation coupled with the minimum wage which has remained stagnant at the same level despite the high cost of living in the country.
The labour leaders in Ekiti State said it was a miracle workers were surviving under the present economic reality, citing the inflation, poverty rate, electricity tariff and high fuel prices.
The TUC Chairman, Sola Adigun, said, “The survival of workers and Nigerians as a whole under the present economic hardship and reality is a miracle; That Nigerian workers could survive and still find ways of going to offices, doing their work; I think it takes God’s miracle to do that.
“I want to say that the present economic situation, poverty level, removal of fuel subsidy, the galloping food inflation in the country are threats to the existence of an average Nigerian vis a vis workers. They are threats to our existence and comfort.”
The TUC chairman, however, said that despite the threats “Nigerian workers have a lot of causes to celebrate. We have reasons to celebrate.
“That we can still survive all these untoward situations is worth celebrating. That you and I are still alive in this country called Nigeria despite all these is worth celebration; That we have opportunities to ask our employers without fear of being arrested, without intimidation, is worth being celebrated.’’
Adigun appreciated the liberty and other constitutional rights enjoyed by workers in the country.
“If you compare the present situation, though we are complaining about the inflation, poverty level, etc, by tomorrow (May 1), in all states across the country, labour leaders will stand up and demand and make complaints.
“I want to tell you, we are so sure that the labour leaders will do all these without being threatened. Some years ago, such could not happen.
“With that, it is worth celebrating although the economic reality, poverty level, rising inflation, increasing fuel prices are not good elements of celebrating Nigerian workers,” the labour leader said.
Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, Ibrahim Fika, Secretary of NLC in Gombe said that the hardship had been worsened by the government policies.
He said, “Your take home doesn’t take workers home. There is a high cost of living going by the inflation, and high electricity tariff. The fuel hike is terrible. Fuel is not available. We bought for about N1,000 across filling stations it’s more in the black market.”
‘Feeding difficult’
The Chairman of the TUC, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Dominic Abang, lamented the inflationary trend in the country, saying Nigerian workers were poorer due to the high inflation, which he said had eroded the value of the minimum wage.
He said the workers’ salaries could not pay for their health, food and transportation needs.
He argued, “The effect of inflation on the workers is very glaring; the value of the N30 000 minimum wage has been eroded by inflation. The current value of that money cannot even buy anything and you know that the removal of oil subsidy has caused escalation of prices of food and transportation.
“The depreciation of the naira has increased the poverty rate among workers because the money we earn as salary cannot even pay for our healthcare needs, transportation or feed us talk less of electricity tariffs that have been increased. So, on a general note, the workers are poorer now than they used to be because of high inflation.
On how it would affect the May Day celebration, Abang said, “As usual, we will gather but most of our workers who are living outside the state capital may not be able to fuel their cars to come for the celebration.
“Some cannot even buy drugs to keep healthy. So, it’s going to be by the grace of God that we would have the kind of attendance that we used to have before.”
The NLC in Anambra State insisted that the workers had nothing to celebrate due to the high poverty rate and high inflation which had worsened their living conditions.
Speaking to one of our correspondents on the telephone, the state Publicity Secretary of the NLC, Emeka Obiora, lamented that the living conditions of workers had continued to worsen daily without the relevant authorities doing anything impactful to alleviate the situation.
Obiora said, “Workers have nothing tangible to celebrate. Unfortunately, this appears to be the worst moment for workers and many households in terms of welfare, living conditions and economic power, unlike it was three to four years ago.
“Many workers have been plunged into poverty. This is because before they receive their monthly salaries, they must have exhausted it on purchasing food and other basic needs on credit. Our purchasing powers keep depreciating daily.
“The high inflation, electricity tariff and fuel prices today are not what it used to be five years ago, yet, workers’ salaries are not increasing in commensurate proportion with the trend of inflation. Our living conditions are being threatened as most workers can no longer afford basic household needs.’’
Making a case for a high minimum wage, the labour leader stated, “Workers in Anambra State used to get additional N12,000 on top of our salaries, but the state government had stopped it. Our income can no longer take us home anymore. It is spent before it comes; many of us live on borrowing for the larger part of the month.
“The development is not palatable at all. The state government and in fact, the state governments in the South-East should consider nothing less than N240,000 as a minimum wage.”
The Chairman of the NLC in Niger State, Idrees Lafene, asserted that the workers were worst-hit by the economic crunch.
He decried the plight of the state’s workforce, suggesting that the workers should shun the May Day celebration given the hardship they were facing.
“How do we begin to assess the poverty rate, inflation, electricity tariff and fuel price? Things have gone bad. The cost of living has continued to go up. The workers have been the worst for it.
“Sure, it has threatened the survival of workers. They can hardly make ends meet and this has affected their morale but the May Day celebration must hold even though the workers are not happy with the current situation,” Lafene said.
Some workers in Minna, the state capital, also expressed their displeasure with the state of things in the country, saying that the present government might not have any solution to the country’s problems.
News
The Great Recalibration: How President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Is Restructuring Nigeria for a Stronger Tomorrow
By RT HON
CHINEDUM ENYINNAYA ORJI
“You cannot build a house for tomorrow on the weak foundation of yesterday. We must lay new blocks, even when the rain is falling.”— Adapted from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Three years into his presidency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has embarked on what may be the most deliberate economic and governance recalibration Nigeria has seen in a generation.
He came into office on May 29, 2023 with a clear declaration: “Fuel subsidy is gone.” In that single sentence, he signaled that the era of deferring hard choices had ended.
Restructuring, at its core, is about rearranging the house so it can stand longer and serve more people. For Nigeria, that meant confronting distortions that had weakened public finances, scared investors, and made planning impossible.
The first pillar of this restructuring is fiscal discipline. By removing the costly petrol subsidy and cutting electricity subsidies, the administration stopped the bleeding of trillions of naira that once vanished into opaque payments.
The results are already visible in the numbers. The fiscal deficit narrowed from 5.4 percent of GDP in 2023 to approximately 3 percent in 2024, while federation revenue rose from ₦16.8 trillion to ₦31.9 trillion.
That new revenue is not sitting idle. It is being channeled into roads, rails, power, and social programs that touch ordinary citizens directly. More than 2,700 kilometers of roads are under construction or rehabilitation nationwide.
The second pillar is monetary credibility. The unification of exchange rates and clearing of a $4 billion FX backlog restored confidence in the naira and in Nigeria’s commitment to market-based policies.
That credibility has produced tangible dividends. The stock market surged nearly fivefold to a record 250,000 points, market capitalization grew, and international rating agency Fitch upgraded Nigeria from B- to B in April 2025.
Foreign investors, who had stayed on the sidelines, are returning. New oil and gas investments are being announced, domestic refining capacity is rising, and fuel imports are falling, easing pressure on our foreign exchange.
The third pillar is sectoral transformation. Recognizing that oil alone cannot carry Nigeria’s future, President Tinubu approved a Presidential Petroleum Reform and Value Optimisation Taskforce to design the next phase of structural reforms in that sector.
The Taskforce is not another talking shop. It is a time-bound technical body charged with delivering execution-ready blueprints to unlock capital, improve transparency, and position Nigeria as a leading global energy investment destination.
Beyond oil, the February 2026 launch of the Nigeria Industrial Policy marks a decisive shift toward manufacturing, value addition, and job creation. The goal is a $1 trillion economy in five years, driven by inclusive and decentralized growth.
This is restructuring with a human face. Through NELFUND, millions of Nigerian students now have access to loans to stay in school. The CNG program is reducing transport costs and easing the burden of subsidy removal on households.
Governance itself is being rewired. The Renewed Hope Ward Development Plan is mapping economic potential across all 8,809 wards, ensuring that planning starts from the grassroots and moves upward to the state and federal levels.
Such decentralization matters. When wards have data, they have a voice. When local governments have more resources, service delivery improves. That is how accountability becomes real, not theoretical.
On security, the administration has intensified operations against banditry, insurgency, and criminal gangs. The link is clear: no investor builds factories where there is no peace, and no farmer feeds the nation where there is no safety.
A good example is the renewed engagement with Ogoni communities. By addressing historical grievances, the government is creating the conditions to restart oil exploration in a way that benefits both the people and the treasury.
Critics are right to point out the hardship. The cost-of-living squeeze has been severe, and inflation remains a challenge. But restructuring is not magic. It is medicine, and medicine often tastes bitter before it heals.
What distinguishes this moment is political will. Previous administrations discussed these reforms for decades. President Tinubu chose to act in the first week, knowing the political cost, because the economic cost of delay was higher.
The international community has noticed. The World Bank’s April 2026 Nigeria Development Update and the IMF’s 2025 Article IV Consultation both acknowledge significant progress in restoring macroeconomic stability.
More importantly, Nigerians are beginning to see the logic. A stable currency means businesses can plan. More revenue to states means more projects in communities. More transparency means fewer excuses.
The central test ahead is jobs. With 3.5 million Nigerians entering the labor force each year, the restructuring must now translate into employment-intensive growth. The industrial policy and infrastructure push are designed for exactly that.
This is not about one man or one party. It is about laying a foundation that no future government can afford to ignore. Institutions, rules, and incentives are being reset.
History will judge this period not by the pain of the transition, but by whether we used the pain to build something durable. The early signs suggest we are.
President Tinubu’s restructuring is far from complete, but it has already changed the trajectory. Nigeria is no longer drifting. It is recalibrating, with purpose, toward a future where our resources work for our people, and where governance finally matches our potential.
RT HON
Chinedum Enyinnaya orji
APC House of Representatives Candidate for Ikwuano Umuahia Fed. Constituency writes from Amaokwe Ugba Ibeku, Abia State.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced the demise of its Enugu State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Franklin O Agbakoba.
This is contained in a statement issued by FRSC Deputy Corps Commander in-charge of Enugu State Operations, DCC Kyrian C Okolo, on Friday in Enugu.
“FRSC Enugu State Sector Command received the sad news of the demise of CC Franklin Agbakoba on Thursday, July 30,2026.
“The late Sector Commander died at Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu where he was receiving treatment.
“His corpse have been deposited at the Eastern Medical Center, Enugu,” he said.
Until his death,CC Franklin Agbakoba made inter-agency collaboration and partnership his legacy and promoted safer roads within Enugu State.
The family’s head, Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi, made the demand during an interview with Arise News on Thursday.
“I think the family needs apology. The family needs to be compensated. We need sincere apology. We need sincere reconciliation,” he said.
He described his uncle as a visionary leader who was wrongly punished for a coup he had no role in.
“He was a man of vision. He was a detribalized Nigerian. He was a good leader,” he said.
Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi noted that his uncle’s tenure as Head of State was brief and ended violently.
“He occupied the seat of head of state for only six months, and he was taken away from us.
“Not because of a sin he committed, because he wasn’t part of the January 1966 coup.”
According to him, Aguiyi-Ironsi’s death resulted from his position rather than any wrongdoing on his part.
“Only because of his position as the most senior military officer, he was told to take charge. And then that cost him his life,” he said.
He expressed hope that his appeal would reach those with the power to act on it.
“Well, I hope there are people who are in positions to make this happen that are listening to you tonight,” he said.
Aguiyi-Ironsi served as Nigeria’s Head of State from January 16 to July 29, 1966, taking charge in the aftermath of the January 15, 1966 coup that had claimed the lives of the country’s political leadership.
He survived that coup and helped crush the mutiny, but his later decision to centralise power under Decree 34, along with his failure to prosecute the plotters, fuelled resentment among northern officers.
He was killed on July 29, 1966, alongside his host, Lieutenant Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, in a mutiny by northern soldiers that became known as the July counter-coup
The directive was contained in a memorandum dated July 13, 2026, and signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi.
Addressed to litigation staff, legal practitioners, court registrars and lawyers, the circular said the order took immediate effect and formed part of efforts to uphold professional standards within the apex court.
The memorandum read, “I am directed by the Honourable the Chief Justice of Nigeria to notify all Litigation Staff, Legal Practitioners, Court Registrars, and Lawyers that the use of the title ‘Barrister’ as a prefix to names is inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
It further directed all affected officers to immediately stop using the title in official correspondence and other official materials.
The memo stated, “Consequently, all officers concerned are hereby directed to discontinue the use of the title ‘Barrister’ before their names in all official correspondence, records, documents, identity materials, and any other official engagements with immediate effect.”
The memorandum added, “Heads of Departments and Unit Heads are requested to ensure strict compliance with this directive by all officers under their supervision. Please be guided accordingly.”
The directive comes weeks after the Council of Legal Education cautioned prospective lawyers against wearing wigs and gowns or presenting themselves as qualified legal practitioners before they are formally called to the Nigerian Bar.
The council said such conduct undermined the dignity of the legal profession and warned that violators could face disciplinary measures.
It also reminded candidates that the use of legal regalia is governed by the Rules of Professional Conduct and is reserved for duly qualified legal practitioners
The Enugu State Government says it has intensified fight against quackery across all health professions, particularly in the laboratory practice within the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, revealed this on Friday while receiving the National President of Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), Dr. Casimir Ifeanyi, on a courtesy visit to his office in Enugu.
Ugwu decried the growing trend of unprofessional practices and establishments where laboratory services are combined with pharmacies, patient treatment areas, provision stores, and other unauthorised activities.
According to him, such practices are unacceptable and dangerous to public health.
He reaffirmed the government’s resolve to eliminate quackery especially in laboratory practices and operations through sustained monitoring, regulation and enforcement.
The commissioner also commended the association for its dedication to promoting excellence in medical laboratory science and public health advocacy.
He assured the team of the ministry’s willingness to collaborate with professional bodies whose activities align with the government’s vision of delivering accessible, quality, and people-centred healthcare services across the state.
Ugwu stressed the remarkable strides recorded under the administration of Gov. Peter Mbah in transforming the health sector, including investments in healthcare infrastructure, workforce development, primary healthcare revitalisation and improved service delivery.
He urged the association to remain steadfast in upholding professionalism and ethical standards, emphasising that stronger partnerships between government and healthcare professionals remained essential in building a healthier Enugu State.
Earlier, Ifeanyi, who made the visit with some members of his national executive and Enugu State Chapter of AMLSN, briefed the commissioner on the association’s forthcoming AMLSN Annual Public Health Lecture.
He solicited the state government’s goodwill, support and participation in the event, which would be held in Enugu.
“The annual lecture is aimed at advancing quality healthcare delivery, promoting public health awareness, and fostering stronger collaboration among healthcare professionals and government institutions,” he said.
He noted that the association remained committed to improving professional standards and supporting initiatives that would enhance healthcare outcomes for residents of Enugu State and Nigeria at large.
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