The Presidency has clarified that President Bola Tinubu did not promise the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that his administration would not raise the pump price of fuel.
On Tuesday, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, responded to organized labour’s claims of betrayal. The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had demanded an immediate reversal of the fuel price increase implemented by Tinubu’s government.
Ajaero asserted that Labour accepted the ₦70,000 minimum wage based on a promise that fuel prices would remain unchanged. He recounted that Labour had initially advocated for a ₦250,000 minimum wage but chose ₦70,000 under the assumption that it would come with stable fuel prices.
“We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient. We recall vividly when Mr. President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old PMS rates). We opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians,” Labour stated on Tuesday.
In response, Abdulaziz accused Ajaero and Labour of engaging in “dirty politics” and misleading Nigerians. He emphasized that during the two meetings between Tinubu and Labour, no discussion took place regarding fuel price increases in exchange for minimum wage adjustments.