The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) issues this 2024 New Year Statement with a heavy heart and mixed feelings, given the sad state of affairs in our dear country, but we remain optimistic that with sincere, committed, responsible and responsive leadership, together we should be able to change the narrative and reverse this trend.
Notwithstanding that the outgone year was one long, excruciating litany of lost opportunities and dashed hopes, Congress hereby salute the resilience of the oppressed and suffering Nigerian Workers in particular, and the masses of Nigerian people in general, for refusing to bow, or be cowed or crushed. We have soldiered-on despite diminishing value of our wages, low purchasing power amidst high cost of living, and the humongous challenges confronting us as a people. Life has become extremely difficult, even unbearable, as a direct consequence of official policies and measures that sent the naira depreciating many-folds and the economy spinning and spiraling out of control in the year under review.
The economy has actually been on its knees, gasping for breath. But that did not stop or even deter roguish and unpatriotic privileged few from feasting on our common patrimony, including making merchandise of our scarce forex at a time the manufacturing sector cannot access forex to import raw materials for production. This ugly development has led to the closure of many factories and business outfits, and as a result, millions of Nigerians were thrown out of jobs, with the attendant social, economic and security implications. At the same time, the political class have carried on with no care in the world.
Some of them even engage in wanton ostentation that is provocative and unacceptable. With over 33.3 per cent unemployment rate, massive and pervasive poverty and misery ravaging the nooks and crannies of the land, coupled with the criminal indifferent attitude of the political class, it is obvious that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun power.
Nonetheless, The TUC had in 2023 strived to ensure that social dialogue with the Federal Government prevailed even when there were sceptics who believed the Tinubu administration cannot be trusted to implement simple, basic agreements. To allay these fears, Organized Labour insisted that the October 2, 2023 Agreement between them and the administration be notarized by the court.
Item 15 specifically states that: “This Memorandum shall be filed with the relevant Court of competent jurisdiction within one (1) week as consent judgment by the Federal Government..” However, Government has serially violated the Agreement. For instance, Item 2 states clearly that: “A minimum wage committee shall be inaugurated within one month from the date of this agreement.” Today, three months after, no such committee has been set up by government. This was also our experience with this government in at least two previous agreements reached from June 2023.
Again, the Federal Government had presented a budget of N27.5 trillion for the 2024 Appropriation year. It was later changed to 28.77 trillion naira and it has been reportedly approved by the lawmakers. That is the highest we have had, though paradoxically low in terms of value, considering the prevailing economic realities and exchange rate. On the whole, the poor and wobbly state of the economy has ironically and unfortunately only dampened, rather than renew our hope. For instance, in the budget, recurrent expenditure stands at N9.92 trillion, while the capital expenditure is N8.7 trillion and debt servicing is N8.25 trillion. This can neither stimulate economic growth nor alleviate the abject poverty of suffering Nigerians. Indeed, a careful and critical dissection of the budget would easily reveal that it was primarily and essentially designed to take care of the ruling class.
Also, following undue interferences of the agents of the Lagos State and Federal Governments in the running of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, which led to avoidable crises, the Memorandum provided that: “A resolution of the on-going impasse is expected by or before October 13.” This has also not been implemented.
Given the foregoing, the TUC has resolved to demand of the Tinubu administration that in 2024:
1) All agreements between labour and government, including the payment of the monthly N35,000 Wage Award to Public Servants in the Local Government, State and Federal services, must be implemented until a new National Minimum Wage is implemented.
2) A new National Minimum Wage must be negotiated, implemented, and if further delayed in the year, arrears be paid.
3) Inflation, which is running at 28.20 percent, must be drastically reduced to the Sub-Saharan African regional average of 9.4 percent.
4) Governments at state and federal levels should stop the unnecessary, economically-unwise and unpatriotic tradition of taking loans, especially when these loans only end up being used to purchase thousands of expensive jeeps for legislators, pampered members of the Executive and their spouses, or in building unnecessary offices and purchasing mundane and sundry things, including stationaries.
5) Government should stop its ill-advised devaluation of the national currency, that is precipitating the collapse of local industries which need foreign exchange to import raw materials, and which has led to mega inflation in our import-dependent economy.
6) The sale of the Naira in the streets due to the Central Bank-induced scarcity must be stopped. This is possible, provided Government ensures adequate supply of Naira notes in the banking system.
7) The very high price of PMS, which is now at a poverty-inducing price of N617 at the NNPC fuel stations (much higher elsewhere) should be drastically reduced to repair the damage done to the economy. This will be achieved by ensuring local production of refine products.
8) The security of Nigerians should be the yard stick with which to determine whether military and other security chiefs and their supervising Ministers should remain in office or be replaced. Specifically, rather than lament, President Tinubu has a duty to sanction officials for serious security breaches such as the December, 2023 massacres in Plateau State.
9) In order to ensure maximum security, Community Policing should be prioritized alongside the mobilisation of the citizenry to defend themselves against bandits and terrorists.
10) Government should engage in dialogue with aggrieved groups representing nationalities who feel marginalised, short-changed or shut out.
The Year 2024 holds a lot of promise for us all provided Nigerians as a people would unite and assert our authority over all powers, including the Nigerian ruling class manning all branches, levels, institutions and organs of government.
