From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress has faulted the Federal Government’s proposed tax reforms, warning that any tax regime targeting workers’ wages, particularly the national minimum wage, cannot be described as progressive.
The NLC said provisions seeking to tax the minimum wage and impose heavier burdens on low-income earners were unfair and regressive.
The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja during the 85th birthday celebration and book presentation of the first elected President of the Congress, Hassan Summonu.
The event, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, also featured the presentation of Summonu’s memoir titled Memoirs of an African Trade Union Icon: Organise, Don’t Agonise.
Ajaero said the new tax laws were formulated without the input of organised labour, despite Nigerian workers being among the most consistent taxpayers in the country.
He argued that major decisions on fuel pricing, taxation, wages and social services had repeatedly been taken by the government without formal consultation with labour unions.
According to him, policies crafted without workers’ input only deepen poverty and undermine democratic governance.
“Any tax regime that targets workers’ wages, especially the minimum wage, cannot be progressive,” Ajaero said.
He urged the Federal Government to prioritise addressing workers’ wages ahead of the next statutory minimum wage negotiations scheduled for 2027.
Ajaero said the philosophy captured in Summonu’s memoir, Organise, Don’t Agonise, stood in sharp contrast to what Nigerians were currently experiencing under prevailing economic policies.
“Today, we honour a titan of the working-class struggle. ‘Organise, Don’t Agonise’ is not just a title; it is the militant creed that has defined Comrade Summonu’s journey and the soul of our movement,” he said.
While honouring Summonu as a symbol of courage and principled engagement, Ajaero said the celebration had gone beyond personal accolades and become a moment of national reflection on the condition of Nigerian workers.
He also called on the government to fully constitute the board of the National Pension Commission and urgently address public concerns surrounding the new tax laws.
In his remarks declaring the ceremony open, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said Nigeria’s organised labour movement was once sustained by foreign funding during the Cold War, posing risks to the country’s sovereignty.
Obasanjo, who was represented by a former President of the NLC and ex-Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, said there were two dominant labour organisations at the time, allegedly funded by rival foreign intelligence blocs.
He said reforms were introduced during his tenure as military head of state to establish a labour movement that would be Nigerian in structure, leadership and funding, leading to the emergence of the NLC.
Obasanjo described Summonu as the most influential figure in Nigerian labour after the late Michael Imoudu, praising his role in projecting Nigerian labour on the African and global stage.
Oshiomhole, in his remarks, urged Nigerian workers and civil society groups to stop lamenting hardship and instead organise to confront unjust policies.
“If it is wrong, fight it. We don’t win justice with tears or emotional speeches,” he said.
He noted that achievements such as the national minimum wage were products of struggle and collective action, not government goodwill.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), said Summonu had lived a fulfilled life and urged current labour leaders to draw lessons from his legacy to reposition the labour movement.
Also speaking, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, who reviewed the book, described Summonu as a true symbol of Nigerian resilience and integrity.
Other dignitaries at the event included former NLC President Ayuba Wabba, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Chris Piwuna, former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and the Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Issa Aremu.
Summonu served as President of the NLC from 1978 to 1984 and later as General Secretary of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity.
