The demand of Nigeria’s biggest labour group, the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress has been one debate that has divided Nigerians on their thoughts.
Recall a nationwide strike in Nigeria brought air travel to a standstill and plunged the country into darkness on Monday as union workers stormed the national grid and shut down the nation’s power supply, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Tens of millions are without power and flights have been disrupted, as the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) initiated an indefinite strike.
While many believe the unions’ demands are realistic, others don’t see it that way, considering teh current economic realities and the expensive nature of the current administration.
This strike comes after failed negotiations with the government to raise the federal minimum wage. The unions are also protesting a recent hike in electricity tariffs.
The unions’ demands include raising the minimum wage from 30,000 naira ($22.4) to 494,000 naira ($369.6). Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga dismissed these demands as “unreasonable,” in a post on the social media platform X.
Barnabas Esiet, a financial expert and publisher of Newsshelves.com gives his thought in this debate.