The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that laws affecting workers must be carefully crafted to avoid serious errors or political manipulations that could harm the majority, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and fairness in the formulation of fiscal policies.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, in a Christmas statement titled, “Our hope lies in collective action”, issued on Wednesday, highlighted the need for workers to unite in protecting their interests, wages, pensions, and dignity.
He called for social and tax justice, insisting that all citizens must have access to quality healthcare, education, and security, while workers’ rights and rewards are respected.
The statement reads in part: “It is better to patiently craft a law that is broadly co-created and owned than rush into one filled with serious errors and outright political manipulations. We must insist on social justice where all citizens have access to dignity, good healthcare, and quality education; greater equity for workers where labour is justly rewarded and rights are respected; and a safe and secure nation where lives and properties are guaranteed and people can move about their businesses without fear or intimidation.”
Ajaero further emphasized that the power of workers lies in unity and collective action, urging Nigerians to stand together to resist policies that inflict suffering and exploit the population, warning against divisions based on tribe, religion, or region.
NLC added “Our hope of a revival is not passive and it is not a mere wish. It is built on a concrete foundation: our collective power and the action that it can potentiate. As we gather with our families and communities to mark the 2025 Christmas and festive season, we at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) extend our very warm fraternal greetings and wishes of peace, joy, and rejuvenation to each and every one of you; the Nigerian workers and masses. This season, rooted in hope, love, and the promise of a new dawn, speaks deeply to our current national reality. A reality that may seem to overwhelm us with the unrelenting assault on our various pillars of survival as workers and citizens but in which, fortunately, presents an opportunity.
“We acknowledge that for millions of our members and compatriots, life and living have been profoundly challenging if not completely unbearable. The weight of economic hardship, policies that inflict suffering, and forces that press our nation into the morass of servitude and hardship can make the present seem bleak. Yet, the eternal message of this season is one of hope emerging from hardship. It is that which speaks to the fact that no matter how dark the night may seem, there is always a flicker of light. A dot of light glowing in our hearts, in our bodies, and in our voices.
“Our hope of a revival is not passive and it is not a mere wish. It is built on a concrete foundation: our collective power and the action that it can potentiate. We are the many; the workers, the farmers, the traders, the teachers, the nurses, the builders of our nation. Our hope rests on our capacity to unite, to organise, and to deploy our numbers as a force for our own rescue and the redemption of our beloved country.
“This Christmas, we are reminded that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. But we must become that light without fear and direct it to shine consciously. We must not allow the forces that oppress us to divide us by tribe, religion, or region. Our strength lies in our unity. Let us forge a coalition of the righteous; a mighty, indivisible movement of the people; committed to building a nation that is truly egalitarian, a nation that caters for the majority, not a privileged few.”
