A major protest is coming as two top labour leaders, Andrew Emelieze and Itoro Obong, say Nigerian workers are being treated badly by the Federal Government. In a strong message sent to the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation, they said workers are suffering and can no longer survive under the current economic hardship.
Emelieze, a former TUC leader, and Obong, a pharmacist leader in Akwa Ibom, wrote on behalf of the Federal Workers’ Forum, a group that speaks for government workers across Nigeria (except politicians). They said workers have been ignored for years and things are now worse than ever. According to them, the government keeps making life harder for workers with bad policies and no salary increase, while prices of fuel and goods keep rising.
They warned that an indefinite protest will start on April 22, 2025 if nothing changes. They blamed both past and present governments, including President Tinubu’s administration, for the suffering of Nigerian workers, saying salaries are too poor and workers are treated with no respect. They said, “We’re being punished for working,” and they are ready to fight for their rights.