The organised labour has again asked the federal government to immediately suspend the implementation of the new tax laws, threatening a possible nationwide confrontation with workers if its concerns are ignored.
The warning was issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, during the launch of a memoir in honour of a former NLC President, Hassan Summonu, to mark his 85th birthday.
Ajaero said the tax laws were drafted and implemented without the input of workers in both the public and private sectors, despite being the country’s major taxpayers, describing the laws as regressive and an added burden on low-income earners.
He said, “From the Presidential Committee on Tax to the legislative process, Nigerian workers were deliberately excluded. We warned the nation, but no one listened,” hence that the outcome was a set of laws that worsened hardship for workers and the poor.
He further said, “Any tax law that taxes people living in extreme poverty cannot be described as fair or progressive.”
Ajaero urged the government to pause, review and redirect the process, stressing that credible laws must strengthen institutions rather than undermine them.
The senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, urged labour leaders to rise and challenge any policy they deem unfair rather than grumbling, saying mere complaints can’t solve whatever grievance they have.
The former NLC President said even if the labour movement complains from now till tomorrow, nobody would listen to them except they challenge the policy.
Meanwhile, former president Olusegun Obasanjo said his decision to reform Nigeria’s organised labour during his presidency was driven by the need to establish an independent and nationally controlled labour movement.
Obasanjo noted that although he was not a labour expert, his priority was to safeguard Nigeria’s independence.
He said the reforms improved government–labour relations while preserving the union’s independence.
He praised Summonu for strengthening labour leadership in Nigeria and expanding its influence across Africa and globally.
