Minimum Wage: How Labour Leaders Betrayed Workers – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo accuses labour leaders of betraying Nigerian workers in the ongoing struggle for a fair minimum wage.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has strongly criticized the N70,000 minimum wage endorsed by President Bola Tinubu for Nigerian workers, describing it as insufficient to cover essential expenses like transportation, food, and housing.

Obasanjo voiced concerns that the sum is significantly insufficient to tackle the increasing cost of living in the country.

He further alleged that labor leaders have betrayed workers by placing their personal interests above the collective well-being of Nigeria’s workforce.

This is the state of affairs in Nigeria during the 2020s.

“In his newly released book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future,’ Obasanjo noted that the minimum wage fails to cover transportation expenses for some workers, not to mention food, housing, and family maintenance.”

In Chapter 17 of the book, Obasanjo claimed that a labor leader had been neglectful of leaders while focusing on personal interests.

Workers deserve more focus and support than they currently receive. It is their rightful entitlement, which has been withheld for far too long. Those entrusted to safeguard their interests have instead become the source of injustice against them.

How did a trade union leader manage to negotiate with a political party for selection as a gubernatorial candidate while still holding office?

Due to their political ambitions, the majority of union leaders fall short of the effectiveness anticipated by the founding fathers.

As a result, the workers become victims of self-serving leaders who exploit their roles to gain political advantage.

Instead of negotiating on behalf of the workers, they resort to sabre-rattling. Once called into the room, large sums of money are handed to them, prompting their silence.

“This has been happening since 2015, and it’s only deteriorating further.”

Obasanjo also condemned government officials who publicly confessed to bribing labor leaders to quell their protests.

How can we account for a high-ranking official with close ties to the President stating, “We have compensated them to maintain silence and cease their agitation”?

How are these labor leaders and their unions contributing to the nation’s advancement? A frustrated and demoralized worker cannot perform at their best.

Obasanjo recognized everyone’s right to participate in politics but contended that it was unethical for labor leaders to leverage their unions as platforms for political advancement, citing a conflict of interest.

He suggested a law that mandates labor leaders to wait a minimum of five years after stepping down from office before engaging in political activities.

On July 29, 2024, Tinubu enacted the N70,000 minimum wage law following successful negotiations with organized labor and the private sector concluded on July 18 of that year.

This brought an end to months of negotiations during which Tinubu negotiated labor’s initial demand from N250,000 per month down to N70,000 per month.

Prior to this, the country’s minimum wage was N33,000, which former President Muhammadu Buhari enacted into law on April 18, 2019.