Protest Looms As Labour Leaders Allege ‘Hellish Conditions’ For Nigerian Workers, Alerts ILO, UN

A looming protest is on the horizon as two prominent labour leaders, Andrew Emelieze and Itoro Obong, have raised alarm over what they describe as the persistent exploitation and harsh treatment of Nigerian workers by the Federal Government.

In a formal letter addressed to the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations (UN), the duo accused the government of neglecting workers’ welfare and subjecting them to unbearable economic hardship.

Emelieze, a former Oyo State chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Obong, who serves as vice chairman of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists in Akwa Ibom, jointly submitted the petition under the banner of the Federal Workers’ Forum (FWF), a platform representing federal workers across various sectors, excluding political appointees.

In their letter, which was shared with The Guardian in Ibadan, the duo not only highlighted the historical mistreatment of civil servants but also revealed their intention to launch an indefinite protest starting April 22, 2025.

They accused successive governments of failing to prioritise workers’ welfare, stating that all arms of government had a hand in the systemic injustices against the workforce.

The letter read: “We are members of the Federal Workers Forum, a labour movement and an advocacy group of the federal workforce in Nigeria. Our membership covers all sectors of the federal public service in Nigeria except the political office holders.

“We are writing to bring to your attention the age-long exploitation of the Nigerian workers by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Over the years, our governments, across all levels, have been playing lip service to the welfare of the Nigerian workers.

“The executive branch has been very harsh on workers through their ugly policies, and our legislature, the National Assembly, and other regional assembly have never legislated in support of a decent work/wage, nor has our judiciary ensured justice for the Nigerian workers. The current government in Nigeria has not proven different from the past administration in Nigeria. Workers don’t count to them, and they have treated them with disdain and so much disrespect.”

Criticising the current administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the FWF leaders lamented worsening conditions for civil servants, especially with stagnant salaries and soaring living costs.

“The current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been very unfair and hostile to the Nigerian workers. While salaries have remained abysmally poor, President Tinubu and his team have continued to attack workers through their anti-workers policies, as we have seen in hikes in the price of petroleum products, the deliberate devaluation of our national currency (the naira) and hikes in the price of everything in the face of double digits inflation. President Tinubu is subjecting the Nigerian workers to hellish conditions, and he has shown a lack of interest in the wellbeing of the workers,” they added.