Sustain food imports due to insecurity, TUC tells govt

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to continue importing food until insecurity is resolved and farmers can resume their work, warning that discontinuation could lead to higher prices for staple foods. TUC President-General Festus Osifo made this appeal in Abuja, addressing economic challenges faced by workers and Nigerians.

Despite some macroeconomic indicators stabilizing, Osifo noted that improvements had yet to translate into relief for workers, traders, and households struggling with high living costs. Rising food, fuel, and other household costs remain a concern, with the cost of preparing staple jollof rice more than doubling since President Bola Tinubu took office.

Osifo recalled the union's 15-point demand to the Federal Government, emphasizing the need to tackle food insecurity and workers' purchasing power erosion. He stated that the TUC supports food imports as long as insecurity prevents farmers from accessing their farms, which is limiting domestic supply. Osifo urged the government to address insecurity and boost domestic food production before halting food imports.

He also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to take further measures to strengthen the naira, which remains undervalued. The naira has improved from around N1,700-N1,800 to the dollar to N1,380-N1,400 currently but remains too high in Osifo's view. He advocated for a rate between N900 and N1,000 to the dollar to reflect in inflation figures and cost of goods.

The TUC's position aligns with ongoing labour pushes for a renewed review of workers' wages, less than two years after the N70,000 minimum wage took effect.