{
  "id": 12067085,
  "title": "Ajaero: Tinubu’s ‘Age of Prosperity’ Yet to Reach Nigerian Workers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/ajaero-tinubus-age-of-prosperity-yet-to-reach-nigerian-workers",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-05T04:02:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/10/05/ajaero-tinubus-age-of-prosperity-yet-to-reach-nigerian-workers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The much-anticipated \"age of prosperity\" touted by President Bola Tinubu has yet to materialize for Nigeria's workers, according to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero. At the weekend, Ajaero criticized the federal government for not effectively engaging organized labor on policies impacting the working population. In his 66th Independence Day broadcast on October 1, Tinubu proclaimed that Nigeria had transitioned from emergency economic reforms to a period of prosperity, claiming the economic foundation had been repaired. However, Ajaero pointed out that the sharp rise in petrol, food, transportation, and accommodation costs had diminished workers' purchasing power, refuting the notion that falling inflation rates equated to cheaper prices for consumers. While the government often highlights falling inflation and other economic indicators as proof of progress, Ajaero maintained that ordinary Nigerians continue to face higher prices resulting from previous inflation rounds. He cited the removal of petrol subsidies and the subsequent increase in pump prices as evidence that the administration failed to cushion the impact of subsidies' removal through measures like cheaper Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transportation, vehicle conversion kits, cash transfers, or other interventions. Ajaero emphasized that the N70,000 minimum wage, negotiated partly based on assurances of support to offset subsidy removal consequences, had not yielded the intended relief for workers. He recalled Tinubu's willingness to pay up to N250,000 for the minimum wage during negotiations but cautioned that the government's constraints in the states and private sector prevented the implementation of such a high wage. The NLC leader stressed that even a N500,000 minimum wage would be insufficient if the cost of living continued to rise, as the value of the naira's decline and persistent increases in goods and services' prices negate any gains from higher nominal wages.",
  "summary": "*Says N1,500 petrol, high food, transport costs eroding N70,000 wage *Argues Tinubu, Atiku, Obi wrong on subsidy, SDP, Accord’s ideas better *Ex-VP demands details of N11.2tn NNPC security claims*Atiku, Amaechi:",
  "key_points": [
    "President Tinubu declared Nigeria in \"Age of Prosperity\" post-emergency reforms.",
    "NLC President Joe Ajaero criticized government for not engaging labor on impactful policies."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The criticism by Joe Ajaero implies that the government's economic progress claims have not translated to improved living standards for workers, contradicting President Tinubu's narrative of entering an \"age of prosperity\".",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}