Workers in Kogi State fully complied with the directive from the Organized Labour to embark on a nationwide strike over the new national minimum wage. This compliance, observed on Monday, saw the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) enforcement teams actively ensuring the closure of banks, petrol stations, government ministries, and parastatals in Lokoja, the state capital.
The strike resulted in partially deserted roads in Lokoja as leaders of the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) and the Motorcycle Organisation Association of Nigeria (MOAN) instructed their members to halt operations in solidarity.
At the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, Chief Medical Director Dr. Olatunde Alabi appealed to the enforcing team to allow the institution time to wind down operations, considering the critical conditions of some patients.
Managers of several filling stations, speaking anonymously, expressed support for the Organized Labour’s action, noting the exacerbated suffering under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Civil servants, also speaking anonymously, shared their disappointment with the Federal and State Governments’ failure to agree on a living wage.
“This government has succeeded in impoverishing many Nigerians. We thought electing Tinubu would bring relief after Buhari’s administration set us back. Many families can hardly afford three meals a day due to the high cost of living,” one worker lamented. “If the government believes the current minimum wage is sufficient, let the President, Senators, and other lawmakers receive the same wage and see if they can survive. This is pure wickedness from our elected representatives.”
The Chairman of the enforcement team and Deputy State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo, stated that the strike would continue until the government responds to the plight of suffering Nigerians. “The actions of Labour will be sustained until the government bows to the clarion call of Nigerians who are suffering and dying of hunger,” Eleojo asserted.
