NLC Urges Caution On Decisions That Increase Hardship

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has urged the judiciary to exercise caution on issuing rulings that could increase hardships in the country.

Reacting to the suspension of allocations to the Rivers State government when he unveiled 10 new CNG-powered buses at the NLC secretariat in Port Harcourt yesterday, he advised the judiciary against embarking on what he called, “journey of self-destruction.”

Ajearo expressed concern that the decision could worsen the financial situation of workers in Rivers State. He added that while the NLC was refraining from taking a strong stance because the cases were ongoing in court, the Nigerian Bar Association, National Judicial Council and other bodies should consider the matter in accordance with established precedents.

The NLC president praised the recent approval of ₦85,000 minimum wage for the state’s workers.

He urged the state government to address unresolved issues such as unpaid hazard allowances for health workers from 2021 and the nine-year delay in teacher payments from state demonstration schools.

Ajaero emphasised the importance of expanding CNG infrastructure nationwide to support the functionality of the vehicles.

He sought CNG prices to be regulated to avoid the kind of inflation seen with petrol prices, noting that Nigeria has vast gas reserves.

He said the NLC had taken delivery of 60 CNG-powered buses and is distributing 10 to each geopolitical zone to test their efficiency.

He said Rivers is the first state in the South-South to receive the buses, adding that the union aims to make Rivers and Edo the hub for CNG operations in the region, with Edo already housing CNG stations.