Labour Demands Review Of New Tax Laws At Sunmonu’s Book Launch

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has appealed to the federal government to urgently review the recently enacted tax laws, warning that the measures place disproportionate burdens on workers and the poor.

The demand was made yesterday in Abuja by NLC president, Mr Joe Ajaero, during the launch of the memoir of the congress’s founding president, Hassan Summonu, alongside activities marking his 85th birthday.

Ajaero said the occasion underpinned the need for the government to engage more sincerely with organised labour, particularly on fiscal and social policies that directly affect working people.

He faulted the process that produced the tax laws, alleging that Nigerian workers and other major taxpayers were excluded from key deliberations, including the Presidential Committee on Tax.

According to him, labour had warned that the outcome would worsen inequality, a concern he said had materialised in provisions that tax the national minimum wage and deepen hardship among low-income earners.

The NLC president also raised concerns about rising public debt, questioning the transparency surrounding government borrowing and its impact on the economy.

He urged the authorities to pause the implementation of the tax regime, clarify conflicting provisions and redirect policy in a manner consistent with social justice and democratic accountability.

He said, “We use this platform to demand as Comrade Sunmonu would have, that the federal government immediately address the concerns of Nigerians concerning the tax law instead of the present grandstanding by Mr Oyedele and Zach.”

Ajaero also called for the immediate constitution of the board of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), and for broader institutional reforms that strengthen governance rather than undermine public trust. He said policies designed without labour’s input were prone to crisis and instability.

Summonu’s memoir, “Organise, Don’t Agonise”, Ajaero noted, remains a rallying call for collective action and principled engagement.

He said the NLC would continue to draw inspiration from the labour icon’s philosophy as it presses for wage reviews, fair taxation and economic policies that prioritise the welfare of the majority.