By Kingston Magare 15.3.2026
Nigeria Labour Congress Sunday urged the Federal government to grant workers financial relief to cushion the effects of the recent spike in petrol prices.
According to the NLC the government need to pay workers “cost-of-living allowance, a wage award for workers, tax relief, and immediate steps to revive the country’s public refineries.
The NLC said sharp rise in fuel prices—now selling between N1,170 and N1,300 per litre—has worsened the economic hardship facing Nigerian workers and citizens, warning that the nation risks severe social unrest if urgent measures are not taken.
“NLC voices the collective anguish of millions of Nigerian workers who are bearing the brutal cost of a global capitalist crisis they did not create,” NLC president Joe Ajaero said in a statement Sunday.
“The military escalation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has sent shockwaves through global oil markets. As a result, petrol prices in Nigeria have skyrocketed to between N1,170 and N1,300 per litre.
“This is a direct assault on the Nigerian people. While imperialist rivalries play out abroad with bombs and military escalation, Nigeria’s working class is being bombarded with poverty and hunger because we have failed to ensure that our public refineries are operational.
“This crisis has brutally exposed the fragility of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector. It has stripped away the illusion that local refining alone would shield the country from global shocks. The Dangote Refinery has adjusted its prices in line with global volatility, passing the burden directly to the masses. This undermines the narrative that domestic production alone guarantees price stability.
“As long as Nigeria remains dependent on a market-driven pricing structure tied to global fluctuations, and refuses to revive its public refining capacity, the country will remain hostage to international conflicts and market speculation.
“The NLC had earlier warned about the danger of sabotaging public refineries in ways that could create monopolistic control in the downstream sector. This moment must serve as a wake-up call to the managers of Nigeria’s economy.”
“No nation achieves economic independence by exporting jobs and importing prices. The government must immediately halt the decay of the public sector and ensure the full rehabilitation and operation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries. This is not a favour but the right of the Nigerian people, enabling the country to cushion itself against an increasingly hostile global economic environment.
“The soaring cost of petrol, PMS, and diesel (AGO) has made transportation a heavy burden on workers. Food inflation continues to rise, while meagre wages are being swallowed by the rising cost of living. When workers cannot afford transportation to their workplaces, the economy stalls. When families cannot afford three meals a day, society sits on a keg of gunpowder.
“The government cannot foreclose any action that would offer relief to the people. It is the duty of the state to act decisively to prevent the suffering of its citizens, rather than helplessly attributing the crisis solely to the Middle East conflict.”