Amidst the policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration, Organised Labour has embarked on street protests across Nigeria, voicing their grievances in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and various states, including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, has assured citizens that the protest would continue until the government provided a desired response.
In the midst of these current protests, one may ponder whether such demonstrations still yield results in Nigeria. To shed light on this question, let's take a trip down memory lane and examine how previous nationwide demonstrations organised by the NLC unfolded and what outcomes they brought.
1. Nationwide protest against fuel price hike (2012):
In January 2012, Nigerian labour unions, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), organised a nationwide protest in response to the government's decision to remove fuel subsidies, causing a significant increase in fuel prices. The protests led to widespread civil unrest and mass demonstrations across the country, with many Nigerians expressing their dissatisfaction and frustrations.
The protest eventually ended after the government and labor unions reached a compromise. The government agreed to partially restore fuel subsidies, reducing the fuel prices but not to the pre-subsidy removal levels.
2. Strike over minimum wage (2018):
In September 2018, Nigerian organised labour, led by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), held a nationwide strike to demand an increase in the minimum wage for workers. The unions demanded that the government increase the minimum wage from ₦18,000 to ₦30,000 to address the rising cost of living.
After several days of protests and negotiations, the Nigerian government agreed to the demands of the labor unions, and President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Minimum Wage Bill into law in April 2019, increasing the minimum wage to ₦30,000.
3. Strike against electricity tariff hike (2020):
In September 2020, Nigerian labor unions, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), embarked on a nationwide strike and protests to oppose the government's decision to increase electricity tariffs. The unions argued that the tariff hike would lead to further hardship for ordinary citizens and businesses still rocovering from the strokes of the COVID-19 Lockdown.
After several days of demonstrations and negotiations, the government reached an agreement with the labor unions. The implementation of the electricity tariff hike was suspended, and both parties agreed to work together to find a sustainable solution to the electricity pricing issue.