Thursday, December 25, 2025 - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged Nigerians to reject any tax law that “was distorted or falsified”, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and fairness in the formulation of fiscal policies.
The labour body stressed that laws affecting workers must be
carefully crafted to avoid serious errors or political manipulations that could
harm the majority.
In a statement titled, “Our hope lies in collective action”,
NLC President Joe Ajaero highlighted the need for workers to unite in
protecting their interests, wages, pensions, and dignity.
Ajaero called for social and tax justice, insisting that all
citizens must have access to quality healthcare, education, and security, while
workers’ rights and rewards are respected.
The statement in part reads
“It is
better to patiently craft a law that is broadly co-created and owned than rush
into one filled with serious errors and outright political manipulations.
We must
insist on social justice where all citizens have access to dignity, good
healthcare, and quality education; greater equity for workers where labour is
justly rewarded and rights are respected; and a safe and secure nation where
lives and properties are guaranteed and people can move about their businesses
without fear or intimidation.”
Ajaero further emphasized that the power of workers lies in
unity and collective action. He urged Nigerians to stand together to resist
policies that inflict suffering and exploit the population, warning against
divisions based on tribe, religion, or region. He concluded by encouraging
workers to begin mobilizing from their local communities to build a stronger,
more organized movement capable of shaping the nation’s future.
“Our hope of
a revival is not passive and it is not a mere wish. It is built on a concrete
foundation: our collective power and the action that it can potentiate,” the
statement added.
Specifically on Christmas, NLC said
“As we
gather with our families and communities to mark the 2025 Christmas and festive
season, we at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) extend our very warm fraternal
greetings and wishes of peace, joy, and rejuvenation to each and every one of
you; the Nigerian workers and masses.
This season,
rooted in hope, love, and the promise of a new dawn, speaks deeply to our
current national reality. A reality that may seem to overwhelm us with the
unrelenting assault on our various pillars of survival as workers and citizens
but in which, fortunately, presents an opportunity.
We
acknowledge that for millions of our members and compatriots, life and living
have been profoundly challenging if not completely unbearable. The weight of
economic hardship, policies that inflict suffering, and forces that press our
nation into the morass of servitude and hardship can make the present seem
bleak.
Yet, the
eternal message of this season is one of hope emerging from hardship. It is
that which speaks to the fact that no matter how dark the night may seem, there
is always a flicker of light. A dot of light glowing in our hearts, in our
bodies, and in our voices.
Our hope of
a revival is not passive and it is not a mere wish. It is built on a concrete
foundation: our collective power and the action that it can potentiate.
We are the
many; the workers, the farmers, the traders, the teachers, the nurses, the
builders of our nation. Our hope rests on our capacity to unite, to organise,
and to deploy our numbers as a force for our own rescue and the redemption of
our beloved country.
This
Christmas, we are reminded that the light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it. But we must become that light without fear and
direct it to shine consciously. We must not allow the forces that oppress us to
divide us by tribe, religion, or region.
Our strength
lies in our unity. Let us forge a coalition of the righteous; a mighty,
indivisible movement of the people; committed to building a nation that is
truly egalitarian, a nation that caters for the majority, not a privileged
few.”
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