Spokesperson for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Benson Upah, has strongly criticised the federal government over unpaid wage awards, arrears, and allowances, describing the delay as a “betrayal of trust” and “shameful,” despite workers’ enduring patience and goodwill.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Friday, NLC spokesperson Upah did not mince words as he condemned what he termed the government’s continued failure to meet its financial commitments to Nigerian workers.

“This is a betrayal of trust and an abuse of our patience,” Upah declared. “It’s completely unacceptable.”

While acknowledging that a committee is already working to address the situation, Upah insisted that it does not excuse the government’s inaction. “Nonetheless, we are not going to take this lying low,” he said.

“What the government has done is shameful. You must create value around your workers, around your citizens. You must dignify them. That way, they feel proud to be citizens of the country from which they come.”

He warned that the government’s dismissive treatment of workers could only breed disillusionment. “But worse, you begin to treat them like chewing gum under your shoe. Certainly, that will create rejection, resentment. Now, there is no justification whatsoever for the government to have done what it has done.”

Upah accused the administration of prioritising profit over people. “They have made humongous money for themselves. They devalued the national currency. They removed a fuel subsidy.

“They raised tariffs, raised taxes. The little that could have come to the ordinary worker—the drivers of the political leadership—still feel that these people are not deserving. It’s a shame.”

When asked to respond to critics who claim the NLC has not done enough to follow through after negotiating the minimum wage agreement, Upah rejected the accusation.

“We didn’t abandon the trenches. We didn’t abandon our obligatory role. We are very much on duty. You may not have seen us on the streets, but I tell you, we have not been sleeping on our hours,” he said.

He added that the NLC remains the “only viable alternative source of creative opposition,” stressing that the group’s advocacy is not politically motivated but rooted in the welfare of Nigerian workers.

“Ours is to ensure that the government of the day does the right thing. Anyone who aspires to leadership, particularly national leadership, must of necessity have a vision,” he said.

“Here we have a case of President Bola Tinubu. He came by way of market fundamentalism. The first major policy decision he took was the removal of fuel subsidy. In that singular act, he dealt with the victims of fuel subsidy and not the criminals—even when there were existing reports.”

He went further, criticising the devaluation of the naira, increases in tariffs and taxes, and the consequent economic hardship.

“He devalued the national currency without any benefit accruing to this country. He pauperised the people. Today, you and I can’t even afford the basic things that keep life going.

“He raised tariffs, which have negatively impacted the productive sector. Today, you and I cannot even put a ceiling fan in the parlour,” Upah said.

On the perception that Tinubu’s economic reforms are widely supported, Upah disagreed sharply. “Those who are applauding those policies are not Nigerians. They are from Washington. And we have told them, you will not do this to your own people.”

He directed a blunt message to the President: “Our message to President Bola Tinubu is that these people didn’t vote for you—we voted for you. Your policies must of necessity have a human face.”

Reacting to recent comparisons of Tinubu’s performance with past administrations, Upah said, “It’s cheap and ridiculous when one funny character said that the contributions from President Obasanjo to Yar’Adua to Jonathan are not as much as what Bola Tinubu has done in two years. I mean, why do you have charlatans like that in the congregants of power? It’s a joke.”

On the issue of arrears, Upah clarified that while some precede the current administration, the majority fall within President Tinubu’s tenure.

“Take, for instance, the issue of wage award. It has become a recurring decimal. What does it cost the government to pay these workers wage award? The government voluntarily offered to pay wage award pending the perfection of the national minimum wage process,” he said.

He stressed that political leaders continue to live in comfort while everyday workers struggle. “The political leaders are not missing anything. So what does it cost the government to pay these workers their entitlements?”

“It doesn’t have to be about party. It has to be that the citizenry are deserving of dignified treatment. They are deserving of honour. These demands are true, they are justifiable, and the government must come clean by honouring its commitment to pay,”he concluded.

Boluwatife Enome

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