Former leaders of Nigeria’s two major labour centres have intervened in the escalating dispute between the presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the Federal Government’s ₦70,000 transport allowance for workers.
The intervention follows a heated exchange between NLC President Joe Ajaero and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, which escalated into personal attacks during separate television appearances, raising concerns about unity within Nigeria’s organised labour movement.
Former NLC President Ayuba Wabba confirmed the intervention on Wednesday in Abuja, saying prominent labour veterans had held preliminary discussions with both union leaders and urged them to suspend further public exchanges.
Wabba described the disagreement as an internal family matter that should be resolved through dialogue rather than public confrontation.
He said the two leaders had accepted the intervention and agreed to halt hostilities pending a formal reconciliation meeting.
“It is a family misunderstanding between the two centres, and we have made it clear that workers’ organisations are supposed to be one because the objective is one and the aim is one,” he said.
Wabba identified the former labour leaders involved in the reconciliation effort as Peter Esele, Bobboi Kaigama, Hassan Sunmonu, Abdulwaheed Omar and himself.
He said the initiative was aimed not only at resolving the immediate disagreement but also at preventing similar disputes from undermining the labour movement in the future.
The disagreement reportedly began after Ajaero reached an agreement with the Federal Government on the ₦70,000 transport allowance without the participation of the TUC leadership.
While Ajaero maintained that the NLC had the authority to negotiate on behalf of its members, Osifo questioned the arrangement, arguing that the government should prioritise a permanent salary increase rather than a temporary financial intervention.
The Federal Government had announced the six-month transport allowance, beginning in November 2026, following negotiations with the NLC to cushion the impact of rising living and transportation costs.
The TUC has rejected the arrangement, describing it as inadequate and calling for an immediate improvement in workers’ salaries. It has also argued that temporary wage interventions have a history of inconsistent implementation.
The union has proposed that the ₦70,000 be incorporated into workers’ monthly salaries, while also demanding a substantial increase in the national minimum wage.
Despite the disagreement, Wabba said the labour veterans remained confident that the matter could be resolved through constructive engagement.
He added that a comprehensive reconciliation meeting would be convened once all the principal actors were available.
The former labour leader also appealed to the media to avoid sensationalising the disagreement, stressing that internal differences should not be allowed to weaken the collective interests of Nigerian workers.
The intervention comes amid growing concerns that the public disagreement between the two labour centres could undermine their ability to present a united front in negotiations with the Federal Government over workers’ welfare.
