The Nigeria Labour Congress has urged journalists to hold politicians accountable for their plans to improve workers’ welfare ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It insisted that Nigeria needs a living wage rather than a statutory minimum wage that fails to meet basic needs.
The NLC Assistant Secretary, Chris Onyeka, made the call in a goodwill message delivered at the third annual labour conference of the Labour Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday.
The congress also called on LACAN to support the struggle for better wages, job security and social protection, warning that economic reforms that suppress workers’ earnings in the name of stabilisation are detrimental to workers.
“Minimum wage is not a charitable gesture; it is the price of labour power, and any economic reform that suppresses wages in the name of ‘stabilisation’ is a reform against the worker, not for the economy,” Onyeka said.
He described the forthcoming 2027 elections and negotiations for a new national minimum wage as critical opportunities to address the hardship confronting Nigerian workers.
“The battle for a living wage—not just a minimum wage—is a class struggle, and it requires a media that is armed with the truth, not compromised by the corridors of power,” he said.
Onyeka urged labour correspondents to scrutinise political parties’ economic proposals and demand clear commitments on workers’ welfare rather than allowing campaign promises to go unchallenged.
On the future of work, he warned that increasing casualisation, the expansion of the platform economy and the weakening of conventional employment arrangements could undermine workers’ rights and collective bargaining.
“The Nigerian worker is already living in a dystopian version of this future: casualised, underpaid, and increasingly invisible in a digital economy that extracts value while denying rights,” he said.
He maintained that technological advancement and changing employment patterns must not come at the expense of decent work, fair recruitment and social protection.
The NLC assistant secretary also urged LACAN to strengthen its participation in the Nigeria Union of Journalists, arguing that journalists needed strong professional institutions to defend press freedom and protect their working conditions.
“You cannot defend the rights of workers if your own house is not in order. The struggle for press freedom is intrinsically linked to the struggle for workers’ rights,” he said.
Onyeka further cautioned labour correspondents against reporting that could deepen divisions within the labour movement, particularly over resolutions reached between organised labour and the Federal Government.
He urged the association to provide clarity on industrial relations issues and avoid amplifying propaganda or unverified claims.
“Report the facts; do not amplify propaganda,” he said.
He called on LACAN to adopt a reporting approach that gave greater attention to casual workers, low-income earners and other vulnerable groups whose concerns were often overlooked in policy discussions.
Onyeka reaffirmed the NLC’s commitment to working with the association but urged labour correspondents to be more creative and consistent in examining the effects of government policies on ordinary Nigerians.
He said the media had an important role to play in ensuring that economic reforms translated into improved living conditions rather than imposing additional hardship on workers and the poor.
