The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a strong warning to the National Assembly over its reported plans to transfer labour matters  including the minimum wage from the exclusive to the concurrent legislative list, a move that would allow states to set their own wage standards.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, speaking at a high-level meeting in Abeokuta, described the proposal as a threat to workers’ welfare and vowed that the labour movement would resist it with nationwide protests if necessary  even up to election day.

“This is not just an ill-conceived idea; it’s a direct attempt to dismantle the national wage structure,” Ajaero said, accusing lawmakers of trying to erode hard-won protections for Nigerian workers.

He argued that global labour practices treat minimum wage as a national issue, not something to be fragmented by regional authorities. He cited international conventions, particularly those of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which view member states as single entities in wage matters.

Ajaero also pushed back against suggestions that states should run independent industrial courts, saying it would further weaken central labour protections and violate ILO principles.

Currently, Nigeria’s national minimum wage is set at N70,000, but Ajaero noted that states already have the freedom to pay more. “What we won’t accept is any attempt to go below the floor,” he stated, warning that decentralising the wage structure would leave millions of workers vulnerable.

The labour leader also called for the Supreme Court to give a clearer interpretation of its stance on local government autonomy to ensure it is fully implemented in line with constitutional expectations.

In his message to the National Assembly, Ajaero said: “If you’re not ready to let your own states determine your salaries, don’t touch ours.”