The Nigeria Labour Congress has announced that it will consult its internal decision-making bodies before reaching a final position on its proposed nationwide protest, following a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
The closed-door engagement took place in the early hours of Wednesday, December 17, 2025, and lasted for less than one hour. Labour leaders said the meeting was part of ongoing consultations over widespread economic hardship and unresolved wage-related demands affecting workers across the country. Okay News reports that the discussions form part of intensified efforts by the Federal Government to prevent an escalation into industrial action.
Speaking shortly after the meeting, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, explained that the union would not take unilateral decisions without broad consultation among its leadership structures.
“We came for consultation with the President, and we are finished, so we have to go back to our meeting and then continue tomorrow. By tomorrow, we will get the outcome,” Ajaero said.
When asked whether the planned protest would still go ahead, he declined to give a definitive answer, stressing the collective nature of the union’s decision-making process.
“If I am insisting or I am not insisting, I will communicate to you. It is not an organisation that one person rules. We will go back to the drawing board and digest all that Mr President said to us, and move forward from there,” he stated.
Ajaero further disclosed that the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, alongside its state councils nationwide, would carefully assess the assurances given by the President before announcing a final position later on Wednesday.
Also present at the meeting was Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who described the engagement as part of an ongoing dialogue between labour and government.
“Consultation is going on. We were dialoguing. At the end of the day, you will know what you are supposed to know and what you want to know,” Uzodimma said.
Pressed on what Nigerians should expect from the talks, the governor added, “Of course, we are here to serve the country, both the labour, the government and the governed. We are all working service to the nation.”
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, also spoke after the meeting, noting that leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, alongside citizens who are members of the union, had requested the audience with the President.
“They are happy they have seen Mr President, and they have firsthand that at least the President has driven the economy out of the woods, so it is very good news,” she said.
The meeting comes amid sustained consultations by labour unions over a proposed nationwide strike and protest, as workers continue to express concerns about rising living costs and wage pressures. In recent weeks, the Presidency and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum have increased engagements with union leaders, urging dialogue as a means of resolving disputes without disrupting economic and social activities.
