The Presidency has firmly denied allegations made by Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of betraying labour leaders by increasing the petrol pump price. Ajaero had claimed that the NLC agreed to the N70,000 national minimum wage based on an understanding that there would be no further hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, refuted these claims on his verified X handle, stating that he was present during the two meetings where President Tinubu met with labour leaders. According to Abdulaziz, at no point during these meetings was an offer made or agreed upon that linked the minimum wage agreement to a freeze on fuel price increases.
He labeled Ajaero’s accusations as “dirty politics,” intended to manipulate the emotions of Nigerians.
“I sat through the two meetings President @officialABAT had with Labour leaders on minimum wage. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange for the fuel price hike,” Abdulaziz clarified, underscoring that Ajaero’s claims are a distortion of the actual discussions that took place.
