The 2025 Workers’ Day commemoration in Rivers State has been characterized by organized labor as an opportunity for somber reflection on President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s economic policies, which it claims have made life more difficult for Nigerians, especially the labor force.

Comrade Alex Agwanwor, the chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Rivers State chapter, spoke at the Workers’ Day event on Thursday at the NLC State Secretariat in Port Harcourt. He blasted the Federal Government for enacting several taxes so quickly after approving the proposed N70,000 minimum wage without sufficient consultation with Nigerian workers.

According to Agwanwor, the existing minimum wage is not enough to alleviate the current level of economic suffering.

“While employees rejoice over the approval of the N70,000 minimum salary, they are hampered by laws that have drastically decreased their

Comrade Agwanwor praised Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor, for putting the welfare of Rivers State’s workers first in spite of their reservations.

In order to lessen the effects of the current economic climate, he further commended retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the only administrator, for authorizing a consequential adjustment for pensions of N33,000.

A list of demands was also presented to the state government by the NLC, which included “the prompt payment of gratuities to retired workers, citing the state’s financial capacity to meet this obligation; implementation of promotion and salary increments for non-teaching staff in state-owned polytechnics; recognition and protection of the rights of e-hailing drivers; regularization of entry-level placement for graduate nurses employed in the state civil service; extension of the retirement age and service years for health workers.”

In order to effectively mentor younger nurses, the labor union contended that the current retirement age and years of service were insufficient.