By Charles Mgbolu
Nigerian workers commemorating 2024 May Day on Wednesday have expressed concerns about the rising food prices and fuel scarcity in the country.
Petrol shortages have worsened in Nigeria's major cities, with long, winding queues at fuel outlets on Monday, crippling transport and businesses.
Frank Ajayi, who works in Ibadan, Oyo State, south-west Nigeria, told TRT Afrika that the current situation threatens workers’ survival.
“It is practically impossible now to make any kind of savings. The constant scarcity of fuel has hiked transportation costs, which in turn has impacted food costs. Whatever you earn as a salary is completely exhausted before the end of every month.’’
Employability
Ruth Oga, who works as a human resources officer at Lagos, told TRT Afrika that rising inflation is impacting employment figures as most business owners are struggling to pay salaries.
“Many companies are stalling in recruitment exercises because they are more concerned with taking care of workers that they already have, and they are struggling to pay their salaries every month because of inflation.’’
Several workers unions in Nigeria have expressed concern about the economic hardship, lamenting the high prices of food, which make it difficult to make ends meet.
In March, Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 31.70% as against 29.90% recorded in January, according to data released by Nigeria’s Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Pay rise
On Tuesday, the federal government announced it had raised salaries for government workers by between 25% and 35%, backdated to January, the salaries commission said, as Africa's biggest economy grapples with its worst cost of living crisis in nearly three decades.
The lowest-paid government employee will earn 450,000 naira ($323.97) a year, or 37,500 monthly, the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission said in a statement.
The increase covers all federal government employees, including those in the health, education, and security sectors.
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
