The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused President Bola Tinubu of betraying them and using the price of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly called petrol, as bait.

According to organized labour, the N70,000 proposal by the federal government was accepted with the condition that there would be no increase in the petrol price.

NLC President Joe Ajaero made the disclosure at the opening of a two-day workshop in Lagos titled “Minimum Wage Implementation Workshop, Southern Zone.”

Ajaero, who has had conflicts with security agencies, said it was an attempt to distract the labour movement with allegations of “cybercrime, financing terrorism, sponsoring terrorism, and the rest.”

He noted that the current petrol prices undermined the benefits of the yet-to-be-implemented N70,000 national minimum wage, urging the government to urgently address the pressing issues of hunger, poverty, and frustration affecting Nigerians.

Ajaero recounted discussions with President Tinubu before the acceptance of the N70,000 minimum wage, stating that during negotiations, President Tinubu offered the option of accepting the N70,000 wage without further increase in fuel prices.

He added that alternatively, the president had given them a choice between accepting a higher wage of N250,000 and an increase in the pump price of fuel.

Ajaero said the labour movement opted for the choice of N70,000 considering the impact that further increases in fuel prices would have on the masses if labour settled for a wage of N250,000.

“There is a tactic to distract our attention, to call us names, level allegations against us over cybercrime, financing terrorism, sponsoring terrorism and the rest.

“Those things have paid off because while we are facing those allegations, this issue of pump price has remained.

“I repeat, we were betrayed by Mr President, That statement we issued over our being betrayed is being denied by officials of the government. I am repeating it that we were betrayed. Some of you here were at the meeting when Mr President said, Ajaero you are the problem,” he said.