Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has faulted Nigeria’s new tax reform laws.
According to him, workers were shut out of the process and are now bearing the brunt of policies that worsen hardship for low-income earners.
Ajaero stated this on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, in Abuja during the 85th birthday celebration and public presentation of the memoir of Hassan Summonu, a former NLC President.
According to the labour leader, workers were deliberately excluded from the presidential tax reform process despite being among the country’s largest taxpayers.
He said,
“The Tax Laws went through a process that clearly excluded Nigerian workers and masses who are the major taxpayers in Nigeria.
“From the Presidential Committee on Tax, which Nigerian workers were deliberately excluded from, we knew that workers and the masses were going to be on the menu. We alerted and warned the nation.
“The Legislative process followed, and again we warned of the dangers, but no one listened. Today, the result is clear: laws designed to make workers and the poor even poorer.
“A tax law that imposes a heavy burden on workers and the poor is not progressive. A tax that taxes the national minimum wage is unfair. Taxing people who are already living in excruciating poverty is regressive.”
Ajaero described the new tax regime as regressive, arguing that it places heavier obligations on those already struggling under hard economic conditions.
He added, “Insisting on going ahead is like groping in confusion and darkness, especially when there is uncertainty over which version of the law is authentic. This pattern undermines tax administration and poses a serious threat to our democracy.
“This government’s legacy should be about building credible, foundational laws that strengthen institutions, not weaken them. When you sideline key stakeholders, distort Acts of Parliament, and govern by force, you erode public trust and endanger national stability.
Democracy goes beyond elections; it rests on the rule of law, strong institutions, and governance that serves the majority.”
The NLC President also urged the Federal Government to fully constitute the Board of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) and engage labour unions more meaningfully in policies that affect workers.
“We use this platform to demand, as Comrade Summonu would have done, that the Federal Government immediately and fully constitute the PENCOM Board and urgently address the concerns Nigerians have raised about the tax laws, rather than the current grandstanding by Mr Oyedele and Zach,” Ajaero said.
He further reiterated labour’s call for the government to address workers’ wages ahead of the next statutory negotiations on the national minimum wage.
“Let this celebration of a life dedicated to organising inspire a new direction. Government must move from agonising the people to organising with them.
“We need a democracy that delivers economic liberation, where national wealth works for the welfare of the people. On this note, we again call on the Federal Government to urgently address workers’ wages before the next round of minimum wage negotiations,” he said.
The new tax reform laws have continued to face opposition from various quarters, with critics calling for further review amid allegations by the National Assembly that the gazetted versions of four laws differ from what lawmakers passed.
The controversy, which includes claims of post-passage alterations, has triggered calls for the suspension of the laws’ implementation.
However, in a State House press release signed by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, the Presidency said no substantial issue had been established to justify halting the tax reform process.
The statement added that trust is built over time through sound decisions, not through hasty or reactive actions.
The new tax laws officially took effect on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
