The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of betraying workers through excessive taxation, rising tariffs, and failure to honour agreements.  Speaking at the 6th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) in Lagos State on Friday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, condemned the government’s economic policies, warning that workers would not remain silent in the face of hardship.  “We must resist the attempt to tax the Nigerian people to death,” Ajaero declared. He criticised the government for neglecting its regulatory responsibilities and prioritising corporate interests over the well-being of citizens. “At a time when the minimum wage is not being implemented appropriately, and federal civil servants are having their salaries arbitrarily reduced, we cannot remain silent.  “These actions are not just unjust; they are a betrayal of the social contract between the government and the people,” he said. Ajaero commended the outgoing MWUN leadership under Adewale Adeyanju for strengthening the union and defending maritime workers’ rights.  He urged members to elect leaders committed to continuing the struggle for fair wages, decent working conditions, and a stronger labour movement. “The new leadership must surpass the achievements of the past,” Ajaero emphasised. “It must take the union to greater heights and ensure that workers ultimately win,” he added. He also warned against increasing authoritarian tendencies in governance, insisting that the labour movement would not tolerate dictatorship or economic oppression. “We must resist the concentration of power in the hands of a few and the systematic subversion of constitutional order,” he said. Ajaero called on Nigerian workers to remain vigilant and organised, assuring them that the NLC would continue to push back against policies that undermine their welfare. “Our struggle is not just about the maritime sector or the MWUN alone,” he said. “It is a struggle for the soul of Nigeria – a struggle to build a nation where the rights of workers are respected, where labour is justly rewarded, and where the welfare of every citizen is prioritised.” As MWUN elects new leadership, Ajaero urged delegates to make informed choices, warning that the future of the labour movement depended on their decisions.