The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the country’s worsening cost-of-living crisis following the sharp rise in petrol prices triggered by tensions in the Middle East.

In a press statement issued on March 13 and signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, the labour union said Nigerian workers are bearing the heavy burden of a global crisis they did not create, warning that rising fuel costs could further deepen poverty and economic hardship across the country.

The NLC said the military escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran has disrupted global oil markets, pushing petrol prices in Nigeria to between N1,170 and N1,300 per litre.

According to the union, the situation has exposed the vulnerability of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector and highlighted the country’s continued dependence on global market forces.

The labour body noted that the recent price adjustments by the Dangote Refinery in response to international oil market volatility have shown that local refining alone cannot shield Nigerians from global price shocks if domestic refining capacity remains limited and tied to market-driven pricing.

It also reiterated its long-standing concern that Nigeria’s public refineries have remained largely non-functional, arguing that the failure to operationalise them has left the country exposed to external disruptions.

The NLC urged the government to immediately restore operations at the Port Harcourt Refinery, Warri Refinery and Kaduna Refinery to strengthen domestic refining capacity and cushion the impact of global oil price volatility.

The union warned that rising prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) are driving up transportation costs, worsening food inflation and eroding workers’ already strained incomes.

“The cost of PMS and AGO has made transportation a noose around workers’ necks. Food inflation is galloping, and meager wages are being swallowed by this induced scarcity. When a worker cannot afford to go to work, the economy stops. When a family cannot afford three meals a day, society sits on a keg of gunpowder,” the statement said.

The NLC further urged the government to deploy the projected oil revenue windfall from the Middle East crisis to support Nigerian citizens.

Citing projections by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), the union said Nigeria could earn about N30 trillion in additional oil revenue due to the ongoing conflict.

It insisted that the expected windfall must be used to cushion the impact of the crisis on citizens rather than being mismanaged as previous oil windfalls.

Among its key demands, the NLC called for an immediate wage award and the introduction of a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for workers to offset the impact of inflation.

The union also demanded an expansion and overhaul of the government’s cash transfer programmes to ensure they reach vulnerable Nigerians, alongside tax relief for workers and the suspension of what it described as regressive taxes on low-income earners.

It further called for transparency and accountability regarding funds previously spent on turnaround maintenance of the nation’s refineries.

The labour body urged the government to engage in sincere dialogue with workers and the broader public to address the growing economic pressures facing Nigerians.

“The government must engage in sincere social dialogue with Nigerian workers and the broader citizenry. Using the Middle East war as an excuse to further impoverish Nigerians is unacceptable. The primary duty of government is to ensure the welfare of the citizenry. We demand action. We demand justice. We demand survival,” the statement added.