Delta NLC Rejects New Civil Service Dress Code

The Delta State Council of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has openly opposed the state government’s newly introduced dress code for civil servants, describing it as unnecessary and burdensome for workers already struggling with low wages.

Speaking in pidgin English during a meeting with employees on Friday, NLC Chairman Comrade Goodluck Oforbrukueta accused the government of introducing the policy without consulting workers’ representatives.

The union argued that the dress code amounts to an indirect tax on workers’ meager salaries.

Oforbrukueta said:

• “We nor gree because the money we dey earn nor reach chop. E nor reach pay our children school fees. E nor reach pay our house rent. E nor reach transport ourselves to work, not to talk say all of us must wear suit.”

• Many civil servants cannot even afford basic office supplies such as chairs, tables, pens, and paper, yet the government is demanding suits.

• The policy, he said, was forced on workers through a circular without any prior discussion with their representatives.

The NLC vowed to defend workers “with every last drop of their blood,” assuring staff that no one would be left alone to face sanctions from government officials.

• Oforbrukueta warned against arbitrary policymaking, joking that, “Na so one person go come tomorrow, he go say make civil servants nor dey marry.”

• He stressed that the civil service is governed by norms, not the whims of individuals in government offices.

• The union urged workers not to fear punishment, promising that NLC will protect anyone who resists the new rule.

The dispute reflects wider tensions between Nigerian workers and state governments:

• Rising inflation and stagnant salaries have left many civil servants unable to meet basic needs.

• Policies seen as cosmetic or elitist, such as compulsory dress codes, risk fueling resentment.

• The controversy also highlights calls for stronger consultation between governments and labor unions before implementing new rules.