Nigeria’s main opposition leader and former Vice President, alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday said “Nigerian workers never had it so bad”. Atiku who spoke on the eve of workers’ Day added that he sympathised with Nigerian workers who according to him worked under a government with policies against their welfare.
The PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 general election said this in his message to Nigerian workers on the occasion of International Workers Day celebration.
Meanwhile, the federal government has declared Wednesday, May 1, as a public holiday to mark this year’s Workers’ Day.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Aishetu Gogo Ndayako.
Tunji-Ojo re-iterated the need for excellence, efficiency and equity in all spheres of labour, reaffirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to fostering a culture of innovation, productivity, and inclusivity in the workplace.
“In alignment with this year’s theme, which focuses on ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate, I wish to state that the Federal Government remains steadfast in its resolve to prioritise the safety and well-being of all citizens.
“Let me reaffirm Mr. President’s commitment to providing a conducive environment for work, where every worker can thrive and contribute meaningfully to national development”.
According to Atiku, “Despite prolonged pledges and flowery words by the government, the much talked-about prospects of wage increment for the Nigerian worker remains a mirage. Every dawn unveils renewed hardships and harsh living conditions.
“After the contraction and contradictions by the government about whether the subsidy regime has gone or it is still being implemented, the country is today facing the angst of frustration by Nigerians who waste precious man-hours in queues at petrol stations across the country.
“The petrol subsidy is purportedly gone; yet its impact lingers – revealing the ineptitude of the current federal government.
“In an unprecedented manner and condescending of both the Nigerian worker and the general public, this current federal government announced a unilateral removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit without consultations with representatives of the Nigerian worker.
“The continued increase in tariffs in different service offerings without addressing the corruption and inefficiencies in the system only amounts to long-suffering Nigerians subsidising the corruption and inefficiencies in the system.”
“Since the days of legendary, Pa. Michael Imoudu, to later day fire brands such as Pascal Bafyau and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the Nigerian worker has been at the forefront of the fight against tyranny and bad governance.
“No administration in our history has trampled workers’ rights like this one. Daily, workers face uncertainty over skyrocketing prices of essential goods. The Nigerian worker has had it so rough under this current administration and it is unfortunate that while the living conditions of the Nigerian worker remains at a miserably low ebb, the Nigerian government continues to regale its international audiences with tales of how the masses are being weaned of their wasteful dependence on government.
“It is thus beginning to appear, that as far as the current federal government is concerned, the management of our country’s micro-economic outlook is an unwieldy laboratory experiment, to which the Nigerian worker is laid prostrate.
“While I cannot but share my sympathy with the Nigerian worker for the way the current government has ridiculed her for far too long, I must equally express my felicitations with the Nigerian worker on this year’s Workers Day.
“It is my hope that the theme of this year’s Labour Day: Ensuring Safety and Health at Work In a Changing Climate, will inspire the Nigerian government to put the concerns of the Nigerian Worker on the front burner,” he added.
