Those who earn a honest living through hard work, understand the importance of rest during off days or the weekend. Many would also agree that workers usually anticipate and take advantage of public holidays to either catch up with family and friends, or to just take a much needed break from every other thing for priceless rest.
Yesterday the federal government declared Monday, May 3, 2021, a public holiday to mark this year’s International Workers Day Celebration. This was as the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola via a statement, commended Nigerian workers for their patience, understanding, and support in driving the policies and programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. The minister also assured workers of government’s determination to move the country to the next level of socio-economic development.
In normal times, the federal government’s decision to take this step, while praising the tenacity of Nigerian workers could have been perceived as a show of gratitude by leaders who understand the times and sacrifices countrymen have had to make in their various businesses. However, one does not need to look around to understand that we are clearly not in normal times and that workers in various sectors would rather pick having certain demands addressed over getting a free day off to stay home with the current status quo being maintained.
What are our leaders at state and federal levels doing about the implementation of the 30-thousand naira minimum wage across states of the federation? After meticulous consideration of the recent rise in inflation, do we still agree that in the Nigeria of today, 30-thousand naira is what the least among us should earn?
Are our leaders not worried that most people who work for a living do not earn a living ? Is the correlation of poverty and crime lost on us?
What laws and policies are we putting in place to curb the vicious regurgitation of strikes in the health sector, educational sector and very recently the judiciary; which has simply asked for financial autonomy from unyielding state governors who have allowed the industrial action embarked upon by its workers persist to the detriment of everyone.
What is there to celebrate when Judiciary Staff Union of of Nigeria (JUSUN) is still on strike? Why should Nigerians be happy about “Workers Day” when teachers and students in schools are not assured of safety when carrying out their duties?
Is the workers day worth observing, if the issue regarding National Association of Resident doctors (NARD) still hangs by a thread if their demands are not met within a given period soon to burnout?
While the World Bank report on Ease of Doing Business 2020, saw Nigeria’s ranking jump from 146 to 131, representing its second-highest annual progress of 11.45% in a decade, can we truly say that it is indeed a reflection of what it takes to own even small businesses in the country? Who exactly are we then kidding?
If workers have indeed been patient, understanding and supportive of the federal government as said stated in the announcement of observance of the international workers day on the 3rd of May, then clearly workers have upheld their own parts of the bargain and it is now left for the Nigerian leadership to give workers something to celebrate about in these very uncertain times.