May Day: Average Nigerian workers groan under yoke of penury—Survey

UFOMBA UZUEGBU
Issues of unemployment, insecurity, declining living standard of average Nigerians, galloping inflation and high costs of foodstuffs, among others, will rank top on the agenda as Nigerian workers join their counterparts across the world today,to mark this year’s Workers’Day celebration.
As usual, the workers would be converging at the Eagle’s Square, Abuja, well as the 36 state capitals to reflect on the condition of work and the way forward.
This year’s celebration is coming at a time the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) is currently on strike and against the backdrop of worsening insecurity in the country.
International Workers’ Day is the commemoration of the of the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. the U.S.

According to reports, the Police was trying to disperse a public assembly during a general strike for the eight-hour workday when an unidentified person threw a bomb at them.
The police reacted by firing on the workers, killing dozens of demonstrators and several of their own officers.

In 1889, the first Congress of the international meeting in Paris, France, for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle , following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the
Chicago protests.

May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International’s second Congress in 1891.The first Workers’ Day in Nigeria was celebrated in Kano state in 1980 where the then governor, Alhaji Abubakar Rimini declared a public holiday.

But in 1981,Federal Government May 1, the Workers’Day. Since that period, Nigeria started celebrating the May Day. Today, the May Day serves as a veritable platform for both employers of labour and organized for stock taking.

Respondents in a Daily Champion survey, maintained that there is nothing for average Nigerians to celebrate on the occasion of this year’s Workers’ Day apart from being alive.

They agreed also that millions of Nigerians can no longer live a decent live on their income, particularly those earning less than the minimum wage even as they called on government to address insecurity in the country. Excerpts :Vincent Ebirim (Teacher ) said the average Nigerian has nothing to celebrate on the occasion of this year’s May Day.
The purported take-home pay cannot take anyone home.It is obvious that the minimum wage per se,if implemented,can not pay bills, rent, among others.
An average Nigerian that earns N30,000 per month is like a working corpse.
He pays transport fare to go to work; pays school fees of his children, pays rent ,feeds his family, pays electricity bills, hospital bills ,among other sundry expenses, all put together leaves him with nothing and in absolute penury.

A nuclear family of father mother and two children can barely survive on N1000 per day which is less $1 US dollar.What has the average worker have to celebrate? Nothing.But we are human beings, so we have to observe and not celebrate the Workers’Day.Thank God, we are employed.
State governments that are yet to implement the minimum wage,should expedite action on the matter and even do more by providing incentives, enhanced allowances, transportation and accommodation to their workers.

I am a teacher. I earn N30,000 monthly in the private sector. I spend close to N10,000 monthly on transportation alone, besides my physical and mental input as a worker. So,I practically go home with N30,000 per month with a wife and children, including extended family members who also depend on me.

Government should address squarely insecurity in the country, hunger, galloping inflation and rising cost of food items, without which,bribery, corruption and nepotism will continue to escalate.

The average Nigerian worker is groaning under the yoke of penury. Any worker who subjects himself to N30,000 minimum wage alone, can not live as a human being.
The Labour force is the engine of the society and any economy. It is the proverbial golden goose that lays the golden eggs. While it groans under the sweat and burden of building the nation, the politicians seat on the finances of the nation and swim in affluence ,in total negligence of the well-being of the workforce.

Alade Emiolorun (Hotelier ) said What Nigerians need most is security. Every part of the country is facing one form of security challenge or the other.

Government should look into clashes between farmers and herds men in the northern part of the country which causes the price of foodstuff to rise because the farmers in most cases can not go to their farms for fear of being killed.

The purchasing power of average Nigerians and disposal income is very low;no thanks to the harsh economic condition of the country. Many Nigerians can no longer go to any bar and buy a bottle of drink because of their weak purchasing power. The Workers’ Day celebration offers government the opportunity to look into the myriad of problems confronting the nation and proffer solutions to the problems average Nigerians face on daily basis.

Odunyemi Niyi (Civil Servant)

My advice to Nigerian workers is to go all out and secure the voters’ card to be able to participate actively in elections by voting in the right politicians who will rule the country very well, not those who do not care about suffering Nigerians.

The welfare of workers should be the concern of any serious-minded government.

Presently, the condition of the average Nigerian worker is nothing to write home about. On daily basis, Nigerians find it increasingly difficult to cope with high cost of living,transportation,high rent and lack of good health care delivery, among others.

State governments which have not implemented the minimum wage law should do so earnestly to ameliorate the plight of

average Nigerian worker.I wish them happy May Day celebration.

Chris Idowu a Mechanic based in Lagos said the Cost of food items and other products in the market have gone beyond the rich of poor Nigerians.

Transport fares are high.Moving from one end of the metropolis has become a nightmare for commuters; not to talk about the high cost of cooking gas

Government must address these problems so that life can be more meaningful for us.

.as ASCSN salutes Nigerian workers, Vows to restore payment of gratuity

Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has felicitated with Nigerian workers on the occasion of this year’s May Day which is being marked today across the world.

The union commended it’s teeming members for remaining steadfast and united which has enabled it (union) to always overcome organizational challenges whenever they arise.

In a goodwill message signed by Comrades Tommy Etim Okon and Bashir Alade Lawal,President and Secretary General, respectively, it assured that the national leadership of the union is committed to welfare issues including the restoration of payment of gratuity to public service employees.