President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday pledged better living and working conditions for all Nigerians of working age, saying the “custodians of the nation’s machinery deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare”.
In his maiden May Day message dedicated to workers nationwide, which was conveyed through a statement by his spokesperson, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the President said that his administration remains committed to improving the welfare of all workers, noting the various relief programmes, including the wage award and the imminent minimum wage review.
“President Tinubu strongly believes that the custodians of the nation’s machinery deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare and that a labourer is deserving of not just any reward but fair and commensurate wages.
“The President assures Nigerian workers of his dedication to not only improving their welfare but also enhancing their working conditions and providing the necessary tools for them to succeed”, the statement read.
His remarks come amid a cost of living crisis believed to be the aftermath of hardline economic reforms pursued by his administration.
When he assumed office on 29 May 2023, President Tinubu discontinued subsidies on petrol as approved by the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
The move, he posited, would save the government money for massive infrastructural expansion.
He also unified the foreign exchange rates to, among other things, curb currency arbitrage and other forms of forex malpractices.
However, these steps sparked collateral instability in the value of the Naira and heaped hardship on Nigerians as food prices soared.
At a high-level panel session at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Saudi Arabia last Sunday, President Tinubu defended the removal of the petrol subsidy as a “necessary action for my country not to go bankrupt” and to “reset the economy towards growth”.
On May Day, the President saluted Nigerian workers for their “fidelity to the peace, progress, and development of the nation evident in their tireless efforts and patriotic zeal to keep the national engine running”.
He commended the workers across all spheres, from the clerical officer who ensures the proper documentation and distribution of correspondence; the security officer who remains ever dutiful through all seasons; and the teacher who secures the future of our nation by imparting knowledge to the next generation; the doctor who works relentlessly to save precious lives; and all Nigerian workers who keep the candle aflame.
“The President wishes Nigerian workers Happy May Day celebrations,” the statement concluded.
Workers’ Day celebration in Nigeria owes its origins to the People’s Redemption Party government in Kaduna and Kano, which in 1980 adopted May 1 as a public holiday for the commemoration of International Workers Day.
In 1981, the Federal Government under President Shehu Shagari, declared 1 May as a national holiday to celebrate International Workers’ Day.
