By Marcus Ikechukwu
President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined the incoming administration to be led by Bola Tinubu to ensure workers’ rights are respected.
He said the administration should instil socio-economic development, one that is driven by the four pillars of the decent work agent to promote jobs and enterprises, guarantee rights at work and extend social protection policies.
Buhari who was represented by Boss Mustapha, the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), at the 2023 May Day commemoration, which was held at the Eagle Square Abuja on Monday, also suggested that the incoming administration must find a means to promote social dialogue for consensus building among workers while maintaining a sound national industrial relations system.
According to the outgoing President, workers’ rights coupled with socio-economic justice make a happy workplace.
“We, therefore, agree that a fair economic structure targeted at creating opportunities for all to succeed irrespective of sex, race/ethnicity, age, disability, creed, religion, is the sine qua non for progress and development,” Buhari noted in his valedictory message to workers at the Eagle Square.
Meanwhile, Presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo respectively made some charter of demands which the outgoing and incoming administrations must heed to guarantee industrial harmony.
Part of their demands hinged on the need for the privatisation of the Electricity sector to be reviewed in favour of Nigeria while the resumption and ramping up of the activities of kidnappers and bandits after the election should be quickly addressed.
Both NLC and TUC leaderships cautioned the Judiciary urging it to purge itself and redeem our democracy by its handling of the various election petitions before it, including setting up of an independent panel to investigate the INEC chairman and his team in their conduct of the last general election.
Ajaero said the Federal Government must as a matter of necessity investigate the spending of N12billion by the Aviation Ministry to buy 10 fire trucks including stopping what he described as the ongoing legislative madness in the National Assembly (NASS) seeking to stop Medical personnel from taking employment outside the country.
They also reminded the Federal Government to continue the objective of returning the local refineries to full capacity while investing in new refineries but in the short-run, sort out the supply of bottle-necks that has made product availability difficult in Nigeria.
“The outgoing President must take steps to ensure that those in his administration planning last minute heist of the nation’s treasury are stopped as well as halt every action, program or policies that may inflict any form of suffering on Nigerians and workers.
“The federal government should not heed just IMF’s advise on Tax increase but all of its economic pieces or advises as they are poisonous to our nation’s economic health.
“We reiterate our preparedness to resist every action of the government to inflict suffering on Nigerian workers and masses. We will not allow our members to be turned mindlessly into beasts of burden any longer. We will stand together as workers and as a people to protect our rights to decent work and social justice!
“Our hands are extended to you all and to our civil society allies! It is our civic duty to remain together! Our hands joined across the divides and the regions of our great nation! We build solidarity and we will build power! With these, we shall build a nation that would become the envy of nations anchored on the supremacy of the rights of the sovereign masses! It is our duty to hold our governments accountable to the people! Let us gird our loins! NLC and TUC jointly posited at the May Day festivities.
