There are certain traditions that have lost their meaning and relevance in [tag]Nigeria[/tag]. One of such is the yearly workers parades that are organized nationwide on the first day of May – the Labour Day.
A Wikipedian entry on Labour Day reads:
“A [tag]Labour Day[/tag] is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.”
I’ve yet to see what “economic and social achievements” Nigerian workers have!
Nigeria is a nation where Labour laws are hardly enforced (or enforcible). What is the proportion of Nigerian workers that know their rights under the Labour Act? How many employers have taken steps to ensure a safe working environment for their staff? Employment discrimination is so common in Nigeria (particularly against women) – how many of these instances have ever been filed for litigation in the law courts?
The world just saw an unprecedented large-scale electoral scam committed against the people of Nigeria, yet some have enough patriotic zeal to go out and march? March for who? It’s either we Nigerians are some supernaturally optimistic and resilient group or we’ve over time developed some serious deficits in our reasoning faculty.
Photo: Labour Day parade in Lagos, Nigeria 2007.
Three phrases from your post interest very much:
… (1) No “economic and social achievementsâ€;
(2) The seeming impossibility of the functionality or rather, enforceability of “labor laws” and citizens ignorance of “their right under the labor act”;
(3) And of course, “employment discrimination” in Nigeria.
My point: there can never be N0.1 if No.3 is in play. In Nigeria, there is only one employment criteria; who you know, whether you can deliver or not.
Now, how on earth do you expect to achieve No.2 when within it, there is confusion. On the one hand, the employer has the power to fire and hire at will (or as they will politely call to lay off and employ for “strategic” reasons). On the other hand, the employee (employed) is ignorant of his rights; actually scared because hundreds of his friends and foes are out there waiting to take his place should he “misbehave” by demanding for his right from his employer. Actually, he knows these unemployed, he meets them everyday, and some are actually his friends or family members. Although employment discrimination is mostly against women, many of them seem to be getting the highest chunk of employment percentage. Why? Because most of them has what, and are ready to offer (something) to get the job; qualified or not, and only God knows how they will survive, and of course they survives! This is Nigeria! And only in Nigeria can this be allowed to go unabated.
The three things mentioned by you are interlinked. No one can be isolated for the overall responsibility of the Nigerian predicament. So, in analyzing why there is no economic and social achievement, the supposed bases for the global celebration of the labor day, we can safely assumed that, the fault is that of the government, the labor leaders, the employers and of course, the employees who should have been the value “addersâ€- simply because there is no incentives to work, no passion for the work i.e. they only work to please their employer and most importantly the fear of losing their jobs. I don’t blame.
Yesterday was workers’ day? How will they not match? Look, the problem is our leaders at all levels. Left to me, some of the labor leaders are government cronies. They don’t represent the interest of the workers one bit. They know what and how they benefit from the government. The government, in other to save it’s face, must do something through the labor leaders, so that workers will come out en mass to match on the major streets, put a smiling face and tell the whole world that “we are joining you to celebrate the labor day”, to deceptively portray to the world, hey, everything is okay in Nigeria. When actually, looking at their faces even from a distance tells you something is wrong and these smiles are fake!
I think what we need in Nigeria is a revolution, a bloody revolution as the situation may demand.
May 2, 2007 at 4:56 am
When will Naija leave the shadows of “Smilin’ and Sufferin’?” What that man Fela said many decades before now is still as potent as ever.
May 2, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Well a labour day could be a day of holiday in countries where those who have laboured have something to celebrate in terms of economic and social achievements. In Nigeria, it is not yet so, hence we can only keep on trying, improving on the Labour day marches and by the grace of God, there will be a change in the future. We are working within the parameters of what the laws and idiosyncracies of the land permits for now, but we shall not give up. Alluta continua. Revolution could be the ultimate end, but things could still change without bloodshed.
May 3, 2007 at 2:59 am
Austin, I don’t think we need a bloody revolution in Nigeria. You know why? The casualty will be predominantly the masses. Besides, nothing works better that a non-violent civil protest.
May 3, 2007 at 10:02 pm
I think revolution is still not the best way for resolving issues because no one can and has ever made a lasting change through violence,it is always through …
June 3, 2007 at 8:32 am