Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said that regardless of several challenges facing Nigeria, the current administration has been steadfast in tackling the issues facing Nigerian workers.
He said that was why President Muhammadu Buhari implemented an increase in the national minimum wage in 2019.
Addressing workers in Abuja to mark this year's International Workers' Day, the vice president added that the administration had embarked upon the most ambitious programme of social protection in sub-Saharan Africa to cater for children through school feeding programme, youth employment through the N-Power scheme and other support initiatives under the National Social Investment Programme, among others.
Speaking on the theme of the year, "Labour, Politics and the Quest for Good Governance and Development in Nigeria," the vice president added that the question of what sort of politics can deliver good governance and development was decisively answered by progressive politics.
"The struggle for social justice, equity and fairness is an inter-generational one but each generation writes its own chapter of progress. Just as it took time to win our independence from colonial rule and just as it took time to establish democratic governance, we are moving steadily and surely towards a more progressive Nigeria," he said.
The vice president also appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the broader labour community to seek the path of dialogue to end its strike.
The lecturers' demands include funding of the Revitalisation of Public Universities, Earned Academic Allowances, the use of University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) as payment platform and the payment of promotion arrears.
Others are the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement and its complaints over the inconsistency in Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), among others.
Osinbajo said that the federal government was not unmindful of the ongoing strike in public universities and also the anxieties of students and their parents and the thoughts of an uncertain future.
The vice president, however, noted that disagreement and debate had always been part of the relationship between labour and the government.
He added that "even as we disagree today, we must not do so as mortal adversaries but as members of the same progressive family."
According to him, both the government and the lecturers' union want the same thing - a country that works for all and offers each citizen a fair deal - even if occasionally they differ on how to achieve this goal.
"But at all times, we have through dialogue found a path forward. It is in this spirit that I call on ASUU to embrace dialogue with the government. I call on the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to help facilitate a resolution of this dispute through dialogue. I believe that we can find a path forward in good faith. And this is what we will do," he added.
On his part, the minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige, also urged organised Labour to continue to eliminate actions inimical to the quest for good governance and development in the country.
Ngige appealed to labour unions to embrace consensus building in times of differing opinions, rather than debilitating actions that lead to complications.
He said such complications include loss of man-days and decreased productivity that threaten the existence of the enterprise and result in job losses.
He, however, frowned at the situation where strikes are always the first option considered by the unions in pressing home their demands.
Gbajabiamila, Governors, Ministers Raise Workers' Hope
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday joined millions of Nigerians to salute the country's workers on the celebration of this year's International Workers' Day.
Gbajabiamila, who commended the resilience, commitment and dedication of Nigerian workers, said their efforts would never go in vain.
He expressed happiness that Nigerian workers had lived up to expectations over the years, noting that they remain the backbone of the Nigerian workforce.
The speaker said every well-meaning Nigerian must identify with the workers because of their invaluable contributions to nation-building.
He urged Nigerian workers to keep hope alive as governments at all levels as well as the private sector were trying to make life better for them.
Gbajabiamila said he was proud of the Nigerian workers because of the way they had been conducting themselves over the years.
On his part, Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, saluted the resilience and dedication of the civil servants in the state, saying it had engendered optimum service delivery to the people of the state.
According to him, the workers are the strong engine room of every government.
Speaking at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Arcade during the celebration of Workers' Day, the governor appreciated the leadership of the organized labour in the state for the continued exhibition of maturity, understanding and support, particularly at these challenging times.
According to him, "Workers' contributions to the success of any administration can not be over-emphasized. It is in recognition of the importance of our workers that this administration has continued to place a premium on their welfare.
"We have set aside the obnoxious practice which encouraged partisan politics and truncated the careers of committed public servants."
Earlier, the state NLC chairman, Comrade Oluwole Sunday Adeleye had said there was a need for the government to create room for useful and gainful employment for the teeming youth.
Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, commended the Nigerian workers for their commitment to national growth and support for government's programmes and policies in the state.
In his May Day message, the governor said workers are the main drivers of government policies and engine room of any economy, and reiterated the resolve of the administration to always prioritise their welfare at all times.
The governor in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said: "I align myself with compatriots worldwide to celebrate workers whose toiling keeps the economy running against all odds. Today reminds us that behind the success of any of our programmes, projects and policies as an administration are thousands of workers whose ingenuity, patriotism and hard work are always the secret of such successes. I therefore send our profound appreciation to workers and their families on this day and always."
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The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello, has assured residents of the nation's capital that the Abuja light rail will soon resume operations having been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bello made this known while delivering his message to commemorate 2022 Workers' Day in Abuja yesterday.
He congratulated the leadership and members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and all other employees across the territory.
The minister said that the collective efforts of all the workers had over the years ensured the sustained development and growth of the FCT, making the city of Abuja one of the most beautiful capital cities in Africa and the pride of every Nigerian.
He further said that the ongoing Greater Abuja Water Project will, upon completion, tremendously improve the water supply in the FCT.
"As we celebrate Workers' Day, let us not forget the tremendous sacrifices made by the pioneer staff of the FCT Administration, who braved the odds and displayed an extreme sense of patriotism by coming to the FCT to lay the foundation of what has today become a beautiful capital territory," he said.
Bello equally paid tribute to the thousands of construction workers and other employees who made Abuja their home and paved the way for others to follow in their wake.
He urged the present employees to show the same zeal and imbibe a similar sense of duty as demonstrated by their predecessors.
