By Sabiu Abdullahi
President Bola Tinubu has pledged to improve the living and working conditions of all Nigerians of working age, saying that workers “deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare.”
This promise was made in his maiden May Day message dedicated to workers nationwide.
According to a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu affirmed his administration’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare, citing various relief programs, including the wage award and the imminent minimum wage review.
“The President strongly believes that the custodians of the nation’s machinery deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare, and that a laborer is deserving of not just any reward but fair and commensurate wages,” the statement read.
President Tinubu’s remarks come amid a cost-of-living crisis believed to be a result of his administration’s economic reforms.
Since assuming office, he has implemented policies such as the discontinuance of subsidies on petrol and the unification of foreign exchange rates, which have sparked instability in the value of the naira and heaped hardship on Nigerians.
Despite this, President Tinubu defended his actions, saying they were necessary to prevent the country from going bankrupt and to reset the economy towards growth.
On May Day, President Tinubu 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 workers across all spheres, from clerical officers to teachers, doctors, and all Nigerian workers who keep the country running.
“The President wishes Nigerian workers Happy May Day celebrations,” the statement concluded.
Workers’ Day celebration in Nigeria has its origins in the People’s Redemption Party government in Kaduna and Kano, which adopted May 1 as a public holiday in 1980.
The Federal Government later declared May 1 a national holiday in 1981 to celebrate International Workers’ Day.