Dare Babalola
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has issued a solidarity message to Nigerian workers on the occasion of this year’s Workers’ Day, describing them as the “backbone of every nation” and calling for improved welfare, fair wages, and better governance.
In a statement released on Friday, Obi praised workers across Nigeria and the world for their daily contributions to national development despite prevailing economic hardship.
He said Nigerian workers—including teachers, healthcare professionals, farmers, transporters, and civil servants—continue to sustain families and the economy “even in the face of severe hardship and uncertainty.”
Obi expressed concern over worsening living conditions, arguing that the current minimum wage can no longer support a modest standard of living due to inflation and rising costs of food, transportation, and basic services.
“It is deeply painful that those who wake up every day to teach, heal, build, farm, produce, transport, protect, and serve our nation are still denied the dignity and fair reward their labour deserves,” he said.
He added that “no nation can truly develop beyond the strength, productivity, and wellbeing of its workforce,” stressing that economic progress is directly tied to the quality of human capital.
Beyond economic concerns, Obi urged workers to recognise their political influence, saying they also possess the “voice and vote” capable of shaping Nigeria’s future.
He called on them to demand leadership anchored on “competence, character, capacity, credibility, and compassion,” while rejecting corruption, ethnic division, and poor governance.
According to him, “by refusing to reward failure, corruption, ethnic division, and bad governance, they can help build a nation where hard work is respected and rewarded with dignity.”
Obi reaffirmed his belief in national renewal built on fairness and justice for workers, insisting that a productive society must prioritise respect for labour.
“A productive nation must be built on justice, fairness, and respect for labour. That is the Nigeria we must work together to achieve,” he said, adding: “With the support and participation of Nigerian workers, a New Nigeria is possible.”
