Don Blames Nigerian Workers Problems On Politics

Former Ghanaian President, Mr John Kuffour (left), discussing with Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Independent National Electoral Commission, during his visit to INEC office in Abuja, yesterday

Prof. Omotoye Olorode of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Abuja, yesterday attributed the problems of Nigerian workers to politics.

Olorode said this while delivering a lecture at the 10th delegates conference of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja.

He said that the problems of workers could not be solved within the industrial relations practice alone.

The lecture was entitled: “Building a New Nigeria: The Role of the Working Class in National Transformation’’.

Olorode said that the ruling class had amassed so much wealth for themselves, while workers who make the wealth live in extreme poverty.

“The situation now is far from our expectations from the promise we got on independence in 1960,’’ the don said.

Olorode said that since 1960 when the leaders started importing foreign policies, the economic situation in the country declined rather than improving.

“Rather than creating social support facilities such as health, education, water supply and housing, neo-liberalism has introduced structural Adjustment Programmes that resulted to deregulation, privatisation and retrenchment.

“These problems led to unemployment, insecurity, high cost of living and high school fees, among others,’’ he said.

Olorode lamented that the same ruling class would not be able to bring the desired social transformation that would change the nation.

He urged the Nigerian workers to ensure that power was removed from the ruling class to the people to enable them to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

“Workers must pursue transformation toward a genuine independence and self-reliance with a society where there is equality, no exploitation and economic security,’’ he said.

Earlier, Mr Hassan Sunmonu, the Secretary-General, Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU), said Nigeria had no reason to be poor.

He said that the social transformation of Nigerians should start from the simple idea of adopting the socio-economic development pardigm and satisfying the nine basic needs of the Nigerian people.

Sunmonu said the nine basic needs were food, housing, health, education, water, electricity, transportation, communications and decent work place.

“Satisfying these basic needs should be the main socio economic objectives of all political parties,’’ he said.

Sunmonu said that States and Federal Government could choose three or four of the nine basic needs and concentrate on them for at least three years.

He said that the adoption of the basic needs development strategy had the advantage of reducing to the barest minimum endemic corruption in the public service.

Former Ghanaian President, Mr John Kuffour (left), discussing with Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Independent National Electoral Commission, during his visit to INEC office in Abuja, yesterday