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Catholic Bishop urges Govts To Be Sensitive To Workers’ Plights
The Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Oyo, Most Rev. Emmanuel Badejo, has tasked governments at all levels to pay workers meaningful remuneration that would ignite more commitment.
He said that workers needed to be paid salary for work done to guarantee them the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and family on the material, social and cultural levels.
Badejo made the call in his Workers’ Day message, made available to The Tide source in Ibadan, yesterday.
He said as Nigerians planned to observe Workers’ Day on Monday, government should penitently be sensitive to the workers’ plights and loudly encourage them by paying handsomely.
The Catholic Bishop said in Nigeria, the condition of most workers remained pathetic and needed to be urgently reviewed .
He said government’s insensitivity to the plight and demands of workers such as doctors, nurses, teachers, journalists, and security agencies was nothing short of cruelty, especially when compared to politicians’ remunerations.
This he added, sadly affected the entire masses who relied on the services which those workers provided.
“In fact, working conditions in both the public and private sectors yearn for serious and urgent overhauling.
“Nigeria, so to speak, needs a moral blood transfusion. Nevertheless, with the imminent dispensation, employers and employees must embrace a new ‘regime of merit’ and rebuild the crumbling labour fortress.
“Only a just relationship driven by dialogue and sensitivity can guarantee an escape from the quagmire of resentment and suspicion which currently characterises the relationship between employees and employers in the country.
“With that new hope, it is still pertinent even today to say to all: Happy Workers’ Day with wishes for a brighter future,” he said.
According to him, May 1 yearly calls for an evaluation of work, workers and working conditions all around the world.
This, he added, was because work was one indispensable resource by which God made man and by which man sustained the world.
“We are told that after all the work, God saw that what He had done was good. For this reason, we know that there is dignity in work and work is really love made visible.
“It is thus befitting to congratulate workers on this day and all who provide conducive environment in which work could be done.
“Regrettably today, conflicts, discrimination, unjust structures, scarcity of jobs, bad management and greed hamper the integral human development that work ought to bring to individuals, family and the society.
“This, to say the least, is unfortunate and deserves urgent attention,” he said.
Badejo also emphasised that integral human development, the ideal of all humanity, would remain a mirage if contentious issues concerning work were not resolved.
He pointed out that the Catholic Church taught that ‘just wages are a legitimate fruit of work’, while it could be grave injustice to withhold or refuse it.
He stressed that remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social and cultural levels.
“Governments and peoples cannot honestly desire peace or authentic development without ensuring just wages for work done.
“Exploitation of others or their resources, forcing down prices of raw materials, inhospitable conditions of work, unjustly taking over the property belonging to others or the like, query human dignity, damage social trust and offend the moral law of God.
“Conversely, at the personal levels workers too must do just work for the wages they receive in order to fulfill the social contract and not to be guilty of dishonesty and stealing.
“Every worker in some way participates in the divine project of advancing the work of creation.
“According to Pope Francis, May 1st each year, the feast of St Joseph the Worker, is the day the Church remembers the world of labour.
“On that day the Church demands that “work be dignified everywhere and for everyone,” and that the work of men and women everywhere “inspire the will to develop an economy of peace all over the world,” he said.
He said the Church also prayed for all those who in the course of their work, lost life, limbs, and property, especially victims of corrupt and unjust systems, that their sacrifices were not allowed to pass in vain.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inaugurated a special legal team to handle election petitions arising from last Saturday’s Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
This comes as the All Progressives Congress (APC) won in Abaji, Kwali, AMAC, and Bwari Area Councils, while the PDP secured victory only in Gwagwalada.
The Tide reports that the council elections were held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, across all six FCT area councils, including Abaji, AMAC, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali.
Results announced so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won in Abaji, Kwali, AMAC, and Bwari Area Councils, while the PDP secured victory only in Gwagwalada.
In a statement issued yesterday by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the party congratulated its candidates, who emerged winners in the chairmanship and councilor elections.
The opposition party acknowledged the victories, noting that the number of wins was lower than expected but significant given the alleged irregularities during the polls.
“We specifically congratulate the Chairman-elect of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mohammed Kasim, and the councillors who have been declared successful by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“This victory, though less in number than we anticipated, is particularly gladdening because it is against the background of unprecedented intimidation, high-powered money politics, and brazen executive brigandage,” the statement read.
Ememobong claimed that there are reports and video evidence indicating voter intimidation and unlawful conduct that influenced the outcome of the elections.
“Reports and video evidence abound where armed security personnel were used to cart away result sheets in polling units, intimidate voters, and unduly influence the outcome of the elections.”
To address complaints and litigations arising from the polls, he said the party has set up a legal team headed by its National Legal Adviser, Shafi Bara’u, Esq.
The statement urged candidates with legitimate grievances to contact the Legal Adviser promptly, as delays could jeopardise their chances in election petition cases.
“The incredible voter apathy in these polls is a direct response to the anti-people Electoral Act 2026, where the people have completely lost faith in the electoral outcomes from elections conducted under this Act.
“These Local Council polls may just be a foreshadowing of the forthcoming general elections in 2027 if changes are not urgently made,” the statement added.
The PDP called on the National Assembly and the President to take corrective action to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, will on Wednesday swear in Justice Joseph Oyewole as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The ceremony is scheduled to be held at 2pm at Courtroom Two of the Supreme Court complex in Abuja.
The court urged guests to adhere strictly to the court’s protocols and security measures.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Supreme Court’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Dr Festus Akande.
The court described Oyewole’s appointment as a step towards reinforcing the capacity of the apex court to deliver fair and timely judgments.
Recall that Oyewole was, until his elevation, a Justice of the Court of Appeal and Presiding Justice of the Enugu Division, and joins the apex court bench as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the judiciary.
The National Judicial Council recommended Oyewole for the position alongside 35 others for various judicial offices, following its 110th meeting held on January 13, 2026, and presided over by Justice Kekere-Ekun.
The statement partly read, “The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, GCON, will on Wednesday, 25th February, 2026, preside over the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Justice of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Joseph Olubunmi Kayode Oyewole, JCA.”
According to the statement, Oyewole served with distinction at the Court of Appeal and as Presiding Justice of the Enugu Division prior to his elevation.
“His appointment underscores the commitment of the Nigerian judiciary to upholding the rule of law, ensuring justice, and strengthening the bench with experienced and dedicated jurists. He brings a wealth of legal expertise and integrity to the apex court to further enhance its capacity to deliver fair and timely judgments,” the statement added.
The apex court further described the swearing-in as “another significant step in rejuvenating the judiciary and ensuring the continued delivery of justice in line with the highest standards of integrity, competence, and impartiality.”
The Supreme Court reiterated its commitment to justice, fairness and judicial independence for the benefit of Nigerians.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed deep shock and sadness over the sudden passage of Senator Barinada Mpigi, the Senator representing South East Senatorial District of Rivers State.
In a tribute to mourn the deceased, Governor Fubara described Mpigi as a brother, a consummate politician and one of the leading lights in Rivers State.
He said that Mpigi died at a critical time when his services were still needed by the people of Rivers State and prayed God Almighty to grant him eternal rest.
The governor commiserated with his immediate family, the Rivers South East Senatorial District and the Senate at large, asking them to take solace in the fact that the deceased lived a good life and impacted positively on the people.
Senator Mpigi died at the age of 64. Until his death, he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works.
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