Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has decried the poor state of Nigerian workers in the hands of political leaders.
Ejifor said poor wages, rising inflation, unpaid salaries and shrinking job security characterize the fate of Nigerian workers.
In a statement on Friday, in commemoration of International Workers Day, the human rights lawyer identified poor governance and leadership from the political elite as reasons for the situation of the nation’s workforce.
He also condemned the disposition of organized labour unions in advocating for the rights of workers. Ejiofor demanded urgent reform and restructuring of the nation’s political economy.
He wrote: “While the world marked Workers’ Day yesterday, Nigerian workers had little or nothing to celebrate. With poor wages, rising inflation, unpaid salaries, and shrinking job security, the average Nigerian worker remains trapped in poverty and despair.
“In a country blessed with vast natural resources, the political economy is built to favour corrupt leaders and the powerful elite – leaving workers to suffer in silence. Our labour unions are weakened, and the system meant to protect workers has become complicit in their oppression.
“Until we restructure our economy and governance to truly value workers, May 1st will remain just another day – loud in rhetoric but empty in reality.
“It is time for urgent reform. It is time to restructure our political economy to serve the people – not to perpetuate the privileges of the powerful. Until then, the Nigerian worker will continue to bleed silently, wrapped in a tattered flag of false promises.”
