As Nigeria joins the rest of the global community to commemorate the 2022 international workers day (IWD), governments at all levels in the country have been urged to prioritize the rights of Workers to drive development.
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Nigeria Mr Tony Ojukwu SAN who gave the advice also urged governments in the country to observe international best practices in handling labour related matters.
In a message to commemorate workers Day in Abuja, Mr Ojukwu noted that, workers rights is critical, given that human resources remain the drivers of development in any clime.
The Human Rights boss observed that Nigeria as a Member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), cannot afford to renege on the acceptable standards of relationship with the workforce.
Mr. Ojukwu said, it is interesting for Nigeria as a Member of the ILO has always deployed dialogue as a mechanism for addressing disagreements and grievances involving Labour, adding that continuing in that manner will not only portray the nation in good light but also reinforce the confidence of workers in the government.
On the current strike embarked upon by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and three other labour unions in Nigeria, the NHRC Boss enjoined the Nigerian government to expedite action to resolve the current impasse with the Unions .
“Incessant ASUU strike has continued to constitute a major threat to the right to Education of students of our tertiary institutions especially the public Universities where the grater population of our youth attend.“
He said the ongoing ASUU strike has also taken an ugly toll on the lives and livelihood of family members of the affected lecturers as most of them reportedly find it difficult to cope with the basic responsibilities of taking care of their families.
He called on all the parties to use the opportunity of this year’s IWD to resolve all issues outstanding on the strike and get the students back to schools and stop the further violation of right to education and development of the students.