Workers Tasked On Unity Ahead Of 2023 Poll
As workers across the globe celebrate the 2022 international workers’ day, Nigerian workers have unanimously called on the government to prioritize workers’ housing need as well as find a lasting solution to the lingering inflation and insecurity menace renting the fabrics of the country.
Speaking with Africa Housing News reporter at the 2022 Workers’ Day celebration in Abuja on Sunday with the theme; ‘Labour, Politics, and the Quest for Good Governance and Development’, the President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr Festus Osifo, noted that Inflation has completely eroded what workers earn as salary considering the dollar exchange rate between when the new minimum wage was implemented and now.
He said: “Inflation rate should not be time bound for reviews and reviews should be done based on inflation trend. Government should pay serious attention to the economic nosedive as occasioned by inflation.”
Similarly, Mr. Aniete David Udoh, National Public Relations Officer of PENGASSAN stressed the need for the review of workers’ welfare with special focus on health insurance, housing, infrastructures, and working condition.
Describing the minimum wage as a peanut, he said “you will agree with me that there is no way N30,000 monthly salary can cater for an average worker’s housing need except the person won’t do any other thing in his life. Remember, they pay transport, take care of family needs and other seen and unforeseen bills.”
While urging the government to carefully implement its paperwork in the area of affordable housing delivery to its workforce, Udoh said: “Government’s effort should not only reflect in spoken words, but also in the delivery and implementation of its promises in a fair and affordable way. If effort in the area of housing isn’t measurable, then, all are in total futility.”
Speaking on mortgage accessibility, Odoga John Onuma of the National Oil Speed Detection and Response Agency, said: “Honestly, I’m privileged to work with payroll in my office and from the template of the national housing funds usually sent to our agency, the amount that a staff can access is very small. In essence, they make it so complex that as a senior staff, you can only access maybe between seven and ten million Naira and most of these mortgage homes, when they come with their houses, you’ll discover that the amount is around 14 million Naira. So, we find it very difficult to access homes under this current rules that they put in place.”
While stressing the need for credible candidates to pilot the affairs of the country, workers were charged to embrace unity ahead of the 2023 election.
“I’m happy for the role that TUC and NLC are playing by setting up a political commission to harmonize Nigerian workers to register and obtain their PVCs. After that, we are going to educate them politically, especially as regards decision making against political gimmicks.
“it is very easy for people to promise but we want to know how they intend to achieve those things. We will sensitize Nigerian workers in such a way that we must look for credible candidates with great antecedents and track-records. We have had a lot of promises but when it comes to implementation, the game changes. So, we encourage Nigerian workers to participate in the forthcoming election by registering and fulfilling other needful responsibilities”, PENGASSAN President, Osifo noted.
