Peter Obi salutes Nigerian workers, calls for Justice and fair reward

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — Mr. Peter Obi, a leading presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has paid tribute to Nigerian workers on Workers’ Day, describing them as the backbone of the nation.

In a statement titled “Workers Are the Backbone of Every Nation”, the former Anambra State governor commended workers across the world, particularly Nigerians, whose daily sacrifices sustain families, communities, institutions, and the national economy despite severe hardship and uncertainty.

Obi lamented that those who teach, heal, build, farm, produce, transport, protect, and serve the nation are still denied the dignity and fair reward their labour deserves. He noted that Nigeria’s minimum wage no longer guarantees even the most modest standard of living, as inflation, rising food prices, transportation costs, and economic hardship continue to erode the value of honest work.

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“No nation can truly develop beyond the strength, productivity, and wellbeing of its workforce,” Obi said, stressing that the progress of any society rests on the quality of its human capital. “When workers suffer, the nation suffers. When workers are empowered, the nation prospers.”

He further emphasized that beyond their labour, workers hold another powerful tool — their voice and their vote. Through democratic participation, he said, they can shape governance and determine the nation’s future direction.

Obi urged Nigerian workers to recognize their collective strength and to demand leadership built on competence, character, capacity, credibility, and compassion. He called on them to reject failure, corruption, ethnic division, and bad governance, and to help build a nation where hard work is respected and rewarded with dignity.

“A truly productive nation must be built on justice, fairness, and respect for labour. That is the Nigeria we must work together to achieve. With the support and participation of Nigerian workers, a New Nigeria is possible,” the statement concluded.