TO THE NIGERIAN WORKERS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE SOUTHERN KADUNA WORKER ON THE 2016 WORKER'S DAY Sunday May 1 2016

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By:
Jubal Free-man Dabo
Jubalfreemandabo@gmail.com
+2348074962224

working is what wedding is to marriage and marriage is what retirement days is to working days. Most spend all their earnings during working their days thereby spending their benefits paying for the recklessness of the working days. It is said that we should cut our coat according to our size, but to the worker I say "cut your coat a little less than your size" to mean spend less at your wedding (working days) that you will enjoy your marriage (retirement life) well.

On a day like this we need to reflect on the role of the Nigerian workers, their strength and weaknesses, challenges and the way forward not only for the nation but as well for the worker. Amidst the merry of the day we must spare out time to reflect and see how we will better achieve proficiency.
The day is mend for all workers but I shall limit my reflection to the southern Kaduna workers. Not withstanding, this too would cast light to workers world over who would lay hands on this little piece.

THE NIGERIAN WORKER
The southern Kaduna worker as other workers in Nigeria 'Civil Servant particularly suffers a great deal of hardship. unfortunately this is the engine room of the Nigerian State we are talking about, this is a set of people that day in day out work to make the nation great.
In Nigeria generally, it is this people who earn less but it is also this people who pay taxes on Pay as you earn bases. This is a collection of people that receives their alert after taxes have been deducted.
These again are a people who the government are so sure would obey any instruction given them. These are a people that the nation could count on at any given period regardless the circumstances. But these are they (civil servants) who suffer most than any. We are not talking about those that are working out of privilege here, no, they are those who suffer to be qualified and are judged qualified to serve.

THE SOUTHERN KADUNA WORKER
Talk about workers in Southern Kaduna, Government workers I mean, you will be addressing a multitude of teachers. Amidst the challenges associated with government work above the teacher in particular suffers most, it follows therefore to say the multitude of government workers in southern Kaduna are amidst the most suffering in Nigeria.
This is a class of people that guide towards the acquisition of knowledge, they who toil much more than the students in the twenty first century. I appreciate God for the privilege to grow a child raised by two teachers. By this privilege, I am better equipped to know the challenges of becoming a teacher. As a growing child, my worse enemy is he who pray I should grow to be a teacher. This is because in my head then the teacher is he/she that is doomed to live poor. And so, I who had great desire for wealth, fame and power could not see reasons why someone should pray I become a teacher.
Most recently (thanks to the developed faculty of reason) I began to transfer this hate for the teaching 'vocation' into government work generally and in turn grow strong desire for the once hated teaching line. In both stages, it is crystal clear the hate is a consequence of the poor working condition of the teacher and most government workers.
Let us take a time to analysis this issues more critically, the driver who drives his eight passengers in a Pugeot 806 or Golf Sharon from Kafanchan to Kaduna is able to save four thousand Naira in one trip, whereas a government worker that earns twenty four thousand Naira only earns eight hundred naira a day which is not even enough to take him to Kaduna for his screening exercise. This is the case in a nation where a politician upon assuming into office automatically becomes a millionaire. It is in the same nation where leaders who are suppose to be servants own private jets, very expensive cars, houses beyond count. where many are able to fly to Dubai for shopping, birthday celebrations, or even mere Dinner. Yes I mean this nation that is too poor to pay workers for three, four, five eight to ten months or more.
In my professional Diploma in Education Class a lecturer was to outline the characteristics of a teacher and he mentioned 'the teacher is a model' excuse me, which teacher? in Nigeria? I will prefer we say a teacher is suppose to be a role model. This is because there is nothing new to learn from the teacher except the contents of the curriculum, then from his personality; patience and fruitless hope in a government that appear with no conscience.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE.
There are basically three actors that are so dealing with the southern Kaduna workers as is in Nigeria as a whole. These include:
1. The Government
2. The Worker's Unions
3. The Worker's themselves.

THE GOVERNMENT
The government have not treated the workers as should. how much positive effect has the 18,000 naira minimum wage made in the lives of the workers? The workers have been turned into nothing more than beggars and professional debtors. Because Government delay in given workers their due, this workers are forced into spending their earnings in advance there by remaining poor. It is reasons like this that breeds refusal of workers to retire even when they are due. The government worker should enjoy job security but that is not the case.

THE UNIONS
I was tempted into saying the Labour Congress is great at crying loud but in a manner the divine himself will not answer. This is because while they leadership represent the workers before government they are easily distracted with peanuts and the greed of most of them over the years have made matters worse. A close look at the workers union you will understand that from the foundation are openings for corruption. For instance, membership of the union is not compulsory and their and many who do not enjoy the benefits of unionism because they are not registered members. But deductions of dues for the union are done automatically before payment of salaries from workers salaries including both registered and non registered members.
Again these unions are so loud on issues less important. They speak out on salary increment more than they would about those tired but not retired, they also put in little or no efforts at all in sensetizing the workers into seeing their employment as additional means of livelihood than a suptititute of their trades and other skills capable of given them some more earnings.

THE WORKERS THEMSELVES
While there are the above players in the agony of the suffering Nigerian worker, he the Nigerian worker is a slave too to himself. He have contributed a great deal to his own pains. Granted, as a worker the pay is not much, but I put it to you that it is not too small to spend and remain a portion for investment or savings. The southern Kaduna worker as well most Nigeria government workers lack the enterprising spirit.
More worrisome is the fact that once a Nigerian is employed he automatically abandon even his inherited skills. Most who have learned various trades before school days can no longer perform excellently on those trades if in fact they recall the essentials of such trades. Take a walk to the villages and you will realize this fact. We lack farmers and are having much of wasted lands as we have wretched government workers.
Let us together bullet out some of these ways the worker today become architect of his doom.
Abandoned Agriculture: As stated above, the more workers are employed the more we find agricultural activities dying. The conception is that farmers are those who are underprivileged, poor and illiterate, many see farming and other agricultural practices as punishment or misfortune of some sort. I mean most people engage themselves in Agricultural practices because the lack options and when one option comes the quickly abandoned this practices.
Poor Time Management: Really it is not all true that all workers who have abandoned their trades do so because they now see government employment as the messiah. True enough there are a many who would tell you they lack time for such trades and agricultural activities. True as that may be, they reason is but flimsy to be told and deadly to the ear. It is simply a case poor management of time.
Poor Attitude at Managing Blessings: This is a general problem with Nigerians, our blessings easily becomes our distraction hence, that which suppose to add value to our lives become causal force behind our fall.
Poor Enterprising Spirit: Most of us especially at this part of the Nation lack the enterprising spirit. we do not invest no save we pay and consume as we earn.
Building Castle in the Air: One other problem that generally summarizes the above listed points is the fact that most Nigerian workers live above their earnings. Which is why the common thing with these set of people is live debtors and at their burials you surely would hear the announcement 'if he/she is indebted to any body please meet the family', this is because the believe is that no one can live with no debt. Well if that be true I am not disputing but my point is that some debts are unnecessary. Imagine a primary school teacher taking a loan to buy a car, electrical appliances, for wedding ceremonies, to host tribal ... meetings, and so many wants when the needs are laying unnoticed. I have seen many teachers receiving loans to buy these things but have seen no single one that applied for a loan to start a business or bust his agricultural venture.

IS THERE HOPE AGAIN?
There is a popular adage that reads 'where there is life there is hope'. And I strongly believe the only right time to say never is when it is never and it is only never in the grave. It is not too late to address these issues. The problems with us are just too many, one of such problems is that we Nigerians and in fact Africans as a whole waste quality time singing the songs of lamentations. When I have an opportunity to talk on this issue I often say the catholic prayer of the Rosary has twenty (20) mysteries in four groups. The first is the Joyful mysteries, the second is the Glorious mysteries, the third group comprises the mysteries of Light then the Sorrowful Mysteries. Most have memories the sorrowful much more than any other because in our nature as Nigerians we are perfect at seating on the solution lamenting the problems Just as we will sit on the Joyful, glorious and light mysteries praying the sorrowful in a religion where the admonishment is 'give thanks in all circumstances'.
We must redirect the same strength we use in lamenting to searching for the solutions. Lamentations bring us more and more to the pit than the problem itself. Have you ever imagined an HIV positive victim that do not know he is positive and the other that knows he is positive? The difference is that he that is ignorant of his positive status may still be strong but once he realizes he is positive except with strong will he begins to shrink. Note that his thoughts and lamentations kills him even faster than the illness. So are we when we choose to live lamenting.
There is hope again because it is not too late nor is it impossible for the government and all men of good will to put heads together towards revitalizing our dying economy as it is when this is done that we will begin to speak of a better living and working condition for the Nigerian workers.
There is still hope again if such bodies as Labour congress will focus on encouraging workers to join truthfully meaningful and purpose driving cooperatives for investment purposes. Organizing workshops and Seminars that will focus on educating workers on ways to manage the little resources the earn for a better future. over the years the Labour congress, trade unions and other bodies have wasted time than they have used time. They have sang lamentations than seek lasting solutions to problems bedeviling their members.
There is still hope if workers could learn that if the never died of hunger when they had no employment they have no just reason to die of hunger now. A good working condition is when the worker knows his/her employment is an added means of livelihood and not a substitute. And only good time management can make true this attitude. I recall when I was growing, I had the privilege of going to farm with my father though I never liked it. But then, dad will manage his time properly that he could go to farm before work or work after farm. Until the government can make life of workers five times better than what it is now and unless we give them reasons to, no one will justifiably say our extra earnings are a distraction to our work.
There is even much more hope when workers check there needs and attempt meeting them in the right order. With proper planning, the working years are enough for every worker to own a house and other essential needs that will make life comfortable while in service so that retirement benefits will not be used for anything else but investment for a batter future.

CONCLUSION
I congratulate all workers world over on this remarkable day and sincerely pray God bless their patience, endurance and perseverance over the years and I encourage us to see our work as service to God and not man. Let us work as we can to God's glory. To the unions and relevant bodies saddled with the responsibility of fighting for the workers I challenge you to prove to the political leaders that leadership is service and not some sort of venture for glory.
I will here dare one worker to tell me his earnings is not enough to serve his basic needs and I will prove to him beyond reasonable doubt that he is either not good at managing blessings, he is not ready to enjoy a good life after work or that he do not actually know his needs. It is the little we are able to manage that will yield the much we desire. No man have ever been given much, everyone receives little enough to make big as he wants. It is not a sin to have much, only know that the sky do not have much to give, she only has enough to give you in a manner you can enlarge. Hence I say to you do not cut your cloth according to your size, cut it a little less than your size so you can keep some for another day. For the most important thing now is to live with the cloth only enough to cover the essentials and not waste. The most wasted cloth is a wedding gown, too long that it needs inconvenience another to hold, too expensive than most cloths, but it is only useful within the hours of the wedding and useless to that bride forever. We must refuse to be a weeding gown in our life on earth as workers, we must be useful even after the wedding (our work).
Long live Nigeria.
Long live Nigerian workers.
Long live southern Kaduna.
Long live southern Kaduna workers. Happy Worker's day once more.