I had foreseen this. I knew it would reappear, but this time resurrected. When the last industrial coup was aborted, on the ground of impotency, my foresight hinted me of a lurking counter-coup in the varendah of the same coup-planner--- the Nigerian Labour. But one thing about resurrection is, nothing appears twice in the same form.
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When Jesus underwent it, on the third day after crucifixtion, the Bible said "the tomb was rolled up, but he was not there," he then appeared, shrouded in a white vestment, glowing in a greater glory, a tremendous come-back.
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I knew it. I knew that the failure of that one-week warning strike didn't die. Or it did, but the words of the ancient ones, that 'the parent shoot of plantain which withers gives sap to the younger one,' dawned on it. It still hurts the heart of the Union's leadership. So, resurrection it is that hovers in November 6, not merely an industrial action, a rebirth of the september 29 agitation, murdered by the shame of its own ineffectiveness.
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But what are our hardworking workers agitating for? What is it, to which our Government is turning deaf ears? Is one fighting for itself and the other for the masses? Or are both parties dueling in the interest of all of us? Or otherwise.
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When Jesus underwent it, on the third day after crucifixtion, the Bible said "the tomb was rolled up, but he was not there," he then appeared, shrouded in a white vestment, glowing in a greater glory, a tremendous come-back.
.
I knew it. I knew that the failure of that one-week warning strike didn't die. Or it did, but the words of the ancient ones, that 'the parent shoot of plantain which withers gives sap to the younger one,' dawned on it. It still hurts the heart of the Union's leadership. So, resurrection it is that hovers in November 6, not merely an industrial action, a rebirth of the september 29 agitation, murdered by the shame of its own ineffectiveness.
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But what are our hardworking workers agitating for? What is it, to which our Government is turning deaf ears? Is one fighting for itself and the other for the masses? Or are both parties dueling in the interest of all of us? Or otherwise.
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The clamour for a better minimum wage is years-long. Since the days of Obasanjo, the genesis of our democracy. The price has undergone an increment not more than little, insignificant. Yet, the value of the currency in which it was set never ceased to decline. The fuel same workers buy keep dangling to and fro between subsidy, 'unsubsidy' and 're-subsidy'--- a word, which creeped into our national lexicon nearly a decade ago.
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At that time, 18,000Naira was not bad. Commodities were not as costly, after all. At least, I remember purchasing Agege bread at fifty Naira, 'Speedy' and 'Coconut' biscuits at five Naira. I remember egg was still sold for Thirty Naira, sometimes, in fact, Twenty-five.
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I recall that a bag of rice was Two Thousand Five Hundred Naira and that of a cement, eight hundred Naira. I remember that when my father gave me Seventy Naira, I would eat, drink and reserve the rest for snacks. Where are those days? They are long late. Yet, our workers' 18,000Naira is alive, still, hale and hearty!
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Pilkings, the colonial District Officer in Wole Soyinka's Play,"Death and the King's Horseman," in a conversation with Elesin, quipped: 'I have lived among you long enough to learn a saying or two...The elder grimly approches heaven and you ask him to bear your greeting yonder; do you really think he makes the journey willingly?'
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Does the Government think because we smile in spite of our suffering, we are therefore delighted by our condition? Hell, No! But because when hardship is so tremendous, one must settle for less, and find a cause, no matter how little, to lighten the darkness of one's shadow.
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We were once mocked by the Government. An empty promise of 50,000Naira minimum wage. We jubilated, our hope risen. Then tales of economic strangulation began to emerge. They said it would suffocate our barely-recovered economy.
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Still, our benevolent light-hearted Labour embraced negotiation. 30,000Naira was settled for. But the government has refused, claiming such demand cannot be met, in the face of yet unpaid heaps of salaries. But one is forced to ask, why?
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Why are Nigerian Legistors arguably the highest paid in the world; and its Workers, the lowest paid? Why have our Leaders never whinned about payment of their own fat salaries; and our Labor, struggling with stipends, still must protest half-a-year before getting a month's payment?
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Why are our Monkeys of Labour working tirelessly, day and night; and some elite Baboons reaping and eating the harvests of their efforts, and washing it down with their sweats? Or perhaps because when the monkey perspires, the fur of its hairs obstructs its sweats.
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Then someone says paying our Workers more will cripple the economy; who cares! Who cares; when our Public Officers have never offered to down-cut their humongous allowances. We asked them to represent us, but they have refused to take pity on us. They who would stand, still, and say their salaries deserve increment, that pension may not be too bad if they saw one. Heartless, all of them! Heartless!
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As for me, 30,000Naira is not too much to pay our hard-workers. Let the economy cripple if it wants to; we don't care. If this Government is not smart enough to give prosthetics to it and make it walk, it should say. There are people who can. But to continue to punish Labour on flimsy bases, that we will not accept.
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I'm not in any way in support of the looming strike (as its bound to affect me as a student, too), but this time, the stance of the Labor is right. They deserve better. And they should be betrothed.
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Even though the nationwide strike is much ado, its rather about something!
Muneer Yaqub,
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
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