The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has posed a question to the Nigerian workers on what sort of politics can best deliver good governance and development.
“Given the season that we are in, this is entirely appropriate. The question that the theme calls for: is what sort of politics can best deliver good governance and development?”
Addressing workers today, May 1, as they marked Workers Day in Abuja, Osinbajo said that this year’s May Day celebration, coming shortly before a national elections, required much to reflect upon.
“And the theme you have chosen for this occasion invites us to ponder on “Labour, Politics and the Quest for Good Governance and Development,” adding that the labour movement in this context, belongs firmly to the progressive political persuasion.
He recalled that in the days of the anti-colonial struggle, labour pitched its tent with progressive nationalist forces.
“Historically, by reason of the ideological kinship shared by both camps, labour has always made common cause with the progressives. Indeed, it is impossible to separate both. Progressives have been left of centre and pro-labour, while labour has always been of course left of centre and progressive.
“This is an important observation because seven years ago, an alliance of progressives, the All progressives Congress made history when it became the first opposition party to defeat a ruling party against all odds and secure a national victory at the polls.
“It was a watershed moment for our nation because, until that momentous event, the progressive tendency had been the neglected cornerstone of our nation’s history.
“The question of what sort of politics can deliver good governance and development is decisively answered by progressive politics. As a progressive, I believe that good governance and development mean compulsory free education for the unlettered, universal healthcare coverage, inclusion for the alienated, social mobility for the poor, justice for the wronged and social security for the vulnerable.
“The progressive vision of Nigeria is of a nation in which the relations between the government and the governed are defined by a social covenant. It is of a society in which no Nigerian is left behind. It is of a canopy of inclusive and broad-based prosperity in which the security and the welfare of each citizen are guaranteed.
“This administration has embarked upon the most ambitious programme of social protection in sub-Saharan Africa. We are catering for our children through the Home Grown School Feeding Programme which feeds about 9.5 million children daily and for our unemployed youth through programmes such as the N-Power scheme. Over 4 million people have benefitted from the Government Empowerment and Enterprise Programme (GEEP), and other support initiatives under the National Social Investment Programme.
“We established the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities and the National Centre for Senior Citizens to cater for the needs of our compatriots that live with disabilities and our elders. This is a demonstration of our commitment to inclusion – especially of groups that have long been relegated to the margins.
“In the realm of politics, the enactment of the Not Too Young To Run Act which modifies the age restrictions for seeking public office not only opens doors of opportunity for more youth engagement in politics; it is a further demonstration of our commitment to inclusion in all its ramifications.
“We have pursued our progressive agenda for inclusion and social protection in a period of global turbulence. We have not had the benefit of record-high oil prices to work with instead, we have had to contend with recessions, the collapse of international oil prices, the COVID-19 pandemic which stalled the global economy and even now, we must deal with the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine which is having a disruptive impact on global commodity markets. Regardless of all these challenges, this administration has been steadfast in tackling the issues facing Nigerian workers. This is why President Buhari implemented an increase in the national minimum wage in 2019.”
