What You May not Know About Workers’ Day, its Observance in Nigeria

Nigeria has 12 days throughout the year it observes as holidays. They could be jarring at times as they follow each other in clusters of twos or threes.

The Workers’ Day however remains one of those many Nigerians working the 8-5 gig look forward to. 

Not exactly because of its socialist core, though.

People observed it as  a spring festival in the northern hemisphere, originally. May 1 later morphed into a holy day of the labour movement in the late 19th century. Trade unions and socialist groups set it apart as a day in support of workers for better working conditions, fair wages, and shorter working hours.

The first Workers’ Day celebration took place in 1890 in Argentina.  Unions organized several celebrations in Buenos Aires and other cities. The  international labour movement also celebrated it for the first time

It took almost a century for the observance to catch on in Nigeria. In 1980 the People Redemption Party of Kano, a Talakawa-philosophy oriented party Aminu Kano founded, launched it. And the federal government adopted it a year later.

Today, the Nigerian labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress hold the day sacred. The president and the governors take the moment to mollycoddle the workers.

“I assure you, we will continue to prioritise workers welfare and also create a friendly environment for collective growth,” former President Muhammdu Buhari said last May 1.

The energy with which the 19th century proletariat demanded a classless society from the bourgeoisie has waned now. 

But it’s a good thing the capitalist world still allows the working class to breathe easy. They can both wonder aloud when all class would end. 

Nigeria’s Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has declared the public holiday for this year.