Kín ni ẹ máa ṣe láti mú ìgbésí ayé àwọn olùkọ́ sunwọ̀n sí i, ẹ sì mú owó oṣù wọn, ìkọ́nilẹ́kọ̀ọ́ wọn, àwọn àǹfààní ìfẹ̀yìntì wọn, àti ìdára ẹ̀kọ́ sunwọ̀n sí i?

As Nigerian workers join their counterparts across the world today to celebrate International Workers Day, it is a sobering truth that the plight of the Nigerian worker remains dire. Despite prolonged pledges and flowery words by the government, the much talked-about prospects of wage increment for the Nigerian worker remains a mirage. Every dawn unveils renewed hardships and harsh living conditions. After the contraction and contradictions by the government about whether the subsidy regime has gone or it is still being implemented, the country is today facing the angst of frustration by Nigerians who waste precious man-hours in queues at petrol stations across the country. The petrol subsidy is purportedly gone; yet its impact lingers - revealing the ineptitude of the current federal government. In an unprecedented manner and condescending of both the Nigerian worker and the general public, this current federal government announced a unilateral removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit without consultations with representatives of the Nigerian worker.

The continued increase in tariffs in different service offerings without addressing the corruption and inefficiencies in the system only amounts to long-suffering Nigerians subsidising the corruption and inefficiencies in the system. Since the days of legendary, Pa. Michael Imoudu, to later day fire brands such as Pascal Bafyau and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the Nigerian worker has been at the forefront of the fight against tyranny and bad governance. No administration in our history has trampled workers' rights like this one. Daily, workers face uncertainty over skyrocketing prices of essential goods. The Nigerian worker has had it so rough under this current administration and it is unfortunate that while the living conditions of the Nigerian worker remains at a miserably low ebb, the Nigerian government continues to regale its international audiences with tales of how the masses are being weaned of their wasteful dependence on government.

A Message to Nigerian Workers. On this Workers' Day, I want to speak directly to the men and women who wake up every morning and go to work in spite of everything: the civil servants who have not received their full entitlements, the traders whose goods no one can afford to buy, the factory workers whose employers are closing shop, the teachers and medical personnel holding together systems that government is failing to adequately fund. You are not invisible. Your suffering is not a statistic. It is real, it is documented, and it is a direct consequence of a trial-and-error policy choices made by those entrusted with the responsibility to serve you. Nigeria's working people did not cause this crisis. They did not vote for impoverishment. They voted for hope, and that hope was taken from them. They deserve leadership that spends the nation's resources on their welfare, not on opaque mega-projects that serve the well-connected. They deserve a government that measures its success by their living standards, not by the size of its spending, the growth of its debt, or the breadth of its patronage networks. Nigeria can and must do better. The resources exist. The talent exists. What is lacking is the will to govern for all Nigerians rather than for the few.

Nigeria cannot continue asking competent young people to wait outside the room while their future is being decided inside it. MY COVENANT WITH YOU Our partnership must also mean something practical in the lives of young Nigerians. It begins with jobs and enterprise. Nigeria has millions of young people with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot access the capital required to turn those ideas into businesses. We will expand transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people working in the creative economy. Your surname, political connection or ability to find a godfather should not determine whether a good idea receives an opportunity to succeed. Education must also change. We cannot continue educating young Nigerians for an economy that no longer exists. Our schools must place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational education, agriculture, digital skills, critical thinking and entrepreneurship. And no brilliant Nigerian child should be denied tertiary education simply because his or her parents are poor.

While you rest in Europe, millions of Nigerian parents lie awake at night, staring at empty cupboards and wondering how they will face their children in the morning. That is the reality on our streets. Atiku wants to offer Nigerians more than empty figures. He has a plan that respects the dignity and protects the survival of the Nigerian people.But the questions Nigerians are asking have not gone on leave with you. When you return, bring answers. Reconcile the Federation Account figures of N30trillion Naira. Provide full transparency around the duty exemptions of over #34trillion Naira. Explain what Nigerians concretely received for the ₦15.8 trillion your government says subsidy removal mobilised.And explain why intervention is supposedly backward when Atiku proposes it, but miraculously becomes Renewed Hope when you announce it. His Excellency Atiku Abubakar will continue to engage Nigerians directly on how to make their lives affordable again. He does not need to engage personally with a President who attacks his ideas while refusing to call his name.

On jobs, skills and enterprise, I see millions of young Nigerians with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot access the capital to turn those ideas into businesses. I am committed to expanding transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people in the creative economy, so that your surname, political connection or ability to find a godfather does not determine whether your idea gets a chance to succeed. This includes a major financing programme for start-ups and entrepreneurs. Our objective is to move young Nigerians from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity, and from palliatives to prosperity. On education, I want to change how we prepare young Nigerians for work. Our schools must place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational education, agriculture, digital skills, critical thinking and entrepreneurship. No brilliant Nigerian child should be denied university, polytechnic or college education simply because his or her parents are poor. I see young Nigerians as the greatest national asset Nigeria has ever produced, innovators, farmers, engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and artisans, and I believe no President can rebuild Nigeria without their active participation.