President Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday the Federal Government would ensure that no employer, especially in the private sector, retrenched workers without following the due process.
In his Workers’ Day message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the president said he had directed that requisite incentives, hazard allowances and life insurance be made available to health workers who are leading the fight against COVID-19.
Buhari said he was aware of the anxiety that had plagued the minds of workers over the possibility of job cuts due to economic downturn caused by the pandemic and lockdown.
The message was read out at a meeting with Labour leaders via ZOOM by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.
President Buhari said: “It is 1st May – May Day today but we know that something is not right not just in our nation but globally. Today is a day set aside for workers to celebrate the success of their historical struggles to have a ‘voice’ in the world of work.
“It is equally a day to celebrate their partnership with relevant stakeholders to achieve sustainable development and contribute to the progress of nations in contemporary times.
“It is a day to mark and acclaim workers’ productivity in nation-building. But today, May 1, 2020, the usual pomp and ceremony characterized by sounds of drumming and march past by various Trade Unions and their federations are missing in all the stadia throughout the federation including our Abuja Eagle Square.
“This is so because we are fighting an invisible enemy to humanity termed COVID-19 pandemic. In a bid to win this war, we set up a Presidential Task Force (PTF) made up of the relevant sector ministers and highly skilled health technical experts.
“The government had to in a well-designed Expert Advice, lockdown some states of the federation where this pandemic is most prevalent – the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Ogun and Lagos States.
“Lagos State was and still is the epicentre of the disease and of late Kano had to follow because of the new eruptions of COVID-19 in the state.”
