By CHIDI MATTHEW NWACHUKWU

Labour Party Chieftain and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating Nigerian workers today on the occasion of International Workers’ Day.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi lauded Nigerian workers for their unwavering commitment and immense contributions to nation growth, describing their input as the energy that drives the nation.

“On this International Worker’s Day, we celebrate the tireless efforts of our Nigerian workers, whose unwavering commitment and immense contributions drive our nation’s growth and development.

“A day like this offers us the opportunity to appreciate every Nigerian worker at different levels of government, across different agencies, private industries and business sectors – your legitimate labours form the energy that propels our nation,” tweeted Obi.

The former Anambra Governor hailed the resilience of the unrelenting workers despite the harsh realities and severe economic challenges confronting them, and urged them to stay unwavering.

“The struggles and harsh realities facing our dear workers in our nation, presently contending with severe economic and political challenges, are obvious.

“Despite these very challenging times, our Nigerian workers have continued to show resilience and commitment to the nation’s growth,” stated Obi.

Obi further decried Nigeria’s rising unemployment rate which he linked to the damning crime rate and restlessness that has bedevilled the country, and harped on the need for aggressive investment in the country’s productive population.

“Notwithstanding the recent reconfiguration of our economic indices, the reality is that today, Nigeria has unemployment and under-employment rate of over 35% and youth unemployment and under-employmemt rate of over 45% which is one of the highest globally, fueling all sorts of criminality and social vices.

“Aggressive investment in the productive population remains the best and fastest route to bridging this shortage of well-trained workers and moving our nation from consumption to production.

“This, as I have consistently maintained, we can achieve by investing in education, health and fighting poverty through job creation and support for small businesses.

“As a nation, we must create an environment that fosters growth, provides opportunities, and ensures fair compensation. We must recognize the dignity of labour and promote a culture of respect and appreciation for all workers,” stated the statesman.