Omooba Dotun Babayemi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Osun State, has called on governments at various levels to devise means of improving the lives of Nigerian workers before they retire.
In a statement issued in Osogbo on Sunday to commemorate Nigerian workers, the former gubernatorial aspirant advocated for more attractive working conditions that would promote economic growth and discourage the migration of Nigerians, particularly the youth, in search of better opportunities.
He urged the government to provide a lasting solution to the persistent problem of unpaid pensions and gratuities for retirees.
He said, “Government should provide enhanced packages to the workers that will go beyond the monthly salaries. It’s wickedness to owe salaries and equally ungodly not to pay pensioners their entitlements as and when due. It’s sheer wickedness.
“Our workers and retirees deserve to be treated fairly by the system by putting in place and in concrete terms too, policies and programmes that will make life meaningful and enduring for them during and after service.
“If government at different levels could sincerely see to their welfare by not focusing on salary increase alone, then factors which normally engineer corruption would be done away with.”
Although acknowledging the efforts of the government at all levels to improve the condition of workers, he suggested that there is still room for more to be done to inspire dedication among workers, ultimately benefiting the nation’s economy.
He went on to encourage workers at every level to recommit themselves to their work, leading to the necessary progress across all sectors of the country’s economy.