Perhaps, it could be due to the dearth of credible job opportunities. Perhaps, it could be due to the “suffering de smile” nature of Nigerians. The Nigerian-child can do anything, any kind of job, to see that the ends meet. The Nigerian child can barely sleep for four hours a day to make sure that he or she does not go begging a neighbour ‘feeding money’. But it is disappointing and smacks the sensibilities of well-meaning Nigerians that while the Nigerian-child put these efforts, he or she gets pittance in reward.
In Nigeria, a lot of indigenous companies take this advantage, dearth of credible job opportunities, to humiliate the Nigerian-child, more especially the Asian businessmen, particularly of the Indian and Chinese extraction.
For example, in Odogunyan Industrial Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos State, or in Trans Amadi Industrial
area, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, not less than 40 factories are owned by these Asians. They manufacture polythene, textile materials, metal, iron and steel, and rubber foot-wear.
Like in many other parts of the country, as early as 6.30, you see mad-rush of Nigerian children going to work, all in a bid to beat their companies resuming time in the morning. It is no longer news that the Nigerian worker is meted out with all forms of humiliations, harassments and even physical assault by their employers, occasioned by the depressive economic situation of the country, coupled with the decaying nature of the Nigerian labour law, right before the pseudo branch of Union Executives.
While these workers are made by their various working places policies to deny themselves of sleep by waking as early as 5 0’clock and set for office, they are not allowed admittance, or going out from the factories, as soon as the morning siren crows by the setted-alarm had stopped. The
morning shift workers who time beated are to wait in the factory till break time in the noon before they will be allowed to go while those coming to work that time beated stand the danger of losing their jobs – without any compensation, whatsoever.
While these workers are mandatorily subjected to work like the slaves in Goree, Sierra Leone 12 hours per day with barely 30 minutes break, most of them are paid N7, 000 to N15, 000 every month, as the case may be. Even when some of them had injury in the cause of duty, they are denied compensation. They are threatened to keep quiet unless they want to loose their jobs. Many Nigerian-children have lost their arms or even died while struggling to make N7, 000 for 30 days. What a pity!
Nigerians may recall that on September 16, 2002, not less than 50 workers were roasted alive in avoidable circumstance in a factory in Lagos. Reportedly, the deceased workers were on that fateful Sunday night working in the factory
when the factory manager (a Chinese national) locked all entrances (so that his salves? will not dodge work) and went to bed with the keys. When fire eventually broke out around l AM, all the workers were trapped in the inferno and got roasted.
And, even, Nigerian Functionaries do not help matter. When there is such a case, the Nigerian functionaries will only visit such place and exhale their anger and disappointment or better-worse, set up a probe panel that dies as soon as it’s set up. Even when they eventually probe, the out come of the probe will not be made open to the public. One wonders when the Nigeria government would rise up from ineptitude and attain utopia!
Notwithstanding, sometime in April, 2005, in African Steel Ltd, the melting pot erupted and unleashed fragments of red-hot metals. These metals, like the modern day aircrafts, flew in all directions of the factories making a hole through workers’ stomach, legs, heads, in short through
any part of the body they wanted. In that incident, about 20 people were feared dead; and they were casual workers.
A casual worker in the Nigerian parlance is someone who is employed into a company without a security, ready to be used by the company at will, paid pittance for much work done and is abandoned to his or her fate when ever there is casualty in the cause of duty. In the Nigerian parlance, a casual worker is the person who does the major work of man-power in a company without any respect whatsoever attached to the person. A casual worker in the Nigerian parlance is the person who is at risk of deadly pollution of the company. What a bizarre! What a pity!
While these casual workers may have given much experience in their area of duty, somebody who was just employed today stands the chance of an official car, duplet, Mega money et al, just because the person has a University education. (That is Nigeria for you).
While the developed nations
treat their workers with equal respect and dignity, the Nigeria state treat her workers with disparity. It could be because of this respect shown to workers with University education that has made every Nigerian wants to be a University graduate even when the person hadn’t the charisma and can’t cope with studies, all that is wanted is the certificate.
Sometimes, the issue of being educated in the Nigerian parlance is on the amiss. Today, it’s only that you attended a University that you can be said to be educated. Those with Polytechnic qualifications are churlish, let a lone those with ‘institution’ qualifications. Then what can Nigerians who spent five to six years in learning a trade, a work, be called? What of Nigerians who had Standard Six qualification or Senor Secondary School Certificate?
It is the incapacitation of Nigerians to extinguish education from school that there are more slave camps in all the industrial cities all over Nigeria. It is
a pity!
Odimegwu Onwumere, an author and poet, writes from Oyigbo Rivers State Nigeria. |
