EVERY year on May 1st, they gather and celebrate Workers’ Day, a day set aside to appreciate the Nigerian worker. The strong, resilient, ever-adapting citizen who somehow keeps this country moving. And honestly, well done to you if you are even employed, because that alone is now an achievement.
We are not just dealing with poor working conditions anymore. We are now at a stage where people are actively searching for jobs like it’s a national sport. Degrees in hand, skills acquired, CVs polished to perfection and still, nothing. The one that baffles me most is this: you will see someone with qualifications, certifications, and actual sense applying for a job that is asking for a certain amount of years of experience and still getting ghosted like a bad talking stage.
So yes, Happy Workers’ Day to the workers, and a special shoutout to the job seekers , the ones refreshing their emails like it’s a full-time job, hoping for a “We are pleased to inform you.” Spoiler: they are not pleased.
But let’s talk about the ones who are working. What exactly are we celebrating in this country? Maybe we’re celebrating resilience. Nigerians are very good at that.
Is it the salaries that don’t last the month? Or the promotions that come with more responsibilities but no increase in pay? Is it the early mornings and late nights? The “please bear with us” salaries? Or the beautiful uncertainty of “salary will come, we just don’t know when”?
At this point, employment is not even about living well. It’s about surviving slightly better than the unemployed. A hardworking Nigerian is starting to sound like a polite way of saying “professionally struggling.”
And even that is debatable. You earn, yes, but you also spend constantly, aggressively, and relentlessly. Transport is high. Food is high. Everything is high except your account balance, which remains humble.
Today, we will hear words like growth, commitment, and national development. We will be reminded that workers are important , vital, even. But importance is a strange thing in this country. You can be important and still be underpaid, important and overworked, important and one emergency away from financial collapse.
So the Nigerian worker has mastered a new skill: earning and still being broke. It’s not magic. It’s the economy.
On every May 1st, speeches are made, statements are released, and appreciation is generously poured from a safe distance, of course. And then reality resumes the next day.
Workers are the backbone of the nation. Amazing.
But this backbone is tired.
This backbone is underpaid.
This backbone is carrying more than it can sustain.
And it bends, but it doesn’t break because it cannot afford to.
Maybe that’s why this whole thing works. We Nigerians don’t stop. We adjust.
No job? Keep searching.
Bad job? Manage it.
Salary delay? Endure it.
Everything hard? Smile small and keep going.
But let’s also remember: survival is not success, endurance is not prosperity, and showing up every day despite the odds should not be the highest achievement of a working population.
Maybe Workers’ Day is not really for workers. Maybe it’s for the illusion of progress, a yearly reminder that as long as people are still waking up and going to work, everything must be fine. After all, if it was truly bad, people would stop, right?
Except Nigerians don’t stop. We adjust.
So it’s safe to say we are celebrating the ability to cope, the talent of managing suffering with composure, and the fact that despite everything, people are still willing to wake up every day and try.
As we say Happy Workers ’Day, there are thousands of people refreshing job portals, rewriting CVs, and saying quiet prayers of “God, abeg.” Some are overworked. Some are underpaid. Some are unemployed. All are tired.
But yes, Happy Workers’ Day to those working, managing, and to those still searching.
May next year come with more than just wishes.
Voice just cleared its throat.
- Kabara is a writer and public commentator. Her syndicated column, Voice, appears in News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday. She can be reached at hafceekay01@gmail.com.