Falana Urges Labour to Fight for Socioeconomic Rights Beyond Minimum Wage

Falana Urges Labour to Fight for Socioeconomic Rights Beyond Minimum Wage

Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged organised labour to go beyond demands for higher minimum wages and push for the enforcement of social welfare policies that can improve workers’ living conditions.

Falana made the call on Tuesday at a symposium held in Abuja in honour of the late scholar and social activist, Dr. Segun Osoba.

He said labour unions should demand increased allowances, improved healthcare, affordable housing and other social welfare interventions from the government.

According to him, the focus on minimum wage negotiations has often prevented labour unions from paying adequate attention to the enforcement of existing social welfare laws and policies.

Falana said, “Labour should, beyond asking for improvement in minimum wage, also insist that the National Housing Act, which allows the state to deduct three per cent from the monthly wages of workers to fund the federal government-backed programme to provide affordable and cheap houses for Nigerians, should be used for the benefit of workers.”

He noted that the government had estimated that about 28 million Nigerians lacked adequate accommodation, stressing the need for the housing programme to be effectively implemented.

Falana also expressed concern over the plight of pensioners, saying many retirees were dying while waiting for their pension benefits, despite the pension fund reportedly reaching N30 trillion.

He criticised the practice of federal and state governments borrowing from pension funds instead of ensuring that retirees receive their entitlements.

The symposium also featured tributes to the late Dr. Segun Osoba, with one of his contemporaries, Prof. Jibril Ibrahim, describing him as a dogged fighter for social justice.

Ibrahim said Osoba was best known for the minority report he co-authored with Dr. Bala Usman as members of the 49-member Constitution Drafting Committee set up by the military administration of General Murtala Mohammed in 1975/76.

Former General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade John Odah, was also among labour leaders who paid tribute to the late scholar.

Earlier, speaking on behalf of the Symposium Planning Committee, Comrade John Odah said the event was the second in a series of symposia organised to honour Osoba.

He explained that the Osoba for Eternity platform is an open space comprising members of the Osoba family, members of the Bala Usman Institute in Zaria, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, comrades, friends, former students and mentees of Osoba, as well as others who share his passion for the social transformation of Nigeria.

A’U said the outcomes of the symposium, alongside those from the earlier edition, would form part of a broader book of tributes expected to be published in the coming weeks.

He said the publication would bring together ideas from eminent speakers and help illuminate the challenges facing Nigeria, continuing the work Osoba began in his lifetime.

According to him, Osoba dedicated his life, through his ideas, scholarship and involvement in movement politics, to the emancipation of the poor, the promotion of social justice and the economic transformation of Nigeria.

He added that the name “Osoba for Eternity” symbolised the enduring nature of ideas, noting that while the human body eventually returns to the earth, ideas that address society’s realities continue to resonate.