NIGERIA
May Day '85: Workers say 'No' to sermons
This year's May Day Celebrations took an untraditional turn in Lagos. The Guardian's David Obakpee captured the atmosphere very picturesquely in his Reporter's Diary. Below we publish excerpts:-For a reporter assigned to cover the May Day rally at the National Stadium, Lagos, the instant, albeit unvoiced reaction was: "What's spectacular about the May Day?"
Yet he expected the usual colourful congregation, endless sermons of solidarity by labour union leaders; the yearly message of "empty" promises by government officials and, of course, the same routine shouts of "concur" by the down-trodden hoi-polloi: These were what the reporter had in mind before he left home.
But alas! Things and time have indeed changed.
I got to the stadium precisely at 9.02 and headed straight for the State Box. "That's where I'll get a glimpse of the whole show," I thought. Shortly, workers, in an endless ant procession, began to trickle into the main bowl of the stadium. I got my first disappointment! No shouts of joy! No slogans of solidarity! Could it be the scorching sun that had muted the workers?
To the reporter's left was the dynamic and dexterous Police Band, on hand to add colour to the march-past. The group, probably sensing the general feeling of apathy in the stadium, threw in a tune, one of the best they even rendered. But shockingly, the Band could not even paint white the dark expression on the faces of thousands of Nigerian workers who had come to mark their day at the National Stadium.
Since all expected guests were around, and the Police Band unable to appease the "angry" workers, an official of the Nigerian Labour Congress mounted the dais. He shouted, beckoned, cried and chanted all the solidarity salutations he had ever known! There was almost no response.
If there was any, it was of the very cold and dry stuff.
The official announced: "We are going to start right away, first with the speech of our honourable comrade and leader Ali Chiroma, and then we shall proceed to the address by the Head of State before coming to the march-past."
"Should the workers now be told how to celebrate their day? If they say they don't want labour leaders and government officials to do all the talking, that they too have something to say, don't you think the workers deserve a fair hearing?"
The NLC president, Alhaji Chiroma, had not finished his first sentence when workers besieged the front of the State Box with placards. True, displaying placards didn't quite look out of place in a celebration of this nature; but never has there been such a display of placards as witnessed by this reporter. Some of the placards read: "Unemployment Causes Crimes, Save Our Jobs", "FMG No Be We Cause Economic Down-turn, Na Them-O", "Who Is Fooling Who? Promotion For The Military, No Promotion For Workers", "Establish Social Security Scheme For Workers", etc. etc.
The list was endless. The most important aspect of this display of placards was that almost all sectors and classes of Nigerian workers were represented. A four-year-old boy was also present representing Nigerians in callow age. His placard read: "Give My Parents Jobs".
Coupled with this display of placards was the chanting of slogans, reflecting the plight of workers. Songs like “All we are s-a-y-i-n-g.. Give us more jobs” filled the air. All through the address of the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, it was the workers that were doing the talking and who attracted the attention of the crowd at the stadium.
People who were hitherto seated stood up to behold this unprecedented spectacle. This reporter overheard two people in the following discussion:
"What do these people think they are doing?"
"What a question! Is not today workers' day?"
"Yes."
"Should the workers now be told how to celebrate their day? If they say they don't want labour leaders and government officials to do all the talking, that they too have something to say, don't you think the workers deserve a fair hearing?"
"There you have a point."
One also heard labour leaders cast aspersions and throw accusing missiles at each other over the "erratic" behaviour of their union members.
"But can't they see the Minister of Labour is around?" asked one of the leaders. Just then the police was asked to go and quell the uprising. But not even the police could prevent workers from addressing their union leaders and government officials.
Not when today is their day!
Major-General Solomon Omojokun, Minister of Labour, had obviously not bargained for all this. It takes more than being a minister for someone to stand before a group of angry people and deliver an address that the same people are not listening to. It takes courage, discipline and patience. And the minister put all of these virtues on display.
The atmosphere was so charged it seemed the very presence of the labour union leaders and the government officials compounded the workers' irritation. The National Anthem was hurriedly played, the minister, his entourage, and some labour leaders, briskly took leave of the arena. And the Nigerian Police Band dispersed spiritedly. It was obvious they had never seen Nigerian workers in that fashion before.
Following the exit of the labour minister and some other labour union leaders, the workers trickled out of the stadium's main bowl, their faces radiating annoyance. And so, for the first time since May Day celebrations became a State occasion in Nigeria in 1980, there was no march-past!
"Sir, I think the public deserves some explanation of this poor show put up today by your union members," this reporter asked one of the leaders of the workers' union.
"Do you call it a poor show?" he queried. "If you don't know, we carry these placards and do all these things to show the world what our predicaments are. With no jobs, rising school fees, inflation and levies here and there, it's only natural to see us behave this way.
Asked whether the action of the workers was preconceived, the labour leader said it was no such thing. "At least I should have known about it," he swore.
And so, there was something spectacular about May Day.
