Former Presidential aide, Mr. Laolu Akande, is advocating for a living wage for workers in the country, saying poor Nigerians have always suffered because of the poor choices made by past leaders.
Akande commented on Nigeria’s ongoing minimum wage dispute during Channel TV’s talk show which he hosts “Inside Sources with Laolu Akande” on Friday.
His comments at the opening segment of the TV programme put attention on the nation’s broader socioeconomic difficulties, emphasising the critical need for a decent salary for Nigerian workers.
Akande ascribed the condition of Nigerian working-class people to decades of poor governance and ineffective leadership.
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“The intensity of the debate and the national discourse on the minimum wage issue is symptomatic of the current living conditions of the critical masses of our people,” Akande stated.
He emphasized that the problem is not unique to the current administration or its political leaders but is the result of many years of inadequate planning, ineffective governance, and uninspiring leadership at various levels.
Akande highlighted the severe depreciation of Nigeria’s currency, attributing it to misguided economic decisions made decades ago. He expressed concern over the country’s failure to achieve significant economic recovery and criticized the extravagant lifestyles of the elite, who appear indifferent to the deteriorating conditions of the majority.
“In this country, we have witnessed the unabated, ostentatious lifestyles of the high and mighty,” Akande said. “Leaders in government who carry on as though they can remain aloof to the incessant spoliation of the living conditions of the majority of the Nigerian people.”
He pointed out the glaring disparity between the self-indulgence of leaders and the neglect of the masses, which has driven many Nigerians towards criminality as a means of survival. Citing public intellectual Dr. Charles Apoki, Akande remarked, “Criminality is intelligence looking for an avenue for manifestation in the midst of oppression and deprivation,” urging the nation to reflect on this perspective.
Akande also addressed the deteriorating state of public education in Nigeria. He noted that many poor students no longer have access to quality schooling, highlighting that “millions of our children no longer go to school. Many of those who go to school do their schooling under trees.”
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