Workers’ Day: NBA Asks Tinubu To Protect Entrepreneurs, Grow Middleclass

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) has called on the incoming administrations at Federal and State Government levels to initiate, reinvigorate and focus on policies that promote inclusiveness, protect small and medium-sized enterprises, grow the middleclass and prioritise infrastructural development.

He made this call in his Workers’ Day Message to Nigerians on Monday.

The NBA President said, “Now more than ever before, deliberate steps must be taken to safeguard the socioeconomic rights of workers.”

Maikyau also stressed that there must be increased accountability on subsidy spendings. The misappropriation and circumvention of monies earmarked for subsidies, especially petrol subsidy, must be treated as economic sabotage and those found culpable must be prosecuted.

While saluting the resilience and steadfastness of Nigerian workers who, despite the national challenges, continue to keep the wheels of the country turning, Maikyau commended workers in both the public and private sectors, the Self-Employed, Sole Proprietors and Entrepreneurs whose ingenuity and resourcefulness create employment opportunities despite the current economic challenges.

He noted that with the right tools and incentives, Nigeria will take its rightful place in the comity of nations.

Maikyau recalled that at the inaugural NBA State of the Nation Dialogue held on the 30 January 2023, which dwelt on the thematic areas of Security, Economy and the Judiciary, discussants identified economic recession as a major factor in the insecurity, brain-drain, high levels of unemployment and underdevelopment. These symptoms he said, can only be treated by addressing the root causes, implementing worker-friendly policies as opposed to superficial interventions.

On what the legal profession is doing, the NBA President said lawyers are working to resolve the perennial challenge of employee-remuneration through the recommendations of the NBA Remuneration Committee. This proposed measures, according to him, will bring respite to and improve the quality of living of our Colleagues.

He also said that the NBA Employment Bureau created by his administration to serve as an interface in bridging the supply gap of legal personnel in both the public and private sectors, has been engaging with various stakeholders in line with its mandate. He urged lawyers to take advantage of the unique opportunities offered by the Bureau.

Maikyau also pledged that the NBA will continue to champion the continuous professional development of members of the Bar, ensuring that members of the legal profession are equipped with the skills to thrive not only in Africa but also in the global market, realizing that itsbcompetitors are no longer those within the immediate environment, but are rather spread across the globe.