NIGERIANS SHOULD IMMORTALISE BABA OMOJOLA

To immortalize the late Human Right Activist, Comrade Oluwide Omojola, the general public need to continue the advocacy for the emancipation and liberation of the people which he lived his life for. This was the submission of the spokesperson for the PRO- National Conference Organization (PRONACO), Veteran Olawale Okunniyi at the service of songs and tributes held in respect of Baba Omojola at Indoor Sports Hall, National Stadium, Surulere. He described Com Omojola as a selfless leader who believed in breaching the gap between the poor and the rich and said that he never reached a compromise while alive and died fighting for what he believed in.

In the same vein, the President Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr Joe Okei Odumakin said Baba Omojola believed in the Nigeria that works, and fought towards achieving a just society. She spoke further that Baba Omojola  could be said to have lived a fulfilled life with the fact that he died in the struggle and working towards the attainment of his ideologies and visions. She encouraged young comrades to keep the tempo of Baba Omojola moving. She also made her firm believe known about the fact that Nigerians will soon realise  that they should stand for their rights and demand for it.

Speaking from Baba Omojola's socialist ideology, Barr Femi Aborisade made a call to the Nigerian citizens not be satisfied with the economic ideology being practised in Nigeria, instead they should work towards achieving an egalitarian society.

The funeral programme which took place from Monday through Friday, with various programmes on each day, witnessed the presence of Governors, Human Right and Political Activists, Religionists and different Activist group across the Nation. With this, Baba Omojola could be said not to be limited to fighting for the Yorubas as many people opined, but a man of all people, an internationalist.

FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS, INFORMAL WORKERS URGED

Comrade Gbenga Komolafe
Secretary General, FIWON

People working in the informal sector of the economy have been urged to fight for their rights. This was done by speakers at the Quarterly Workshop of the Lagos State Chapter of the Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON) held on Wednesday in Iyana Ipaja. 

All speakers at the workshop including Comrade Abiodun Aremu (Secretary, Joint Action Front), Barrister Adesina Ogunlana (Vice Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association Ikeja Branch), Professor Princewill Alozie (LASU), Dr. Adeolu Olusodo (Society for Love &Social Justice) and Comrade Gbenga Komolafe (Secretary General, FIWON) all stated that rights are not given to people but are demanded and fought for by the people.

The informal sector represents over 80% of the working force and contributes 65% to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. In the lead paper, Decent work deficits in the informal economy in Nigeria: The Human Right angle, Comrade Gbenga Komolafe highlighted the many securities that are lacking in the informal sector which affects the lives of those working in the sector. He faulted the move of Lagos State Government to form a body for people in the informal sector stating that informal workers have the right to form and run their own organisations.

In their submissions, both Prof. Alozie and Dr. Adeolu Olusodo called on people in the informal sector to put their destinies in their hands by taking active part in the political process, as they organise themselves to protect their interests. Prof. Alozie was emphatic in his call to Nigerians to shun the existing ruling parties and tirelessly work towards building a true masses party to take power from those ruling with impunity now.

Comrade Abiodun Aremu singled out the persistent desire to entrench cheating of others by those ruling as the cause of conflict in the society. He traced the origin of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the continuos struggle of slaves and workers in the past. He called on Nigerians to fight for political rights even in the face of death.

The workshop had in attendance workers from many parts of the informal sector with their leaders visibly present. This is the second workshop to the organised by the Lagos Chapter of FIWON.