Date: 2019-05-11

Non governmental organization,NGO, operating under the name ‘Nigerian Workforce Strategy And Enlightenment Centre, NIWOSEC, yesterday, Friday brought representatives of Okada Riders from various zone in kwara state together for sensitisation on the safety of their job and dignity of labour in recognition of their contribution to the social economic development of the state and country.

The seminar which was targeted at the informal sector of labour due to the ways people in formal sector always look at them like people that does not matter to the development of the state and community in any way, held at the kwara state secretariat of the NIWOSEC along, Offa road, Ganmo junction, Ilorin.

It was declared open by the chief strategist of Of the organisation, Dr. David Kayode Ehindero who said the seminar was specifically organized to sensitise motor cycle (okada riders) in the society to give them some words of advise on how to guide against hazard attached to their work and more importantly appreciate their contribution to the social economic development of the state and country.

He added that the organisation would have love to bring all okada riders in the state together but due to lack of capacity, they decided to pick representatives from zones. We did similar seminar last year for artisan at Micheal Imoudu institute for labour studies. The reason behind this type of seminar is to let the people in informal sector know how important they are to the development of the community and Nigeria at large. "Work Na Work” you should be proud of yourself in any sector of work you found yourself"

"Although, we can only call on the people in our society to give respect and honour to people in informal sector because in some cases they even contribute more than those in formal sector".

"So many of them makes #30,000 new minimum wages in a matter of days and pay taxes regularly with many dependants around them” they deserve proper recognition.

"Your sector is very important to the social economic progress of our community, state and country. And as result you should be very proud of your work at every point in time. But I appeal to you to always obey the rules and regulations that comes with day to days discharging Of your duty, for you to live long and enjoy the fruits of your labour"

"The mission of this organization, NIWOSEC, is to let every workers in Nigeria have dignity in their work and value themselves without any discrimination whatsoever from any sector, because that is the only way we all can share ideas and move the country forward"

In his speech, the state Director, National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr. OluSegun Adeyemi applauded NIWOSEC for coming up with the marvellous idea of such for the betterment of our people and country.

He, however call the attention of the attendants, (okada riders) to the newly introduced micro pension plan of federal government, where informal sectors are been allowed to partake in voluntary pension contribution like those working under government.

"Government gives special recognition for the transportation sector because it appears to be booming presently and many Nigerians are currently making living from the sector. And called on okada riders to keep growing the sector and play by the rules" he said.

In his reaction, the state chairman of okada riders in kwara state, Alhaji Fatai Oladimeji acknowledged that unlike in the past when the okada riders was not proud of their work but now many of them are very proud of the work, and this is due to the fact that many have achieved a lot with this work and sponsoring children to a better school up to University level.

"We used this occasion to call on the people of the society not to patronise an okada rider that did not put on uniform with clear identification number at the back and front of his uniform, because these are the people that always carry out wicked action in the society".