The NBA President claimed that attorneys are attempting to find a solution to the age-old problem of employee compensation.
Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has urged the incoming administrations at the federal and state levels to start, reenergize, and concentrate on policies that support inclusiveness, safeguard small and medium-sized businesses, expand the middle class, and give priority to infrastructure development.
In his Monday message to Nigerians in honor of Workers’ Day, he made this request.
“Deliberate steps must be taken to safeguard the socioeconomic rights of workers now more than ever before,” declared NBA President.
Maikyau emphasized that expenditure on subsidies needs to be held to a higher standard of responsibility. Misappropriation and evasion of funds designated for subsidies, notably gasoline subsidies, must be considered economic sabotage, and anyone proven guilty must face legal action.
Maikyau praised workers in the public and private sectors, the self-employed, sole proprietors, and entrepreneurs whose ingenuity and resourcefulness create employment opportunities despite the current economic challenges. Maikyau also saluted the tenacity and resiliency of Nigerian workers who, despite national challenges, continue to keep the wheels of the country turning.
Nigeria would occupy its proper position in the comity of countries, he added, given the appropriate resources and incentives.
Maikyau recalled that at the first NBA State of the Nation Dialogue, which focused on the themes of Security, Economy, and the Judiciary on January 30, 2023, the discussants named the economic recession as a major cause of insecurity, brain-drain, high unemployment rates, and underdevelopment. According to him, there is no other way to treat these symptoms but to deal with the underlying issues, enacting policies that are beneficial to workers, as opposed to making quick fixes.
According to the NBA President, attorneys are using the recommendations of the NBA Remuneration Committee to try to find a solution to the age-old problem of employee compensation. He claims that the suggested steps will give our Colleagues relief and enhance their standard of living.
He added that the NBA Employment Bureau, established by his government to act as an interface in bridging the supply gap of legal persons in both the public and private sectors, has been interacting with various stakeholders in accordance with its mandate. He advised lawyers to benefit from the special opportunities the Bureau was providing.
Maikyau also promised that the NBA would continue to support members of the Bar’s ongoing professional development. This would help to ensure that the legal industry had the skills necessary to succeed not only in Africa but also in the global market, as the NBA has come to realize that its competitors are no longer limited to its local area but are instead found all over the world.
