Afe Babalola seeks alternative option to strike in settling industrial disputes

The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, has condemned the use of strikes by workers in Nigeria in settling industrial disputes, saying workers should not be seeing it as the only best option to resolving issues.

This is coming just as he called on all employers of labour, especially the three tiers of government to evolve measures capable of reducing causes of such trade disputes with their staff by giving them whatever is their legitimate benefits in record time.

Babalola, who spoke last weekend in Ado Ekiti while performing the foundation laying ceremony of “Nurses House” at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado Ekiti, said workers must learn to be moderate and realistic in their agitation, saying strike option, is used as an instrument aimed at making employers to accede to the demands of employees, but was supposed to be sparingly used, and not the other way round in the country this days.

Apparently referring to medical doctors and nurses, Babalola said “these category of workers are not even expected to go on strike at all, considering the fact that their job is centered on saving lives. The uncontrolled use of strike in the country was fast alluding to the impression that Nigeria was not ripe for independence.

“We abuse everything in Nigeria including strike, the way strike is often applied in this country is far from the way it is carried out in places like Europe, and it is like we are not ripe for independence. Workers hardly go on strike in Europe, no matter what, and when there is the need to do so, such strike action does not last more than two hours before they return back to their work”, he said.

Babalola, therefore, urged Nigerian workers, especially nurses to embrace habit of self-development by pursuing on-the-job higher degrees to enhance their competence and further their future job opportunities.

He specifically narrated painfully, how he suffered as child of poor parents to get himself educated up to university level through correspondence studies, and therefore, blamed lack of progress and outstanding success among most Nigerian youths of today on their visionless and missionless lifestyle.

“I grew up in poverty but I had a target and plan that I would make it in life and here I am today, this however cannot be said of many of our present day youths who live without setting targets”, he said.

He, however, promised to see to the early completion of the nurses building project despite the current economic recession in the country.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Chairman of the EKSUTH unit of Nurses and Midwives Association, Mrs. Olufunke Adetoye said the “Nurses Building” to be named after Afe babalola was in recognition of his service to humanity, promotion of education, as well as philanthropic activities all over Nigeria.

When completed, the building will have E-library, Creche and mini mart and would also serve as the secretariat of the association and meeting place for congress, workshops and seminars in the state.