By; USMAN NASIDI, Kaduna
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kaduna State Council has embarked on a two-day sensitization and social mobilization for uptake of COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination for workers in the state.
During a press briefing on Wednesday in Kaduna, the state Chairperson, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman, explained that the world of work has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic since it was discovered in China in 2019.
Ayuba added that the briefing is meant to keep abreast with NLC’s involvement with sensitization and mobilization to get the workers in the COVID-19 high burdened states and workers and the masses in other parts of Nigeria to go for testing and get vaccinated against the disease.
According to him, the disruptions caused by the pandemic in places of work and in the society, made it very necessary for the working people in Nigeria to be mobilized for testing and vaccination against the disease so that the workplace will be free of COVID-19, for optimal productivity to be attained.
He said, “It was in light of this development that the NLC sought the support of the Global Fund to undertake the project, “Social Mobilization for Covid-19 Testing and Vaccination in the Workplace” to compliment the efforts of the government on public health management in Nigeria. The project is being supervised by National Agency for the control of Aids (NACA).
“The focus of the project is for the NLC to engage in massive mobilization and sensitization of the workers and their employers to embrace testing for and vaccination against Covid-19. This is because the workplace provides access to workers in their large numbers and can be used to provide them with information on the pandemic.
“The project was intended for implementation in the 12 high burdened Covid-19 states in Nigeria, which are Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, Plateau, Oyo, Edo, Ogun, Delta, Ondo, Kano, Kwara and the FCT. The timeline for the project was from January 2021 to 31st December, 2023.”
However, Comrade Ayuba noted that the project, Sensitization and Social Mobilization for Uptake of COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination, aside from sensitizing and mobilizing the workers to go for testing and vaccination against COVID-19, provides the trade unions with opportunity to test run their readiness for emergency situations.
“Trade unions as organizations servicing their members are not only to be reactive but also need to pre-empt situations. So, we are using the Sensitization and Social Mobilization for Uptake of Covid-19 Testing and Vaccination as veritable leverage to put ourselves in a very good stead to test run our preparedness on how to manage future emergencies like the Coronavirus pandemic or outbreak of epidemics in the country.
“The programme is also being used to mobilize and organize the workforce in preparedness for recruitment of the broader working people to embrace and keep pace with what the trade unions are doing to safeguard the interests of the working people and the downtrodden masses.” Ayuba Said
Furthermore, NLC Chairperson disclosed that the progamme is also aims at bringing working people together, to organize workers to address whatever their priorities are in their work environment and in the society.
Meanwhile, it also focuses on listening to build workplace community to build trust and respect among the workers and the masses to take responsibility of ownership of their fate to fight for what is right in the workplace and in the society.
Similarly, the project also focuses on getting the workers to work among themselves to concentrate on steps to take to get something done or get them to act to get good results in their favour on issues of concern to them.
“The project, “Social Mobilization for the Uptake of COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in the Workplace” will certainly prepare the NLC and the working people of Nigeria to be in a good stead to address future emergencies like we had in Covid-19.”
Comrade Ayuba Magaji Sulaiman, called on the employers of labour to take measures to minimize the risk of transmission of Covid-19 among workers, visitors, contractors and all those who are involved in business with the workplace by ensuring that there is proper hygiene in the workplace.
“It is in the light of this that we are calling on all the state governments not to abdicate their responsibilities of ensuring that all the people in their domains are mobilized to go for testing and get vaccinated against Covid-19, hence the state governments have the intrinsic power to regulate the public health, safety, and welfare of their people,” he said.
