Social Justice Day: ILO, Obi, canvass equal rights, opportunities for all

• Says social injustice fueling disunity among Nigerians

AS the world commemorated Social Justice Day, yesterday, the International Labour Organisation ( ILO) and presidential candidate of the Labour Party ( LP), Peter Obi, has called for equal opportunity to live decently for all citizens, to enable them to explore their potential and make a meaningful impact in society.

They maintained that social justice means policies and actions that create equal access to opportunity for all.

Director- General of ILO, Gilbert Houngbo, lamented that for too long, economic demands had trumped environmental and social needs.

Stating that this must change and could be achieved by everyone working together, he added that nations had a unique opportunity to bend the arc of history in favour of social justice and to put social needs at the same level as economic and environmental concerns.

Obi, in his verified X handle, said with the Nigerian people facing many complex challenges ranging from insecurity, poverty, unemployment and inflation, among other pressing challenges, the government needed to take urgent steps to ameliorate the burdens borne by the masses by ensuring that they come up with people- oriented policies that would help, protect and encourage the masses, especially the less privileged. He said the government so doing would ensure that every Nigerian gets an equal opportunity to live decently, fully explore their potential and make a meaningful impact in society.

According to him, Nigeria desperately needs to evolve rapidly into a fair society.

Noting that the day presented an opportunity for sober reflections, especially for leaders, whose actions and inactions have far- reaching impacts on the people they lead.

“We must understand today that the people must be at the centre of governance. In our nation Nigeria, social justice demands that we offer equal access to education, health, well- being and opportunities for advancement to every Nigerian irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or social status,” he said.

With Nigeria ranking low in social justice, which was currently ranked 158 out of 190 countries measured, Obi said leaders must identify and tackle the abnormality in the nation.