In commemoration of International Workers Day, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, the Olu of Warri, on Sunday felicitated with Nigerian workers and specially encouraged entrepreneurs of all dispensations and disciplines.
An accomplished entrepreneur himself, the monarch appreciated the contributions of the entrepreneurs to national development. “Your individual and corporate contributions to the national economy cannot be adequately quantified as you are the most significant employers of labour operating at various levels of the Nigerian economy from the grassroots to the boardroom and I suspect the largest contributor to our national non-oil revenue,” he said.
“I speak to the corner shop hairdressers, food vendors, small scale farmers and fishermen, artisans and tradesmen, transport operators and local manufacturers to mention a few; many supporting their businesses with little or no institutional assistance, and in the same breadth supporting nuclear and extended family dependents from their earnings.
“These groupings are in my estimation critical to the Nigerian economy and today is also a day the world should salute their courage and integral contributions,” he said.
His Majesty has further challenged governments at all levels to do more to support private and public sector workers whilst creating the conditions to further enable small and medium scale entrepreneurs to build more capacity and help reduce the burden of unemployment in the land.
