By
Dr. Austin Orette
A society that mocks honest labour
is a society preparing for its own destruction. Nations do not become
prosperous by celebrating wealth alone; they become prosperous by honouring the
labour that creates wealth.
The dignity of labour is the
foundation upon which every great civilization has been built. Whenever that
dignity is eroded, corruption replaces productivity, greed replaces innovation,
and society begins a slow but certain decline.
It therefore pains me whenever I
hear politicians, senior government officials, opinion leaders, and even
journalists ridicule Nigerians who engage in honest occupations simply to feed
their families. Nothing is more heartbreaking than hearing legitimate work
described as "menial," as though some occupations are reserved only
for those whom society considers inferior.
The recent controversy surrounding
the First Lady's encouragement of the Akara business exposed a dangerous
mentality that has gradually become part of our national culture. Rather than
appreciating the value of entrepreneurship, many people rushed to mock the
idea, forgetting that every great business in the world started with a simple
product that solved an everyday problem.
What exactly is wrong with selling
Akara? Millions of Nigerians eat Akara every single day. It is affordable,
nutritious, and woven into our national food culture. Why then should anyone be
ashamed of making an honest living from providing a product that millions
consume?
The answer lies in our warped
understanding of success. We have become a society that measures dignity by
appearance rather than productivity. We admire expensive suits more than
skilled hands. We celebrate luxury cars more than thriving factories. We
applaud sudden wealth without asking how it was acquired, while we ridicule
those who wake before dawn every morning to earn an honest living.
This is not merely unfortunate; it
is dangerous. Every multinational corporation that dominates today's global
economy began with someone solving an ordinary human problem. McDonald's was
built on hamburgers. KFC was built on fried chicken. Starbucks transformed an
ordinary cup of coffee into a global brand worth billions of dollars. Italy
turned pizza into a cultural export. France elevated bread and pastries into
national symbols. India has built international food brands around ordinary
local cuisine.
If these nations can create global
industries from everyday food, why should Nigeria laugh at an entrepreneur who
decides to commercialize Akara? Perhaps the problem is not Akara. Perhaps the
problem is us. Our educational system has unintentionally produced graduates
who see themselves as job seekers rather than problem solvers. Somewhere along
the line we began to believe that obtaining a university degree automatically
entitles one to an air-conditioned office, a government appointment, and a
comfortable salary.
Nothing could be further from the
truth. Education was never intended to be a passport to comfort. It was
designed to equip the human mind with the capacity to think critically, solve
problems, create opportunities, and improve society.A degree is not a crown. It
is a tool. Like every tool, its value depends entirely on how it is used.
What is so special about possessing
a university degree that one cannot clean floors, collect refuse, repair
machinery, cultivate farmland, or engage in any other honest occupation? Does
education diminish the dignity of work, or should it increase the quality of
work? The irony is almost painful.
The engineers who designed air
conditioners did not become engineers because they loved sitting inside cool
offices. They became engineers because they identified a problem and applied
knowledge to solve it. Every scientific invention, every technological
breakthrough, every medical discovery, and every engineering marvel began with
someone refusing to accept existing limitations.
Education creates thinkers. It
creates innovators. It creates builders. It creates creators of value.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria, education has increasingly become a badge of
entitlement instead of a call to service. Instead of asking, "What problem
can I solve?" many graduates ask, "Who will employ me?" Instead
of wondering how they can create wealth, they spend years waiting for somebody
else to create it for them. That mindset explains much of our national
stagnation.
Across the developed world, educated
people are respected because they create industries. They establish businesses.
They invent technologies. They improve agriculture. They expand healthcare.
They modernize manufacturing. They build companies that employ thousands of
people.
In Nigeria, however, we often define
success by proximity to political power rather than by productive enterprise.
This explains why politics has become the fastest route to wealth. It also
explains why public office has become more attractive than private innovation.
The consequence is devastating.
We now live in a country where many
politicians possess greater wealth than industrialists who have spent decades
building businesses and creating employment. We celebrate consumption instead
of production. We admire luxury instead of industry. We honour possession
instead of contribution. That inversion of values is destroying the moral
fabric of our nation.
We have created a culture in which
those who genuinely work are looked down upon, while those whose wealth cannot
be explained are treated like celebrities. This is perhaps Nigeria's greatest
moral tragedy. Many of the individuals who shape public opinion openly ridicule
occupations that require physical effort, yet they have never created
sustainable employment for anyone. They mock the roadside food vendor while
importing food from abroad. They laugh at artisans while living in houses built
by artisans. They ridicule farmers while eating food grown by farmers. They
insult mechanics while travelling in vehicles repaired by mechanics.
Without these workers, society would
simply collapse. There is absolutely no shame in honest labour. The shame lies
in dishonesty. The shame lies in corruption. The shame lies in stealing public
resources. The shame lies in enriching oneself through fraud while looking down
on those who work honestly.
One of the reasons Nigeria continues
to experience massive migration of skilled workers is that our society has
failed to appreciate labour. Doctors leave. Engineers leave.
Nurses leave. Teachers leave.
Technicians leave. Farmers abandon agriculture. Young graduates leave in search
of societies where labour is respected and rewarded according to merit.
Ironically, many Nigerians who
considered certain occupations beneath their dignity at home willingly perform
those same jobs abroad with pride because those societies attach honour to
honest work.
There is no disgrace in cleaning
offices in London. There is no shame in driving taxis in Canada. There is no
embarrassment in caring for the elderly in Germany. There is no ridicule
attached to construction work in Australia. Why? Those societies recognize that
every honest occupation contributes to national prosperity.
Nigeria must learn this lesson. We
must reward labour at all costs. Withholding the wages of those who toil is a
gross violation of their fundamental human rights. Nigerian governments have
become notorious for these violations through unpaid salaries, delayed
pensions, poor remuneration, and the neglect of workers' welfare. This
nonchalant attitude must stop at every level of government and within the
private sector. We urgently need legislation that guarantees prompt payment of
wages, protects workers from exploitation, and imposes severe penalties on
employers who deliberately deny workers the fruits of their labour. A nation
that cannot pay its workers on time cannot claim to value labour.
The Holy Scriptures declare that
"the labourer deserves his wages." Throughout history, every
prosperous civilization has understood this principle. Justice demands that those
who create value should receive fair compensation. Any society that withholds
the earnings of workers commits not only an economic injustice but also a
profound moral wrong.
Our greatest national problem is not
poverty. It is the glorification of unearned wealth. Nigeria has become one of
the few countries where individuals are celebrated for being billionaires
without anyone asking what industries they built, how many people they employ,
what products they manufacture, or what services they render.
We celebrate wealth detached from
productivity. That is dangerous. A healthy economy rewards innovation,
enterprise, creativity, and productivity. An unhealthy economy rewards
political patronage, rent-seeking, corruption, and criminality.
Sadly, Nigeria increasingly
resembles the latter. Drug traffickers, kidnappers, internet fraudsters, oil
thieves, corrupt politicians, and economic saboteurs often display unimaginable
wealth while productive entrepreneurs struggle under the weight of multiple
taxation, poor infrastructure, insecurity, and unstable government policies.
The message this sends to our youth is catastrophic. It teaches them that
wealth matters more than character. It teaches them that results matter more
than methods. It teaches them that appearance matters more than integrity.
Once a nation reaches that stage,
crime becomes attractive because honest work appears unrewarding. The
consequences are already visible - Kidnapping, cybercrime, cultism, human
trafficking, drug abuse and political violence. All flourish where society
disconnects wealth from labour.
We must reverse this dangerous
trend. We must begin asking serious questions whenever extraordinary wealth
appears without corresponding productivity. Society should celebrate entrepreneurs
who create jobs. We should honour inventors. We should recognize farmers. We
should appreciate artisans. We should reward manufacturers. We should encourage
innovators. These are the true builders of every successful nation. The
government also has a responsibility. Public policy should reward production
rather than speculation. Small businesses should receive easier access to
credit. Vocational education should enjoy the same prestige as university
education. Agriculture should become attractive to graduates through
mechanization, technology, insurance, and guaranteed markets. Young people
should be taught from childhood that dignity lies not in the type of work one
does but in the honesty with which one does it. Parents must stop measuring
success by white-collar employment alone. Schools must teach entrepreneurship
alongside academic excellence. Religious institutions must stop glorifying
miraculous wealth while remaining silent about the virtue of hard work.
Political leaders must lead by personal example.
Nigeria needs a moral revolution. We
must replace the culture of entitlement with the culture of enterprise. We must
replace the worship of wealth with the celebration of work. We must replace
greed with productivity. Above all, we must restore the dignity of labour.
History teaches that no nation has
ever become prosperous by despising honest work. Every great economy was built
by men and women who respected labour, rewarded excellence, and understood that
lasting wealth is created—not stolen.
The Nigeria of our dreams will not
emerge from political slogans. It will be built by farmers who cultivate our
land, teachers who shape our children, artisans who build our homes, doctors
who save lives, engineers who construct our infrastructure, traders who keep
commerce alive, entrepreneurs who create employment, and millions of ordinary
citizens who wake every morning determined to earn an honest living.
It is time to honour them. It is
time to protect them. It is time to reward them. When labour is respected, the
nation prospers. When labour is despised, the nation declines.
The choice before Nigeria is clear.
Let us choose labour.
Let us choose productivity. Let us
choose integrity. Let us choose a future built not on the illusion of wealth, but
on the enduring dignity of honest work.
Dr.
Austin Orette, A Delta South Senatorial Candidate, Writes From Owhelogbo In
Isoko North Local Government Area
