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From 10-16 to 8-hour Workday, The Story of Worker’s Day May 1

Nigeria adopted nationally on May 1, 1981, after Kano State first declared it in 1980

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Called International Workers’ Day, Labour Day, or May Day , the origin traces back to the 19th-century labour movement and one key event that shaped the development was the Haymarket Affair in Chicago, 1886.

The 2026 theme according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), is “Ensuring a Healthy Psychosocial Working Environment” – focusing on mental health, stress, and work-life balance .

Nigeria adopted nationally on May 1, 1981, after Kano State first declared it in 1980.

Industrial Revolution conditions

At that time, factory workers often worked 10-16 hour days in unsafe conditions for low pay.

As a result, Labour unions began pushing for an 8-hour workday.

The 8-hour movement

On April 21, 1856, Australian workers in Victoria did a mass stoppage for the 8-hour day .

In the US, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions declared May 1, 1886 as the day the 8-hour workday would start

May 1, 1886 strikes

Between 300,000-500,000 US workers went on strike across the country. Chicago was the centre, with about 40,000 protesters.

Haymarket Affair, May 3-4, 1886

May 3: Police fired on striking workers at McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, killing at least two

May 4: At a protest in Haymarket Square, someone threw a bomb at police. It killed 7 officers and at least 4 civilians. Eight anarchists were arrested and convicted. Four were hanged.

May 1 becomes International Workers’ Day

In 1889, the International Socialist Congress in Paris chose May 1 to commemorate Haymarket and call for annual demonstrations for the 8-hour day.

By 1904, it was made mandatory for workers’ groups to stop work on May 1.

Why May 1 spread globally

Europe

Traditional spring festival of May Day merged with labour demonstrations-

India

First celebrated in Chennai in 1923. May 1 became a national holiday to recognise workers’ rights.

It’s also Maharashtra Day & Gujarat Day-

Nigeria Adopted nationally on May 1, 1981, after Kano State first declared it in 1980

Philippines

First Labour Day was May 1, 1903, when the first workers’ union protested

Purpose

Honours workers’ contributions and pushes for fair wages, safe conditions, and the 8-hour day-

Public holiday

Not everywhere

The US & Canada celebrate Labour Day on the first Monday in September instead.

How Workers’ Day Is Celebrated in Nigeria

In Nigeria, Workers’ Day is more than a ceremonial gathering. It serves as a structured platform for engagement between labour unions and the government authorities.

Each year, workers use the occasion to highlight issues affecting their welfare, including wages, working conditions, unemployment and the rising cost of living.

Organised labour bodies such as the Nigeria Labour Congress, and the Trade Union Congress coordinate nationwide activities.

Their addresses during May Day celebrations often reflect the economic realities of the time, making the event a barometer for the state of the workforce.

Beyond formal speeches, the day reinforces the relevance of collective bargaining.

It reminds both workers and policymakers that labour rights are not static but require continuous negotiation and protection.

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NYSC warns against night travel as 2026 Batch B Stream I orientation begins June 10

The orientation exercise will officially end on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

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The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) announced Thursday that the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream I Orientation Course will begin on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, with the reception and registration of prospective corps members across the country.

In a statement signed by Caroline Embu, Director, Information and Public Relations, NYSC said that the registration would end at midnight on Friday, June 12, in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The NYSC added that the swearing-in ceremony for prospective corps members mobilised for the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream I service year would also take place on Friday, June 12.

The orientation exercise will officially end on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

The scheme wished all mobilised Nigerian graduates safe journeys to their various orientation camps nationwide and reiterated its warning against night travel.

It advised prospective corps members to suspend their journeys once it is 6pm and spend the night at any available corps members’ lodge, military formation, police station, outpost, or palace of a traditional ruler before continuing the next morning.

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President Tinubu appoints 40 years old Prof Aina as JAMB Registrar

Prof Aina will succeed Prof Is-haq Oloyede, whose two-term tenure expires on July 31, 2026.

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Prof Segun Aina

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Segun Aina as the new registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Prof Aina will succeed Professor Is-haq Oloyede, whose two-term tenure expires on July 31, 2026.

Professor Aina, who will be 40 in July, is a distinguished academic and systems expert with extensive experience in national examination systems, digital infrastructure, and public-sector institutional reform.

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, stated that “President Tinubu expects Professor Aina to bring to bear his vast experience, knowledge and practical insight into the operations of the Board to take the critical educational organisation beyond the laudable heights achieved by his predecessor.”

A professor of computer engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Aina began his career with JAMB during his National Youth Service, gaining foundational experience in national admissions and data-driven institutional processes.

These insights have shaped his ongoing contributions to examination reform and systems optimisation.

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Nigeria now produces 10,000 passports per hour

In an address during the International Civil Service Conference 2026 in Abuja, the minister said that the reform has transformed passport production from a slow, manual and fragmented process into a system driven by automation, integration and efficiency.

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Photo: Minister of Interior, Olatunji Olubunmi-Ojo

Minister of Interior, Olatunji Olubunmi-Ojo, said that Nigeria can now produce “nothing less than 10,000 passports per hour.”

The minister attributes the passport production fest to the establishment of a world-class centralised personalisation centre in Abuja, a development he described as the first of its kind since 1963.

In an address during the International Civil Service Conference 2026 in Abuja, the minister said that the reform has transformed passport production from a slow, manual and fragmented process into a system driven by automation, integration and efficiency.

“For the first time since 1963, we have a world-class centralised personalisation centre in Abuja,” said Olubunmi-Ojo.

“And what that means is that from a system that could do 400 or 500 passports per hour, all over the world, we could barely do three, four thousand a day or per hour.

Today, we are in a position to do nothing less than 10,000 passports per hour with a centralised level of control.”

He said the nder the new arrangement, stressing that the innovation marks a major shift in the management of internal security services and public administration.

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