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Contrary to God’s Word

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  Invest in this content In almost every culture, women are perceived as underdogs and as a result always play second fiddle. Jesus Christ, however, never treated any woman in a demeaning way. Instead, He elevated the status of women in a male dominated society to one of equal dignity and honor. In Galatians 3:28, Paul asserted that oneness in Christ transcends al distinctions between men and women. Any demeaning attitude, comment or action towards women by men is contrary to God’s Word. It is every woman’s inalienable right to be treated with dignity and honor . Read Esther 1 Empty Assurances Several businesses have closed shop as a result of the very harsh policies of the government of the day. Millions of Nigerians are already impoverished. Distraught citizens have now become pick-pockets in public places. The general costs of doing business in Nigeria has gone beyond reach. Violent crimes, prohibitive costs of energy and transport occasioned by the cut t...

Workers Welfare : Michael Imoudu as a Role Model 2

 


The need for an increase in wages and better working conditions prompted Michael Imoudu to lead a demonstration from the locomotive yard in Ebute metta, Lagos to the Government House situated at Marina, Lagos Island, Lagos.

The Governor General of the Colony of Lagos, Bernard Bourdillon, noticed that any form of industrial action at that period, could disrupt railway supplies to the coalition, during the Second World War in 1941. It was on this premise he acceded to a 50 percent pay rise for the workers.

This success, further inspired Imoudu to put forward more demands, among which were conversion of daily casual labor to salaried employment, Saturday work with pay, permanence of daily labor, holiday travel grant and payment of arrears to cover from 1932 to 1942 unpaid entitlements.

This did not go down well with Bourdillon, who facilitated the termination of Imoudu’s appointment on 23 January 1943 and also ordered his arrest under the Nigeria General Defense Regulations, 1941.

In quick succession, he was relocated and remanded at the Benin prison. While in prison, he influenced inmates to demonstrate against poor feeding and other deplorable prison conditions.

In response, the British Colonial Government in 1943, restricted Imoudu’s movement to the palace of the paramount Chief of Auchi and made an order for him to report twice a week to the Auchi Police station.

As a result of a face off with the District Officer of Auchi and his moves to facilitate the establishment of peasants’ cooperatives for the benefit of peasants in Etsako and Ora, he was again remanded in the Auchi prison.

Some of his comrades, including T. A Bankole, openly spoke against Imoudu’s action, to the hearing of the Chief Secretary of Government.

After spending two and a half years in prison, the labor activist was set free.

A mass rally was held at Oko-Awo, Lagos to celebrate his release from prison, while nationalists such as Herbert Macaulay were on the ground to grace the occasion.

In June 1945, he successfully led over 30,000 workers to down tools for 44 days.

The industrial action hinged on the inability of the colonial government to actualize the promise of Bourdillon in 1942, to review allowances according to an index.

Bourdillon's successor, Arthur Frederick Richards, vigorously refused to pay the allowance.

This resulted in the abrupt end of the unpopular Richards constitution, and set the stage for self government.

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