CITAD urges workers to sustain rights struggle through legitimate channels

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has urged workers to remain hopeful and continue pursuing their rights through legitimate channels, warning that suppressing peaceful avenues for expressing grievances could push people towards unlawful means.

The Executive Director of CITAD, Engr. Y.Z. Ya’u, gave the advice while speaking at the second phase of the Kano Labour Institute, a three-day labour education training organised by the organisation in Kano.

Ya’u urged workers not to abandon their struggles simply because immediate support or mobilisation was not visible, stressing the importance of sustaining legitimate efforts to demand their rights.

“My advice, please don’t lose hope. Don’t think everything is given up,” he said.

He warned that denying people legitimate avenues to express their grievances could create conditions for more dangerous forms of resistance.

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“The moment you prevent people from having the legitimate way to express themselves, they will invent the illegitimate way to fight back,” Ya’u said.

The CITAD executive director linked hopelessness among some young people to destructive behaviours, including drug abuse and violence, urging workers and citizens to continue using lawful and peaceful means to pursue their demands.

Speaking on the training, CITAD Senior Programme Officer, Sani Muhammad Khamis, said the Kano Labour Institute was established in response to concerns over declining labour education and awareness among workers.

Khamis said the situation had left some workers without adequate knowledge of their rights and responsibilities in the workplace.

He explained that the training was designed to strengthen participants’ understanding of labour issues, including workers’ rights and the relationship between employers and employees.

According to him, CITAD expects participants to become ambassadors of labour education by sharing the knowledge gained with colleagues and communities and applying it to address workplace challenges.

“We want them to be ambassadors,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of participants, Barr. Bilkisu Ibrahim Sulaiman, former Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, commended CITAD for organising the training, describing it as timely and particularly important for young people.

Sulaiman noted that many young Nigerians were unaware of the struggles that shaped the country’s history, adding that excessive focus on an uncertain future could make it difficult for them to appreciate the importance of sustained advocacy for their rights.

She said the training and motivational sessions had strengthened participants’ commitment to pursuing their struggles through the right channels.

Sulaiman expressed appreciation to CITAD for the initiative and prayed for the organisation’s continued strength and success in its future activities.

The three-day programme, held from August 18 to 20, 2026, at the CITAD office in Kano, brought together representatives of labour unions, public and private sector workers, civil society organisations and human rights activists.