It’s May 1st, workers in Nigeria and around the world are taking the day off in observance of the official workers day, also known as International Labour Day.

The holiday was first promoted by the international workers association in 1904, to commemorate the slaughter of protesting labourers in Haymarket Square in Chicago, the USA in 1886.

It was also to be a day to push for the eight-hour workday and other demands.

Workers day is a day set aside to celebrate workers and encourage them. The theme for this year’s celebration is, “role of labour and workers in national development: dare to struggle and we dare to win.”

In Nigeria, workers across the states hold rallies to demand for better welfare, working conditions, and also the need for government action to address the high unemployment rates of recent years.