When I saw the prompt for this week and the questions attached to it, it was funny how I said 'No' out loud.
Aremu (former VP of Nigeria Labour Congress) said:
"The key to the nation’s economic recovery is increased productivity and the antidote against poverty is work.".
🌎 Global Statistics
Globally, there was a drop of 3.4% in global GDP in 2020. That meant over USD 2 trillion of lost economic output.
Source: https://www.statista.com/topics/6139/covid-19-impact-on-the-global-economy/
🌎 Statistics Covering Nigeria
Nigeria's economy contracted by 3.2% in 2020. The economy was expected to grow 2.1%, so COVID reversed that and pushed Nigeria into a serious recession.
When I was younger and naïve
Like many children, I used to beg for more holidays and free days, one time I even made a statement saying "If I were the president of my country, I would make it a rule for everyone to stay home and not go to work when it rains terribly".
My Father heard this and corrected me:
"No developed country would have gotten to its current position if everyone decides to take a day off during small inconveniences "
That statement lives rent free in my head till date.
🎓 A Lesson at Unilag
There was time when a student in school(Unilag), it was earlier this year when the Past President of the country died and the government declared a national holiday in honor of the past president.
I was already happy when I heard about the declared holiday but my smile turned to a quick and big frown when I read the messages in my class group chat; the class president updated us that a specific lecturer still wanted to have his usual lectures with us.
I was really livid, literally fuming. I went to the class with the vibe that I wouldn't even listen but during the session, the lecturer educated us and pleaded. It made me rethink and remember my Fathers words years ago. I understood that we need to work to thrive.
The society grows when we work. Nigeria is currently facing a big economic dilemma and one of the ways we could help increase the GDP is by becoming producers. I am not saying that we shouldn't take breaks and enjoy holidays but it is necessary to understand that "the nation's economic recovery is increased productivity and the antidote against poverty is work ". Even as a person, if you want to stand-out and become phenomenal, your calendar should speak productivity.
📌 My Opinion
Let's remember the year 2020 when COVID hit. Nigeria's economy contracted by 3.2%. COVID showed us how not working would hurt the economy, therefore adding more holiday than necessary is equivalent to that.
In Nigeria, there is currently around 16 public (national) holidays in a year, though the number can vary slightly depending on how the Muslim holidays fall. While America has about 11.
By comparison, Nigeria has more holidays and it's not bad thing to actually have 16 holidays but it shouldn't exceed that number. Adding more than necessary would only just hurt the economical stability of the nation.
Thank You for Reading
Image Generated using Googles Nanobanana:
https://aistudio.google.com/prompts/1eAQ1Eio8khYOR7C5GS4XWBIomTAaZrrO