this helplessness in the following words“The problem with the ILO's conventions and very likely the reason why many interested parties have“rediscovered” the ILO-is not only that ratification is voluntary but that compliance is essentially also voluntary since the ILO has no enforcement mechanism to speak.” The provisions of Conventions 87 and 98, the high number of ratifications and the fact of the fundamental declaration have nevertheless not stopped the denial of the right of workers to associate freely, organise and bargain collectively worldwide. This largely arises from the capitulation of national governments to the blackmail and manipulations of the agents of international finance capital who are too eager to sacrifice workers' rights for economic expediency from which only a few benefit. The situation in Nigeria reflects this. The point to note here is that worldwide it is very difficult to ensure the observance of workers' rights, a fact that is not helped by the nature and dictates of capitalist employment relations. The core Conventions referred to earlier are the primary ILO instruments which address workers' rights with particular reference to the right to freedom of association, organize, collective bargaining as well as various forms of social protection at work. The extent to which these rights are enjoyed by Nigerian workers is empirically examined in this study. 17