Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) |
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For struggle, Solidarity and Socialism in Nigeria |
Committee for a Workers' International DSM, PO Box 2225, Agege, Lagos Come to DSM secretariat at 162, Ipaja Road, Agbotikuyo Bus-stop, Agege, Lagos Call our national office on 0805 304 5953 |
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HomeJoin DSM22 January 2010 NIGERIA ON THE BRINK
President Yar'adua's Era: A new dawn for the masses? DSM newsStatementsOur manifestoAbout usSocialist DemocracyDSM Newspaper DonateCampaignsElection 2007Fuel CrisisInternationalStudentsTrade UnionsWomenDownloadsLinks | 5 February 2010 Yar'Adua Absence and Debate over Jonathan's Acting Presidency: | ||||||||||
Yar’Adua |
By Segun Sango, General Secretary, Democratic Socialist Movement
For well over two months now, President Yar'Adua has been out of the country for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia without having the decency and humility to permit the Vice-President to take over as Acting President. This is even though the entire PDP leaders including Goodluck Jonathan, the Vice-President, subscribe to the same pro-rich anti-poor agenda. Ailing President Yar'Adua and his closest supporters in government have refused to allow Jonathan to become Acting President because of their fear of losing out of power equations in the event that a person from the south-south becomes president. Thus for this narrow and very selfish calculations, the capitalist ruling elite are recklessly pushing the country to the brink of another ethno-religious conflicts and civil war.
3 February 2010
NIGERIA ON A CLIFF EDGE:
A SHARP WORKING CLASS POLICY AND STRATEGY NEEDED TO PREVENT TOTAL RUINATION
Segun Sango, DSM General Secretary
Socially and economically, Nigeria appears set for a rapid race to a bottomless pit. Presently, the combination of several years of pro-rich, anti-peoples' policies adopted and embraced by both the military and civilian sections of the capitalist ruling elite have now driven Nigeria to a brink of an unimaginable socio-political disaster. Economically, the sharpest expression of this disaster is the continued and deepening mass poverty in the midst of abundant resources with only a tiny proportion of the population (i.e. the top politicians, state officials and their capitalist allies) wallowing in stupendous, but needless, personal wealth. This, it must be stressed, is primarily responsible for the Catch 22 situation, which dominates Nigeria's political landscape today. There is in power ruling elite, which, for all useful purposes, is a complete failure and irredeemably corrupt. In a truly democratic atmosphere, the kind of ruling elements that holds sway in Nigeria would not be tolerated in power by the people let alone being expected to win elections. But such is the brazen recklessness of these rotten and horrible elite that every election is manipulated in such a way that only themselves, and or their surrogates, emerge winners!
2 February 2010
EDO STATE RE-RUN ELECTION:
VOTERS ARE NOT INSPIRED
By Olisa Penny (DSM Edo State Chapter)
The recent Etsako Central rerun election in Edo State was won by Action Congress candidate Ogbuna Johnson. This election on January 23 was mainly between two of the four political parties that fielded candidates, but principally a fierce contest between Chief Tony Anenih, a national leader of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Adams Oshiomhole. In recent period, owing to a break in friendship or allegiance, the two gladiators have stretched their limits to prove that one is stronger than the other.
28 January 2010
ABDULMUTALLAB:
FOR A SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE TO INDIVIDUAL TERRORISM AND CAPITALISM
Peluola Adewale
The failed attempt by Umar Farouk Abdul-Mutallab to blow up Delta Airline flight 253 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Detroit (US) on Christmas Day, December 25 2009 sent jitters around the world and triggered various measures to improve security at the airports and on flights. Huge amounts of tax payers' money has been voted for this exercise. If Mutallab had succeeded, 290 people would have been killed in the process.
20 January 2010
Haiti
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Niall Mulholland, Committee for a Workers' International
The humanitarian catastrophe that has befallen Haiti beggars belief. The powerful earthquake that struck on 12 January left many thousands dead, with estimates running to 200,000 and more. The flimsy slum dwellings in Port-au-Prince, the capital, collapsed, as did public buildings, including schools and hospitals. Many thousands are still missing and more are badly injured.
20 January 2010
Haitians abandoned, bankers rewarded
Earthquake disaster |
Dave Carr, Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales)
While desperate survivors in Haiti's destroyed capital of Port-au-Prince tried to find food, water and shelter, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton breezed into the main airport for a photo opportunity, diverting aid relief flights which included a field hospital from the charity Médecins Sans Frontières.
7 January 2010
DSM CALLS ON NLC AND TUC TO BUILD LABOUR PARTY AS A MASS BASED WORKING CLASS PARTY IN EDO STATE AS A MEANS TO RESOLVING THE CRISIS
PRESS STATEMENT
Mr. Lateef Adams, For Edo State Chapter of the DSM
The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) regrets the negative turn of events in Edo state Labour Party. What started as a purely internal development within the Party has now degenerated into worrisome situation wherein the police sealed up the Party's state secretariat. Way back on December 22 2009, a group of individuals claiming to involve representatives of the Party from 15 out of the 18 Local Governments Area (LGA) in Edo State held what was called a special state congress at the end of which the substantive state party executives was dissolved and in its place a Transition Committee was put in place to organize an election within 3 months to fill the party posts at the state level. Two reasons were adduced by the organizers of that meeting which informed their decisions:
21 December 2009
Building Labour Party as a Fighting Working Class Political Alternative
Report of the Labour Party Third National Convention
By Kola Ibrahim
The Labour Party's National Convention was held on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at the National Secretariat of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja. This Convention took place at a time when the capitalist leadership of the country is in disarray while all neo-liberal arsenals are being directed at working and poor people. Unfortunately, the leadership of the Party ensured there was no debate on the action plans for combat necessary for the looming battle between the bankrupt ruling class and the working masses. Currently, the proposed 2010 budget currently before the National Assembly is a monumental attack on the economic survival of the working masses. Aside the fact that it does not reflect any salary increase as against the demand of the Labour movement for a N52, 200 minimum wage, there is a continued attack on education (that affect over 60 percent of Nigerian youth), health care, etc., while more money (over N500 billion – about 12.5 percent of the total budget and more than combined budget for education and infrastructure) is to be handed over to local and international financial institutions.
17 December 2009
Copenhagen climate summit
Save the planet - fight capitalism!
Democratic planning the only solution
CWI leaflet for Copenhagen climate summitt
Just before this summit, new alarming facts were released:
17 December 2009
Copenhagen climate summit
Protests met with police brutality |
Almost 1,000 arrested, only three of them charged
By Elin Gauffin, Karin Wallmark and Amer Mohammed Ali, Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (CWI Sweden)
The climate demonstration in Copenhagen on 12 December, with over 100,000 participants, was the biggest climate protest ever. It had a strong anti-capitalist character. "We chanted 'Climate Justice' and 'Save the planet - smash the system - what we need is socialism'. People along the demo applauded us and we sold many papers and other material," reported CWI members.