Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM)

For struggle, Solidarity and Socialism in Nigeria

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Socialist Democracy November 2004

 

PAPER SALES IN AJEGUNLE

A Revolutionary Task For All!

By Babatunde Yusuf

 

The total sales we recorded during the series of recent general strike has confirmed that a revolutionary organisation cannot do without its own paper. Intervening on strike day means a massive sale of our paper involving which all comrades who gather at the secretariat at a particular time and move collectively, sell the paper while also protesting against fuel hike price. All sales start from the secretariat of the Ajegunle branch to other major streets and junctions of the community e.g. Boundary Junction, Ojora, Bale Ayetoro, Amukoko, etc.

 

During the strike, it is the people that troop after us, scrambling to grab a copy of our publications. However, at other moments, the paper even can still meet with as much success as in during a strike, when we intervene with as many as 20 to 25 comrades. Armed with the branch allotted copies, we set out on a evening with three other comrades to a particular area from our take off point. From the very moment, one feels very shy, afraid to approach people, weighing in ones mind who and who not to approach, but in the end, one is encouraged by the success of older hands in the sales of the paper that one cannot but make a go for it and alas, I make my first independent sale of the paper and from there on, nothing stops me selling 15 copies allotted to me.

 

Beside selling of our paper, one meets with different people with different ideas and philosophy. The interesting thing is that, for a younger comrade like me, is having to mentally battled to find answers to these questions, some that even myself don't yet understand, is very challenging and has helped me subsequently to sharpen my knowledge of Marxism and the need to also keep oneself abreast with events. After sales, comrades come together to share their experience from which various questions asked by members of the public are explained by some of our older comrades to make us better prepared for a future encounter.

 

I personally met with Mr. Emeka, a member of MASSOB. His position was that, secession was the way forward for Nigeria, but after series of argument, backed up with information I gathered over time from our weekly branch meetings and my reading of Nigerian perspective document titled Nigeria Crisis-TIME FOR SYSTEM CHANGE, I was able to convince him that the only way forward was a revolution led by the working class of the Nigerian society. If anything, paper sales in the community has offered me the opportunity to even hear myself espouse socialist ideas and I think for this I am better

 

Finally, it is imperative for all comrades in this organisation to involve themselves in the sales of our papers in all their immediate environs, targeting working class youth, students etc. Our paper can sell any time, any anywhere, if only comrades can bring themselves to seeing this as part of our revolutionary task.

 

 

Socialist Democracy November 2004