For Struggle, Solidarity and Socialism in Nigeria
CHAPTER THREE RULE OF LAW This is one issue on which many bourgeois writers/cheer leaders have been praising President Yar’Adua to a high heaven. And here, many examples of President Yar’Adua’s “commitment” to rule of law as opposed to President Obasanjo’s supposedly militaristic presidency are readily recited for all those that care to listen. Few days after Yar’Adua assumed office,
CHAPTER TWO JUNE 2007 GENERAL STRIKE Towards the tail end of its inglorious rule, the Obasanjo government took some decisions which many patently could see as nothing but deliberate steps taken to benefit cronies and inflict further hardship on the already over-burdened masses. Issues in this regard include the hike of fuel prices, the cheap sales of Kaduna and Port-Harcourt
CHAPTER ONE HOPE TRIUMPHING OVER EXPERIENCE Within a few weeks of President Yar’Adua coming into office, there was a widespread belief that somehow, he was going to be “different”. Truly this is another example of hope triumphing over experience. In the real scientific term, President Yar’Adua’s era is a mere continuation of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s inglorious anti-poor and incorrigibly corrupt
INTRODUCTION This pamphlet was originally written by Segun Sango, the General Secretary of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), barely 100 days in power of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and then discussed within DSM. Yar’Adua was declared President by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in April 2007 general elections which were marred by unprecedented massive rigging, manipulation, brazen stealing of
Imprisoned students get world-wide support Simultaneous pickets demand their release and the dropping of all charges Reports from socialistworld.net Ireland Socialist councillor has sharp exchange with Nigerian Chargé d’Affaires As students and other protesters marched to the courthouse in Oshogbo on Tuesday, 23 October, simultaneous embassy pickets took place across Europe. More are planned and messages continue to be sent
Day of Action Attack on Students Union and Activists at OAU : DSM, ERC Organise Protest March As part of the ongoing international campaign to free the detained student leaders from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and Education Rights Campaign (ERC) organised a protest march in Osogbo, the Osun State capital city, on Tuesday October
OAU Ile Ife Crisis: DSM Members Arrested Release Taiwo Hassan and Tunde Dairo Now! Also Akinola Saburi!! The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) strongly condemns the arrest of two of its members at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, today, Thursday October 11, by armed police at the behest of the management of the institution. The comrades are Taiwo Hassan Soweto,
Credit crunch threatens global downturn The global capitalist economy has been hit by a major credit crunch. Editorial from October issue of Socialism Today, monthly magazine of the Socialist Party (CWI England and Wales) The collapse of the sub-prime mortgage business in the US, brought home by the collapse of two hedge funds managed by Bear Stearns investment bank, provoked
The following article is based on an introduction speech on Africa given during the 2007 CWI Summer School, in Belgium, on 3 August. Readers can also find articles on the recent strikes in Nigeria and South Africa on www.socialistworld.net. Workers’ struggle and capitalist nightmare Economic ‘upswing’ offers no improvement for the masses Per-Ĺke Westerlund, CWI Sweden “Many features of this
A revolutionary fighter – What is Che’s relevance today? Tony Saunois, CWI “..it is not for revolutionaries to sit in their doorways of their houses waiting for the corpse of imperialism to pass by” (Second Declaration of Havana, 1962) “Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man”. These, according to some accounts, were the last words of defiance
OAU CRISIS ATTACKS ON UNION GETS FIERCER Akinola Saburi (President, Students’ Union) Arrested, Union Proscribed! “Students’ unionism in the University had been proscribed until further notice. In its place…the University had approved the constitution of a STUDENTS’ TRANSITION COMMITTEES that would be made up of the leadership of students’ associations at the departmental and faculty levels” (emphasis ours). “Students who
3rd Rotimi Ewebiyi Symposium and Re-launch of Endowment Fund The 3rd Rotimi Ewebiyi Endowment Fund Symposium and Re-launch of the Endowment Fund for upkeep and education of Rotimi Ewebiyi’s children was held at the International Press Centre (IPC), Ogba, Lagos on Saturday, August 18, 2007. The theme of the symposium is “Can Yar’Adua Government Provide Better Living and Working Conditions
FELA: RESONATING MESSAGES OF A REVOLUTIONARY MUSICIAN By Lanre Arogundade and Segun Sango At one point in time, it became necessary for Fela to reply critiques who felt that his lyrics were over-laced with doomsday chants. “If something good I go sing about Nothing good self to sing about If I sing say water no dey Na old news be
PRESS CONFERENCE REPORT ON THE PULL OUT OF NCP Chinedu Bosah, former Lagos State NCP Deputy Publicly Secretary The press conference organised to announce publicly the pull out of the members of National Conscience Party (NCP) in Lagos State was successful. The press conference took place at the party’s former temporary secretariat at 162 Ipaja Road, Agege Lagos. 32 party
LAGOS CHAPTER QUITS NCP Statement delivered by Segun Sango, Chairman, National Conscience Party, Lagos State, to a press conference held in Agege, Lagos on Wednesday, August 8, 2007. This press conference has been called to publicly announce the decision of the Lagos State chapter of the National Conscience Party ( NCP) to quit the party en masse in protest against
YAR’ADUA ADMINISTRATION The Dawn Of Zero Tolerance For Corruption? (By Demola Yaya) The former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseiagha, was sentenced to two-year jail term on July 26, 2007 after pleading guilty of stealing public wealth entrusted in him. In addition, as of the last count, five ex-governors are being prosecuted by the EFCC over serious allegation of stealing public
STATE OF REFINERIES A Ruling Class Sabotage (By Chinedu Bosah) Refineries can never work! That was the slogan repeatedly said by Obasanjo and his gang. Why? They said the government could not manage refineries. But they should be reminded that Venezuela government runs over 8 refineries such that it does not only export crude oil, it also exports refined products
NCP: Mindless Destruction of a Good Objective For generations, there has been a need in Nigeria for a working peoples’ party, a party different from the robber bands masquerading as political parties that would fight against the miseries inflicted by capitalism and for a socialist future. The NCP’s launch marked a step towards such a party. It attracted the support
DSM – A Brief History The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), the Nigerian affiliate of the Committee for a Workers’ International, has already a history of over two decades of struggle. Formed by labour and student socialist activists we had our first, founding conference in 1986. Because of the era of military dictatorship in which it was born, our organisation was
DSM AND UAD JUNE 12 SYMPOSIUM Participants Call For Working Peoples Political Alternative On Tuesday 12 June 2007, the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and United Action for Democracy (UAD) held a symposium with the theme: “2007 General Elections: Lessons Which The Working Masses and Pro-Working Masses Organization Must Draw”. The venue was the banquet hall of the Lagos Travel Inn,
