Labour Party Holds Inaugural Public Meeting in Ajegunle
Labour Party Holds Inaugural Public Meeting in Ajegunle
Labour Party Inaugural Public Meeting in Ajegunle |
The Labour Party Chapter in Ajeromi Ifelodun, Lagos, Local Government held its first public meeting on Saturday January 24, 2009 in Ajegunle. This was part of effort of building the Party in communities and workplaces in order to reposition it as a party of struggle for workers, professionals, artisans, traders, youths, etc in their daily demands for improved living conditions and democratic rights, and ultimately for a working people government.
The theme of the public meeting, which was attended by about 30 people who were mostly youths, is Building a Political Alternative for the Poor.
Labour Party Inaugural Public Meeting in Ajegunle |
Among the prominent labour and pro-labour activists who spoke at the occasion were Segun Sango, General Secretary, Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), Biodun Aremu Convener, United Action for Democracy (UAD), Rufus Olusesan, Vice President, National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees (NUSDE), Segun Ajayi, Vice Chairman National Union of Teachers Ajeromi Ifelodun, Adeola Soetan, Project Executive, Feed Nigeria Initiative (FENI) and Nasiru Baba Kogboyinbo, former Vice Chairman Lagos NCP.
The speakers painted the gloomy, but real picture, of appalling living conditions of the poor masses and infrastructure decay as a result of anti-poor policies of thieving governments at all levels, and which have been only made worse by the current global economic meltdown. They thus emphasized the imperative of a formidable political alternative for the poor which could set the country on the true path of socio-economic development and use the resources of the society for the benefit of all while in power. According to them, it is the only Labour Party, if well repositioned organizationally and politically, that could be the beacon of workers, youths and poor masses in this regards.
They however stated for the party to be a pole of attraction for change seeking elements and a mass-based political platform, it has to identify daily with struggle of workers and poor masses in communities and workplaces. Specifically in communities the party has to be in forefront of campaigns against police brutality, power outage, extortionate taxes and levies.
Most of the speakers and contributors among the audience took swipe at the Lagos state government for demolishing properties and stalls of poor people without providing alternatives and compensation under the guise “beautification” projects. They also condemned the various extortionate taxes imposed on small and big businesses by both local and state governments in order to sustain its bloated functionaries and illegal local governments.
Labour Party Inaugural Public Meeting in Ajegunle |
Before the public meeting, the party activists had circulated massively in communities and workplaces in Ajegunle, a special flier that calls on the people to join the party. The fact that only 30 people, though mostly youths which show huge potentials of the party, attended meeting is a reflection of mass disillusionment in political parties by the mass of populace as a result of entrenched betrayal by bourgeois, pro-business parties. This has therefore underlined the need for the leadership of the Labour Party at all levels to initiate and support the struggles of workers and masses for improved living conditions and against neo-liberal attacks on education, health care, jobs, wellbeing etc. in order to make the party to be (and seen to be) different from other parties. This has to be linked with a strategy on how to wrest political power from the thieving ruling elites at all levels.
The pro-temp leadership that will run the affairs of the party in Ajegunle in the interim was constituted. It was also announced at the event that the Agege Chapter of the party has scheduled to hold its own inaugural public meeting on Saturday February 7.