Democratic Socialist Movement

For Struggle, Solidarity and Socialism in Nigeria

By - DSM

DSM University of Ibadan:


DSM University of Ibadan:

Reaching out to Students with Socialist Ideas

by Ola Jimoh

In an effort to create public awareness for our forthcoming symposium and to recruit new members, the University of Ibadan (UI) branch of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) has started leafleting and paper sales around the campus premises.

On the first day of the tabling, we set up a stall in front of the Bello Hall for about an hour. Five comrades of the organization participated in it. Several hundreds of copies of a leaflet titled “Welcome back army of change! Our union must be independent” were circulated at the stand.

The leaflet, beyond welcoming students back from the first semester break, reminds them of the gains of the last struggle for better welfare provisions embarked upon by the mass of UI students during the last semester and the need to sustain such. And that the key to the sustenance of the gain of such struggle is an independent and virile students’ Union that would champion the genuine interest of students.

The leaflet also called for students to join the DSM and attend the forthcoming symposium that will hold on August 31st, 2012. On the second day, the tabling took place at the famous Zik hall block B basement. This was also very successful. Four contacts were made during the two-day stall.

The tabling was really an ideologically stimulating exercise as comrades were engaged in discussion on the ideas and programme of the DSM. One key question that featured regularly was whether or not a socialist revolution is possible in Nigeria. In answering the question, we pointed to the mass protest and strike action that broke out in January 2012, over the fuel price hike as one clear indicator of the possibility of socialist change.

We equally pointed out to the need for a mass workers party as imperative to bring such kind of January which is inevitable in the coming period to a concluding end. At this point we introduced the efforts of the DSM to initiate the formation of a party called the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) as a step towards the mass workers’ party.

The activity will continue to other hostels in the coming days and there is even a possibility of extending the tabling to the academic area of the University.