Osun SPN/DSM Hold Symposium on First Anniversary of Oyetola/APC Government

The DSM and SPN held a joint symposium on the one year of Gboyega Oyetola/APC government in Osun State on Saturday, 30th November, 2019 at the state secretariat in Osogbo. The symposium which was attended by 20 persons including workers, trade union leaders (from ASUP Iree, NASU Uniosun and NUEE CEC), civil society groups like CDHR, TIB/AAC and FIWON, lecturers and students, was very lively.
The leadoff was given by Comrade Alfred Adegoke, the state coordinator of DSM and SPN governorship candidate in the 2018 Osun Governorship election. He highlighted many of the features of the Oyetola government and the serial attacks on the people. He maintained that the Oyetola government is continuing the capitalist legacies of the Aregbesola government. He also addressed the issue of growing repression on the people by the Buhari government and called for the release of Omoyele Sowore, Bakare Olawale and other politically detained activists and citizens. He also called for mass mobilization of people for genuine change.
Comrade Kola Ibrahim, who moderated the meeting, emphasized on the need to build mass movement of working people and the need for working class to take the lead role. The highpoint of the symposium was the various comments from the gathering, which bothered on what should and can be done. Some of the speakers were weary of labour movement playing crucial role in struggle, obviously as a result of the serial betrayal by labour leaders in Osun State and Nigeria. However, this was cleared by Kola Ibrahim, emphasizing on the separating the workers and the labour movement from the rotten leadership. He emphasized the need for workers to rebuild their unions and throw away corrupt leaders. Comrade Abeebat from OAU emphasized the need for the mass movement being proposed to have a clear programme of rejecting capitalism, and calling for socialist programmes.
The secretary of NASU Uniosun also gave report of the struggle so far, with 25 members of the unions (NASU, SSANU and NAAT) facing trumped up charges of public disturbance, and four other charges, and are currently under suspension. The criminal cases against these 25 activists was taken over by the state’s solicitor general from the police, on the day the police was supposed to close its case against the activists. This shows that the state government has vested interests in the case, obviously to protect the Uniosun management which has been fingered in massive corrupt practices, even many allowances of workers are pending. It was agreed that we should continue to give support to the struggle, with a press conference, symposium and leaflet being planned on this.
The discussion was lively. Earlier, a press statement issued by the SPN was already circulated to all participants and the media.
After the discussion and the sum up by Comrade Alfred Adegoke, the gathering resolved to undertake some political activities as a means of building a movement of workers, students and the poor. It was agreed that a leaflet should be issued (in both English and Yoruba) to address various anti-poor policies of the Oyetola government, call for the implementation of N30, 000 minimum wage in Osun State and to oppose all repressive policies of the Buhari government. It was also agreed that the monthly SPN Public meeting should be well mobilized for to serve as means of implementing these decisions. A symposium and press conference on Uniosun struggle was also agreed to.
Consequently, a fighting fund of N20, 000 for these activities was launched. A sum of N6, 500 was raised, out of which N5, 000 was raised in cash.
Raheem