For Struggle, Solidarity and Socialism in Nigeria
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,
UAD 6th National Convention The United Action for Democracy held its 6th National Convention in Bauchi on July 13-15, 2007. The National Convention also coincided with the 10th anniversary of the existence of the organisation since it was founded. The theme of the convention was “strengthening the UAD towards systemic transformation of Nigeria”. Issues of national importance that were discussed
Victory For Ex-Unilorin Student Activist Victory again came the way of former student activist of University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Lanre Akinola, when on June 8, 2007, the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin unanimously upheld the Judgment of the Federal High Court, Ilorin, which had earlier declared illegal and unconstitutional the withholding of Akniola’s academic record and degree. It also
Unending Crisis In Palestine (By Niran Okewole) The wheels of history recently turned in favour of Hamas in the struggle with Fatah over the control of Gaza strip. As it obtained in the January 2006 general election, the Fatah supporters were left stranded as the leading clique in Gaza, built around Mohamed Dahlan lost the influence they had had in
SOUTH AFRICA PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS’ STRIKE ANC Government Bows To Popular Pressure (By Eko John Nicholas) On Friday 1st June 2007, the South Africa public sector workers embarked on an indefinite mass action to campaign for a 12% salary increase. The strike, which lasted for almost 4 weeks, was unprecedented in the history of South Africa, for it represented the
THE UNITED STATES OF AFRICA Can It Ever Be? (By Lanre Arogundade) On the surface, the idea looks attractive, especially given the way the proponents present it. They pick the argument from a sore point. They argue that Africans were once united until the colonialists drew artificial boundaries that left the people divided and alienated. And they sound as if
Spring Bank and Bank Consolidation (By Bosah Chinedu) The crisis that rocked the Spring Bank recently has totally exposed the hocus-pocus called bank consolidation or re-capitalization. When the macabre dance started in 2004, it was more of media hype in order to give the impression of glorious days ahead. From 89 banks, we now have 25 “big banks”. In less