Global Capitalist Crisis and the Task Facing the Working People Greater hard times are here for real. Inherently greedy and corrupt, capitalism has once again plunged the world economy and its people into an insoluble socio-economic crisis. Way back in 1989 and early 1990s, the economies of the Soviet Union and many others that were based on central planning but
OSHIOMHOLE: A Deserved Victory For The Working Masses, But Challenges Lie Ahead For the first time since November 4, Barrack Obama was eased out of front pages of Nigerian newspapers by the November 11 Court of Appeal unanimous affirmation of Adams Oshiomhole’s victory as the Governor of Edo State, South-South Nigeria. To the poor working masses of Edo, the emergence
GLOBAL ECONOMIC MAELSTROM: How Safe is Nigeria? (By Peluola Adewale) Capitalism is in deep crisis. Some have called it Armageddon. But by whatever name it is called, the global financial crisis has melt down the neo-liberal orthodoxy of capitalism. At present, the global financial maelstrom triggered by casino capitalism is raging like tsunami from one end of the earth to
LAGOS STATE LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTION: A Bad Signal Of What To Expect In Year 2011 On October 11, 2008, the Action Congress (AC) controlled government of Lagos State finally held its own version of local council elections. In all its ramifications, the entire exercise, both in conducts and outcome was a big farce. As the third largest ruling party, which
BRT: A MODERN TRANSPORTATION WHERE WORKERS TOIL IN SLAVERY CONDITIONS Management Forced to Grant Some Concession (By Bosah Chinedu) The Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system in Lagos is a road transportation scheme that has two separate entities popularly known as LAMATA and Lagbus. It is one scheme that has earned the Lagos State government some popularity even when it has
UI: Agitation For Restoration Of Independent Unionism Gain Momentum (By H.T. Soweto, National Coordinator, ERC) About 7 years ago, the Prof. Falase-led Authorities of the University of Ibadan (U.I) banned the Student Union of the University after ceaseless challenge of the mass of students to the authorities’ control of their affairs. In the process, members of the then Union executive
‘THE PEOPLE’S PEDAGOGUE’ PROF. OMOTOYE OLORODE RETIRES WITH STYLE Called For Reinstatement Of Victimised Students Activists On Saturday November 15 2008, lecturers, non teaching staff members, representatives of labour and pro-masses organizations as well as students gathered at the Oduduwa hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) to celebrate the retirement of Prof. Omotoye Olorode-a lecturer of Botany at the
DSM SOCIALIST SCHOOL 2008: DEEPENING SOCIALIST IDEAS IN A PERIOD WHEN CAPITALISM IS IN CRISIS (By Peluola Adewale) The DSM’s Socialist School 2008 proved to be a great success in advancing the political understanding and commitment of both old comrades and new recruits. Significantly, the school held, between Saturday October 4 and Sunday October 5, was largely dominated by individuals
POLITICAL AWAKENING PROPELS OBAMA TO VICTORY: But Can He Deliver? Ty Moore (Minneapolis) and Tony Wilsdon (Tacoma), Socialist Alternative (the DSM’s CWI sister organisation in USA) On Tuesday, voters delivered a decisive, historic defeat to the Republican agenda of corporate greed, corruption, and war. While the total voter turnout remains unclear, experts are estimating up to 64% of eligible voters
FUEL PRICE HIKE An Unavoidable Battle Labour Must Fight And Win Come January 2009, the Yar’Adua government has announced a plan to once again officially hike fuel prices. According to the Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum), Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, government currently subsidises petroleum products (petrol and diesel) to the tune of N1.5 trillion annually, a phenomenon which is not
ACTION CONGRESS WHAT MANNER OF OPPOSITION? As a major opposition party, the Action Congress (AC) can find itself in power someday at the central level. Presently, it is in power in Lagos State and depending on the outcome of the series of litigations over the farce called 2007 general elections, it could form the government in a few other states.
DEMOLITION IN AJEGUNLE A Call For Adequate Compensation For The Affected Resident Of Fashola’s Anti-People Policy By Olasunmbo Musari, DSM Ajegunle Branch Since the inception of Babatunde Raji Fashola government in Lagos State the residents in the state, most especially people living in slums such as Ajegunle, Badia-Ijora, Makoko, Okokomaiko, Mushin etc., have been living in perpetual fear. The fear
AIICO/AGICO WORKERS’ VICTORY Management Forced To Recognize The Union By Olasumbo Musari The workers of American International Insurance Company (AIICO) held a 4-day strike that climaxed in the picketing of the company corporate office on Monday July 28. The workers embarked on the action that commenced on Wednesday, June 23 2008, to protest the undermining of trade unionism at the
FROM NEPA TO PHCN Expensive darkness still envelops the nation By Adeola Soetan In line with his seven-point agenda which he called the compact programme with the people of Nigeria, President Umaru Y’ardua has declared a state of emergency on the crisis ridden power sector. The emergency declared, which at best still in the realm of conjecture as nothing concrete
OSUN STATE Build Working Peoples Party To Defeat Anti-Poor Government By Fredo After 4 years of misery, penury, massive unemployment and dilapidated infrastructures like education, housing, roads, etc, Osun State people saw 2007 general election as an opportunity to kick out Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, PDP led government and its vicious attacks on them and be replaced with a government that
ELECTORAL REFORM What Hope For The People By Chinedu Bosah Faced with profound condemnation of the 2007 election that ushered him into power and associated unpopularity of the government, President Musa Umaru Yar’Adua inaugurated Electoral Reform Panel led by Muhammadu Uwais, former Chief Justice of Federation. The 2007 general election was so massively rigged that it was awarded the most
VISION 2020 A vision lacking in truth and reality By Victor Osakwe The present PDP government led by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua came to power on 29 May, 2007 after a fraudulent election that all election monitors described as the worst ever witnessed in any party of the world. Yet, the ruling class struck to the fraudulent election results and
STOCK MARKET FALL A Transient Phase or Generic Weakness of the Market? Public funds must not be used to bail out gamblers By Peluola Adewale After losing over Å20,000 (Å1.68 million in today’s money) of his fortune to speculation in the infamous South Sea bubble in the 1720s, Isaac Newton, the foremost physicist lamented, “I can calculate the motions of
IF OBAMA WINS……….. After the final state primaries, Barack Obama has effectively secured the Democratic nomination for the presidential election in November. The fact that the contest was between an African-American and a woman symbolises deep social changes in the U.S. The two campaigns were quite different, however. Hillary Clinton arrogantly presented herself as the rightful, dynastic heir to the
MUGABE-TSVANGIRAI ROTTEN ALLIANCE Suffering continues for the Zimbabwean poor By Kola Ibrahim Events postdating the political stalemate that followed the unilateral elections in Zimbabwe where Robert Mugabe was the sole contestant could hardly be described as respite for the poor working masses of Zimbabwe. Before reaching deadlock the news had it that Mugabe and the leader of opposition Movement for