For Struggle, Solidarity and Socialism in Nigeria
EDUCATION UNDERFUNDING: URGENT NEED FOR A FIGHT BACK By Keye Ewebiyi The pro-rich government of President Goodluck Jonathan has presented the 2012 budget to the National Assembly. As usual, a meagre sum of N499 billion representing 10 percent of the total budget was allocated to the education sector. While this is a slight improvement on the 2011 budgetary allocation to
DANGOTE PASTA: Victimised Workers Forced Union Leaders to Act The steadfastness of the victimized workers of Dangote pasta has finally forced the leadership of National Union of Food Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) to wake up from their slumber. The union at a press conference on April 3, 2012 issued a 21 day ultimatum to the management of Dangote pasta
42% YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: Build A Mass Movement To Fight For Jobs By H.T. Soweto One nightmare that is confronting youth in Nigeria is the challenge of getting a job. In a recent stunning revelation by the Minister of Youths and Social Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, 28.14 million youths in Nigeria are unemployed in a total population of 67 million youths.
OYO WORKERS: Heroic Struggle for Minimum Wage In The Teeth Of Labour Leaders’ Treachery By Abbey Trotsky As we go to press, the strike of Oyo workers for the across-board implementation of the N18, 000 minimum wage has been suspended on Thursday April 5 2012, following the desire by the ACN-led State government to have another round of talks after
MASS SACK IN BANKING SECTOR: Workers Must Struggle To Reclaim Their Unions and Fight Back By Chinedu Bosah Similar to Joseph interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams – a crisis period coming after a boom period and the need to prepare ahead – smaller and less viable banks have taken over more viable banks. Intercontinental Bank was taken over by Access Bank;
FUEL SUBSIDY SCANDAL PROBE: WILL IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE By Lanre Arogundade When the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing the fuel subsidy scandal rounded off its public sittings recently, the committee’s chair Farouk Lawan boasted that “our recommendations will certainly bring about the running of a better oil industry in Nigeria. Some of the recommendations will have judicial implications.
2012 BUDGET: Transforming The Economy And Living Condition Of The Working People From Bad To Worse! By Peluola Adewale President Goodluck Jonathan told the nation that his 2012 budget is a “stepping stone to the transformation of our economy and country in our walk to economic freedom.” The working people can only take this statement from the President as a
N18,000 MINIMUM WAGE: AN UNFINISHED BATTLE By Kola Ibrahim In December 2008, the NLC and TUC formally demanded a minimum wage of N52, 200. The agitation lasted until last year when N18,000 was granted as the new minimum wage. At the beginning of this struggle, we in Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) had proposed that the labour leadership must demand a
Socialist Democracy April-May 2012 Edition NIGERIA’S GENERAL STRIKE/MASS PROTEST AGAINST FUEL PRICE HIKE: Vital Lessons For The Working Class And Youth By H.T. Soweto For 6 days running in January 2012, Nigeria was in the throes of a general strike against an over 120% increase of fuel price from N65 to well above N142 per litre. It was the biggest
SENEGAL ELECTIONS: NO HOPE IN PRO-CAPITALIST SALL By Kola Ibrahim The mass enthusiasm and celebration that accompanied the recent run-off elections in Senegal, in which the incumbent, now outgoing, president, Abdoulaye Wade, was roundly defeated by his former protégé, Macky Sall, has again brought to the fore the increasing but unquenchable quest for change by the working and oppressed people
Workers Struggle in the past one year and the Tasks Ahead Kola Ibrahim For the past one year, the working people of Nigeria have had causes to engage the capitalist ruling class of different shades and disguises in fierce battles. These battles are against the attempt of the Nigerian governments and their big business partners to drive down the living
MINIMUM WAGE: OYO WORKERS RESUME STRUGGLE, REJECT ROTTEN OFFER FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT By Abbey Trotsky Oyo State workers have gone back to the trenches in their struggle for implementation of the minimum wage. At a joint congress held on March 16, 2012, the workers overwhelmingly rejected the new salary scale released by the state government. The workers who belong
The “Kony 2012” phenomena: How to end a nightmare? Robert Bechert, Committee for a Workers’ International Seldom before has an idea spread so quickly across the world. Within days tens of millions watched Invisible Children’s “KONY 2012” video as it went viral across the internet and social media. Shocked at the story of killing, rape and child soldiers, demands multiplied
NO HOPE UNDER CAPITALISM: TIME FOR SYSTEM CHANGE NIGERIA: AN INTRACTABLE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CRISIS By Segun Sango, General Secretary, Democratic Socialist Movement Left alone to imperialist/capitalist analysts, Africa and Nigeria’s economy in particular are passing through the best of time. For instance, the Financial Times of London in its November 23, 2011 special edition on Nigeria reports: “African economies have been
South Africa One-day general strike shows workers’ willingness to fight back 200,000 march across South Africa Democratic Socialist Movement (CWI in South Africa) Reporters When South Africa’s largest and most militant trade union federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), organised a one-day general strike on March 7, the first such action in over ten years, after avoiding
International Women’s Day 2012 Remembering the struggles & victories of women workers For more than a century, 8 March has been the day to commemorate and celebrate the fight of working class and revolutionary women for a better deal and a socialist society. Clare Doyle, Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) Its origins are in the struggles for equal pay
International Women’s Day: Capitalism has continued to worsen the situation of Women Join the struggle for a socialist alternative By Seun Ogunniyi
DSM HOLDS MEETING TO REVIEW THE STATE OF THE NATION “Only socialist revolution can save Nigeria – a country stupendously rich but whose majority of citizens are perpetually poor” – Segun Sango DSM Lagos aggregate 19 Fenruary 2012 On Sunday 19 February 2012, the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) held a Lagos aggregate meeting. The purpose was to bring members together
Education Rights Campaign Press Statement STUDENT DEATH AT AJAYI CROWTHER UNIVERSITY, THE MANAGEMENT IS CULPABLE! We call for a democratic and independent committee to investigate Elvis Paul’s death and bring all culpable university officials to trial The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) condemns the untimely death, on February 5 2012, of Mr. Elvis Abu Paul, a 300 level computer science student
LAGBUS WORKERS EMBARK ON 2-HOUR WARNING STRIKE TO PRESS HOME THEIR DEMANDS CDWR CALLS ON MANAGEMENT AND LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT TO IMMEDIATELY MEET THEIR DEMANDS Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) By Chinedu Bosah Workers with LAGBUS Asset Management Limited embarked on February 9, 2012 on their fourth strike since the establishment of the company. The strike was initially