FOR A 2-DAY GENERAL STRIKE
AND MASS PROTEST
For a Democratic Government
of the Working Class and Poor Masses!
 |
| SPN members at the April 10, 2013 Rally organised by Joint Action Front (JAF) and Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) |
Great Nigerian Working
People!
The Socialist Party of
Nigeria (SPN) fully supports the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)
to call for a protest on April 10 against pension fraud and mass looting of
Nigeria’s resources by capitalist leaders. We believe this protest offers
another opportunity for the working masses to show their anger and send a
strong message to the corrupt and thieving capitalist ruling class that they
would no longer tolerate unbridled looting of our collective wealth.
Just last year, we were
told how big men and women oil marketers were stealing, with the aid of
politicians, billions upon billions of our money through fictitious subsidy
payment. Just few months into this year, we have already seen over and over
again that that the whole anti-corruption crusade of the President Jonathan's
administration is just a ruse. The government does not only permit corruption,
it encourages and even glorifies it.
In this same country where poor men and
women are locked up in prison for many years for committing small criminal
offences, a confessed pension thief Yakubu Yusufu who was a director in the
Police Pensions Board stole a whopping N23.3 billion from the police pensions
fund and yet was given an option of fine of just N750, 000. To fully confirm
how entirely corrupt the entire government really is, some weeks ago, Diprieye Alamieyesiegha, who stole the money of
Niger Delta people of Bayelsa State when he was the state governor, was granted
state pardon by President Jonathan. According to government spokespersons, he
deserved the pardon because he has shown remorse! Is this right? Are poor men
and women ever given state pardon for committing small offences? No! The entire
money stolen by Alamieyesiegha alone is enough to begin to rebuild failed infrastructures in his home
state of Bayelsa. Same goes for the N23 billion stolen by John Yakubu Yusufu.
That amount alone means the condemnation of many would-be retirees and their
families to terrible poverty and want.
For this and many other
reasons, the April 10 protest is a welcome development. However the point has
to be made that mass protests in Lagos and Abuja alone are not enough to even
begin to effectively fight the daily corruption of the government. Also the
pension scam is just one out of the many other issues affecting ordinary
Nigerians today. These include non-payment of N18, 000 minimum wage, on-going
privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) as well as obvious
preparations by government to increase pump price of fuel under the guise of
subsidy removal at any given opportunity. This is why we in the SPN call on the
NLC and TUC to immediately follow up the April 10 protest with mobilisation for
a 2-day general strike and mass protest across the country.
Perhaps nothing better
demonstrates that all political parties in Nigeria represents the rich only
than the refusal to implement the N18, 000 minimum wage agreement. Even in the
states being governed by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other
opposition political parties, they are not paying the N18, 000 minimum wage.
They say government does not have money to pay good salary for workers but just
look at how politicians are stealing our money every day. The politicians and
their business men and women friends are living big while the workers and
ordinary Nigerians who work daily to survive are suffering. Also look at the
condition of public education, electricity, hospital, roads and all other
public infrastructures. Everything has collapsed! No good schools for our
children. No good hospital. Thousands of University graduates have no jobs. Now
on top of all these, Jonathan, with support of all capitalist parties including
ACN, is saying he will remove the so-called fuel subsidy again so that the poor
can pay more for fuel.
Indeed, everywhere the
working people turn it is a brutal attack. For instance, in Lagos, okada
operation has been banned on many roads, the use of tokunbo car for taxi
operation has been outlawed, shops and houses are demolished without
alternative or adequate compensation, university education has been taken out
of the reach of children of the poor with imposition of exorbitant fees in
Lagos State University (LASU), etc
The working masses have to
be ready to fight again! The same way we fought in January last year, we have
to be ready to fight even harder now not just against corruption but against
the entire government, at all levels and their anti-poor policies. This is why
the SPN believes that the April 10 protest has to be the beginning of a wider
mobilisation that would involve general strikes and mass protests to fight all
anti-poor capitalist policies and to bring down this government of criminals
and looters.
Above all, the labour
movement and the working masses have to recognise that the endemic corruption
in Nigeria has its root in the unjust system of capitalism. It is only by
fighting to put an end to capitalism that we can to root out corruption and
ensure a more egalitarian running of society in such a way that our collective
wealth can be used in the interest of the mass majority unlike under capitalism
where only a tiny minority benefits . For this to happen, the workers and poor
masses need their own political party to wrest political power from the corrupt
ruling elites and establish a workers and poor peoples’ government which can,
through socialist policies and in accordance to a democratic plan, begin to use
our collective wealth to better the lives of the mass majority.
DEMANDS:
(1) Jail Yakubu Yusufu and
all the pension looters!
(2) No to private sectors'
involvement in the management of workers pension. For workers to manage and
safeguard their pensions on their own through their elected representatives and
governments officials.
(3) Pay N18, 000 minimum
wage now.
(4) Resist every attempt to
increase fuel price
(5) For a two-day general
strike to fight for the implementation of 18, 000 minimum wage and to resist
all anti-poor policies like privatisation and fuel price hike
(6) For a mass working
class political party to chase out the capitalist looters and establish a
workers and poor peoples’ government that can run Nigeria in the interest of
the majority
(7) For a socialist Nigeria
run on the basis of collective ownership, democratic control and management of
the economy by the working people themselves.
JOIN THE SPN TODAY
My country people! Are you angry with the condition of things in Nigeria?
Are you annoyed with the corruption of the looters we call our leaders? Are you
angry that more than 28 million youths of our country have no jobs? What about
the issue of electricity, does it vex you? Do you feel angry that in this
country, those who work suffer while some who because they are highly placed
and privileged and hardly work get rich? What about the fact that over 70% of
Nigerians are poor, does it vex you? Do you feel things are not going on well
in this country? Do you want change? A radical change that will bring to power
a poor people government that can ensure that Nigeria's huge human and natural
resources is used to benefit all of us.
The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) is a new political party. If you are a
worker, market man or woman, okada rider, bus driver and conductor,
student/youth, trader, fisherman, artisan etc., in short if you are a poor
Nigerian, the SPN is your party. It is a party that will represent your
interest. It is a party that will join you to fight against oppression. This is
your party. Other political parties represent only the interests of the rich
but the SPN is the only political party that stands for the interest of workers
and poor Nigerians.
Join SPN today so that together we can fight to bring change to our dear country.
Change can only come when all poor men and women, workers, students, traders,
fishermen in Nigeria come out to say No to Oppression and Yes to Socialism!
OUR MANIFESTO
If you join us and our candidates are voted into office, the Socialist
Party of Nigeria (SPN) will bring a lot of changes to this country. This will
include:
PUBLIC SERVICES
(a)Free, publicly run, good quality education, available to all at any age.
(b)Free medical care for all.
(c)Provision of welfare benefits for the unemployed, sick and elderly
(d)Ensure workers, youth and women participation in the day to day policy
making/implementation program of our nation
(f) Youth empowerment, infrastructural/capital development and eradication
of poverty.
WORK AND INCOME
(a)Monthly minimum wage of N50, 000 with periodic increases to match the
rate of inflation.
(b)Opposition to retrenchment and casualization. A decent job on a living
wage for those that need job while unemployment benefits are paid to those yet
to get employed.
(c)Living pension for retired workers .Opposition to private pension
scheme. Democratically-run pension funds administration committees having
elected representatives of workers and pensioners.
(d)Scrap the anti-trade union laws! For fighting trade unions democratically-controlled
by their members. Full-time union leaders to be regularly elected and receive
no more than a worker's wage.
ENVIRONMENT
(a) Provision of adequate and efficient drainage system and well-planned
housing policies to prevent flooding
(b) Stop oil pollution and gas flaring. We shall not hesitate to take legal
and political actions against any company causing oil pollution or flaring
gases
(c) We shall ensure immediate and comprehensive clean-up of all polluted
farmlands, fishing ponds/rivers and water as well as pay adequate compensation
to victims of pollution
(d) We shall also to pursue environmental policies that can fully guarantee
the safety of lives, water, farmlands, fishing ponds/rivers and ensure food
security. This will include the public ownership of the oil sector under public
democratic control and management
ECONOMY
Public ownership of the country's vast resources and wealth including oil
and gas, banks and nationalization of all other commanding heights of the
Nigeria economy under the democratic management and control of the
workers/experts, community people to ensure accountability and transparency in
order to adequately utilize the resources to meet the needs of all in terms of
providing adequate housing, education, health, good roads and other basic
infrastructure
Visit our blog
www.socialistpartyofnigeria.blogspot.com to read our full manifesto and to
obtain your membership form. You can also call on: 08134771300 and 08098284000.
E-Mail: socialistnigeriaofparty@yahoo.com
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