Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) Statement
Today
May 29, 2015 is historic in Nigeria being the first time an elected opposition
takes over the mantle of government. The high expectation among the large
layers of the populace from the new government of Muhammadu Buhari is palpable.
Many people could not wait to see the back of Goodluck Jonathan government who
proved to be a monumental failure, something that was excruciatingly manifested
with an unprecedented total shutdown of the country in the last weeks of his
outgoing government.
It
is clear that many people repose hope for improvements in Buhari as a result of
his anti-corruption image, something which is a rarity among the capitalist
ruling elite in Nigeria. This is because many people have come to the
conclusion that it is corruption that has made it impossible for successive
governments to use the colossal wealth of the country, especially the huge
revenue from the sales of crude oil, to guarantee a decent life for the
majority of Nigerians. For instance, while Nigeria is Africa's biggest economy,
it also has the biggest number of people living in poverty, something that has
worsened under Jonathan.
Corruption is rooted in capitalism
It
should be stressed that while it is possible for Buhari to make scapegoats out
of a few corrupt individuals at high places, it should be noted that the
iniquitous capitalist system, especially the neo-liberal economic paradigm
which Buhari government from all indications will subscribe to, that provides
the enabling conditions for corruption. Now, unlike when Buhari previously was
in government, the grip of capitalism and imperialism over the world economy is
much tighter. The result is that the capitalist ruling elite, especially in a
resource rich neo-colonial country like Nigeria, largely exist to loot public
resources. When they do invest, Nigerian capitalists concentrate on speculative
developments or on products like foodstuffs and building materials which face
only limited international competition. In truth Nigeria's rulers do not invest
in the country's broader development, after all they have powerful generators
and fly out of the country when they need medical treatment.
But
the richness of Nigeria's resources means that there is something to steal. So
the top government functionaries allocate jumbo pay and expenses to themselves.
For the capitalist ruling elite and top state officials the business of
government is a big racket for their self-serving interests. Thus, if as
against the principle of cut in social spending, government votes money
purportedly for public projects or interests, it is just to create another
avenue for looting. This explains while over $20bn that has been spent on power
in the last 16 years, the electricity situation has even gone worse. This also
accounts for the monumental fraud that is associated with oil subsidy. But
Nigerians should be warned that many of those who are today demanding
privatization and de-regulation as a way to end corruption and waste are only
aiming to open up new doors to enriching themselves. We have already seen that
in way in which the failures of NEPA and PHCN were used to justify turning
electricity over to the profiteers.
It
should be noted that we of the Socialist Party of Nigeria support all the
efforts to bring to book any corrupt individual. We indeed demand that the
corrupt must be made to lose to the government the proceeds of their corrupt
practices. We however hold that without measures that make corruption difficult
like subjecting affairs, spending and public projects to real democratic
control by the working people there can hardly be judicious spending of public
resources. By democratic control, we mean that for power sector for instance,
the running and spending must be subjected to a control by elected
representatives of workers, consumers and relevant professionals who themselves
are subject to recall by their electors. We however hold that such measures are
hardly possible under a capitalist government.
This
is why we of the SPN hold that the struggle and demand against corruption must
be linked with the need for a mass working people political alternative which
is formidable to wrest power from the parasitic, corrupt capitalist ruling
elites of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. This is with a view of forming
a working peoples' government run on genuine socialist program and thereby end
anti-poor, corruption-prone neo-liberal capitalist economic program. This is
only way the real change can be achieved, and not by the mere mantra of change
by Buhari and the APC.
Prepare to Struggle
We
however call on working people and youth to prepare to struggle if they desire
improvement in their conditions and economy under the new government. Action by
the working masses is the only way to win change and then to keep any
improvements that have been won.
It
is unfortunate that many labour leaders do not appear to be ready to confront
Buhari, at least in the immediate period, with bold demands to immediate
improve the lives of working people and the poor. Instead they share and indeed
promote mass illusions that the new President will do something when already
before the handover Buhari and his supporters were warning, in the recent words
of the APC National Chairman Odigie Oyegun, that "the days ahead will be
tough". While some small immediate measures on issues like salary arrears
may be announced, the likelihood is that Buhari will use the mess Johnathan has
left behind as an excuse for both delay and also to take steps towards
de-regulation and privatization. But it is not the working people of Nigeria
who have created this crisis and we should not bear extra burdens, this is why
it is necessary that the labour leadership must mobilise support to confront
the new government with some immediate demands and prepar to struggle for
their actualization.
For
instance struggles have broken out in communities against poor electricity
supply and exploitation by private electricity firms and also in many states,
controlled by both APC and PDP, against unpaid salaries of workers for many
months. Many community people, having lived in darkness for several weeks and
being asked to pay for service not enjoyed, are coming to conclusion that
electricity privatization is a failure and thereby calling on the new
government take back the power sector. We call on labour to support the growing
popular demand for "NO LIGHT; NO PAYMENT" and for a serious
electrification plan based upon the renationalization of the power sector but
in addition that it must be placed under a democratic control of workers and
consumers.
Labour
must also insist that the Buhari government must resolve the unpaid salaries.
It is a liability that the new government has to bear. This is more so that it
was mostly likely that at least part of the money that should been paid to
workers was diverted to Buhari campaign and other candidates of his party, All
Progressives Congress (APC) such as obtained with the People Democratic Party
(PDP). For instance, Rauf Aregbesola, APC Osun State Governor, who has not paid
workers' salaries since November 2014 was the Southwest Coordinator of Buhari
Presidential Campaign. With workers already on strike in some states Labour,
meaning both NLC factions and the TUC, must act urgently to unify and extend
the urgent struggle to secure unpaid salaries across the entire nation.
The
Labour leadership must also not allow the love fest with Buhari to make them
deny workers a better pay. In other words, they must demand a new national
minimum wage as the current one has been rendered untenable by high inflation
and cost of living worsened by devaluation of naira. However, besides the
economic realities, the current minimum wage is already legally due for a
review. Back in December 2008 the NLC demanded a N52,200 minimum, now at this year's
May Day Joe Ajaero, leader of one of the NLC factions, called for N90,000.
Given that the N18,000 minimum put into law over 4 years ago is still not being
paid everywhere, to achieve a higher rate needs not just a new law, but a
determined drive by labour to fully implement it without workers losing their
jobs.
It
is also imperative that the working people are not swayed by any argument to
allow hike in fuel price. While it is true that the so-called oil subsidy is
fraught with monumental fraud, the poor and working people must not be made to
pay for the failure and fraud of the capitalist ruling elite in government. The
working people must demand effective repair of old refineries and building of
new ones as well as placing them under democratic control of workers and
relevant professionals. Indeed, the recent strike by oil marketers over a
fraudulent subsidy claim which almost totally shut down the economy and the
country has further underscored the imperative of public ownership of the oil
industry as it is too central and critical to be left at whims of a few profit
vampires. However, while the bosses' strike has been called off, fuel is still
being sold as high as N150. The labour leadership must demand that government
enforce the official price of N87.
By
and large, notwithstanding the purported honesty attributed to President
Muhammadu Buhari, the capitalist neo-liberal program that will largely drive
his government means that it will require struggles of workers, youth and
community people before any meaningful improvement is achieved in education,
health care, electricity, infrastructure, living condition, jobs etc. This is
especially in the face of austerity measures occasioned by decline in oil
revenue which the new government may impose on the working people and poor.
Given Buhari's record when he was military ruler in the 1980s, Labour and
activist organisations will have to be on guard to defend democratic rights in
case they come under attack. We of the SPN shall identify with workers and poor
in the struggles for improvement and against attacks and continue to argue for
the formation of a mass working people party by the broad labour movement. We
call on workers, youths and community people to join us to build a force of
resistance and working people political alternative.
Segun Sango
SPN National Chairperson
