ONE BILLION DOLLAR LAGOS STATE DEBT

FASHOLA GOVERNMENT IS LEAVING BEHIND A LEGACY OF WOES

Press Statement

We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Lagos State Chapter strongly decry the legacy of $1 billion debt burden that the outgoing Babatunde Fashola government is leaving behind for the mass of working people and the poor in the state. According to media reports, the state government owes 33.86 per cent of the country’s total sub-national external debts (debts owed by state governments). Statistics obtained from the website of the Debt Management Office in Abuja shows that out of the total external debt of $3.01bn, Lagos State owed $1.02bn, leaving the remaining 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory with $1.99bn as of June 30, 2014. Further analysis shows that out of the $1.02bn external loan commitments, $937.91m was from multilateral bodies, while $82.5m represented loans contracted from bilateral sources. (Punch Newspapers, 5th September, 2014).

We call for mass actions to demand the opening of the accounts of Fashola-led government for public scrutiny by elected representatives of the working people, trade unions etc., for the purpose of allowing the public see clearly where this huge funds were channeled to. We call for an end to debt enslavement of Lagos State.

The eight years of the Fashola regime have only meant attack on education, living condition and democratic rights for the mass of the working people. It took the monumental struggle of students, staff and parents of the Lagos State University with their civil society allies including the Education Rights’ Campaign (ERC) and the Joint Action Front (JAF) to force the Fashola regime to reverse the outrageous fee imposed on the university.

We in SPN Lagos State call on the mass of working people in the state not to hold illusions in the policy reversal being undertaken presently such as relax on attacks on okada riders. This is one of the tricks to woo the working people for votes in the 2015 general elections. The fact is that the brutal attacks on the masses and youth will resume full fledge should the APC wins the next elections.

We equally call on the mass of working people not to hold illusions in the People's Democratic Party, which is presently rooting to take political power from the APC. The victory of any the section of the ruling class during the coming elections will be a continuation of debt enslavement, attack on education and democratic rights among other neo-liberal and anti-working people policies.

We enjoin the mass of the working people to join us in the SPN in the struggle for the actualisation of the registration. The SPN canvasses the programme of cancellation of the debt, democratic and transparent management of all public resources by elected representatives of communities, workers and government as well as proper funding of key sectors of the economy and guaranteeing democratic rights for the mass of the working people.

Moshood Osunfurewa

State Secretary,

SPN Lagos State Chapter

RAPE CASE REVEALS THE DEPLORABLE STATE OF HEALTH SECTOR IN OYO STATE

For Adequate Funding of Health Care under Democratic Control 

PRESS STATEMENT

The Oyo State Chapter of Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) describes as disturbing and ridiculous the recent media reports of how a medical doctor at the General Hospital in Eruwa could not carry out a verification test on a female student who was allegedly raped by a solder in the town. This is a manifestation of the deplorable state of health sector in Oyo State. It puts to question the veracity of the so-called success stories of Abiola Ajimobi-led government in the health sector.

The randy solder is attached to Operation Burst, a repressive military outfit specially created by the Ajimobi government ostensibly to curb crimes in the state.

On the Friday, 29^th August, 2014, the soldier in question reportedly raped an ND II female student of the Polytechnic of Ibarapa. The report also has that the lady was eventually taken to Eruwa General Hospital by the Police for appropriate test to verify her claim of being raped.

At the hospital, the medical doctor on duty, Dr Jesim Gambo, was reported to have lamented about the lack of facilities even as basic as glove and cotton wool to carry out the required test. Gambo, therefore, reportedly examined the private part of the victim with the aid of the light on his phone through which he came up with a report which he described as inconclusive.

 This kind of egregious decay and gloomy picture in one of the leading public hospitals in the state has exposed as fallacious the claim of outstanding achievement in health sector by Ajimobi government. It also reflects the gross underfunding and neglect which has seriously afflicted social services like health service delivery, education etc., in the state since the inception of civil rule.

It is so disheartening to note that despite the improvement in the Oyo state revenue allocation in the recent years, the budgetary allocation on health service delivery as well as other social services has been suffering a decline. 

Take for instance, in the 2014 appropriation bill presented by Senator Abiola Ajimobi to the state assembly for approval on the Thursday, 19^th December, 2013 a paltry sum of N25.6 billion which represent just 13.5% of the total budget of N188.9billion was allocated to fund the entire social services which include health, education, and housing among others. While in the same budget, a huge sum of N96.041 billion representing 50.9% was earmarked for the recurrent expenditure which in comparison to workers’ salaries is largely constituted by the unjustified jumbo salaries and allowances of a handful of political office holders who are less than 1% of the Oyo State estimated population of 19 million people.

Going by this background, it is very apparent that the poor state of health care delivery in Oyo State as well as in other part of the country is not primarily due to the lack of financial capacity by Government either at the state or federal level to adequately fund public utilities but as a result of self-serving capitalist economic policies which  allows for a privileged few to get fabulously rich at the expense of the vast majority who wallow in hopeless misery and this remains the ideological hallmark of Nigerian governments at all levels regardless of political parties.

Therefore, towards reversing the deplorable state of the health sector as well as other sectors of the economy in Oyo state nay the entire country, SPN demands urgent need to cut down the salaries and allowance of all political office holders across the political parties to the wages of an average civil servant. This, together with the public ownership of commanding heights of the economy under a democratic control and management of the working people will help to liberate more resources to be invested in public utilities and social program.

The fact that this is only possible under a socialist government explains why we of the SPN are committed to the task of socialist transformation of the Nigeria.

The soldier in question has to be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted if he has case to answer. We call on the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), media and human rights organisations to be interested in this matter so as to ensure the affected student undergoes appropriate verification test and receives treatment at the expense of the government. We also call for adequate compensation for the victim.

We also demand that soldiers should be withdrawn from the streets and all civilian populated areas and for a well-funded Community Policing to be put in place to fight crime. Community policing should be under the democratic control of communities, working class organisations etc., to allow for transparent and effective activities.   

Abiodun Bamgboye

State Secretary,

SPN Oyo State Chapter  

OOU: AMOSUN SHOULD MEET THE DEMANDS OF STUDENTS AND REOPEN THE UNIVERSITY NOW!

FOR ADEQUATE FUNDING OF EDUCATION IN OGUN STATE

PRESS STATEMENT

We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) Ogun State strongly condemn the onslaught of the Ibikunle Amosun government on education in the state. In a sheer demonstration of attack on democratic rights, the state government has shut down the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye and connived with the Ogun State Police Command to ban protests by mass of students for a further reduction of their school fees.

We call on Governor Amosun to immediately meet the demands of the students and re-open the university. We equally demand that the Amosun government stops its attack on the democratic rights of the students. We also demand the recall of over 2000 students who have dropped out of OOU as a result of their inability to pay the outrageous fees.  We call for adequate funding of OOU and the entire education sector under a democratic control including elected representatives of education workers and students.  

We hold that the attack on the mass of students in Olabisi Onabanjo University is part of the anti-poor policies of the Amosun regime on education in the state. For instance, the Ogun State Cooperative College in Ijeja has been abandoned to a terrible state of neglect and rot to the extent that the students of the college did not benefit from even the minimal reduction of the fee hike that was recently pronounced by the government

It is equally on record that the state government is one of the states across the country that have refused to pay the 27.5% Teachers Peculiar Allowance since 2011, and N18, 000 minimum wages to both its primary and secondary teachers till date.

We urge the mass of working people and youth in Ogun state not to invest any illusion in the so-called opposition parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) as they share the same anti-poor neo-liberal policies of commercialization and privatization of education with the All Progressives Congress (APC). We call on the mass of students, workers and youth to join the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) in a mass-based campaign against all anti-poor capitalist policies of government not only in Ogun state but also nationally and across the country as part of the overall efforts  to build a working people’s political alternative.

Eko John Nicholas

State Secretary

SPN Ogun State

EBOLA OUTBREAK IN PORT HARCOURT:

A TRUE PICTURE OF HEALTH CRISIS WORSENED BY FAILURE OF CAPITALIST ELITE

 PRESS STATEMENT

We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Rivers State Chapter view the spread of the dreaded Ebola virus to Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital as a true confirmation of the failure of the Jonathan regime in the fight against the epidemic despite the government propaganda.

According to media reports, a medical doctor identified as Iyke Enemuo became the first victim of the Ebola disease in Portharcourt and died at the Good Heart Hospital in Port Harcourt on Friday, August 22, 2014. He was infected with the virus by an ECOWAS diplomat whom he treated secretly in a hotel. The ECOWAS diplomat was infected after he came in contact with Liberian American, Patrick Sawyer, the index case. The unidentified diplomat escaped surveillance and travelled to Port Harcourt. The diplomat recovered from the disease and returned to Lagos but the doctor died. The Doctor Enemuo’s wife, also a doctor, has been diagnosed to have got the virus while, couple’s 3 month old baby as well as a doctor and pharmacist who worked with Enemou have been reportedly quarantined. About 200 have been estimated to have had contact with Enemou out whom 60 have been reportedly searched for by security operatives.

 The entire scenario has put lie to the claims of Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu that the spread of Ebola virus has been contained. Many lives have been put in danger by the failure of government to put in place appropriate measures against the spread of the disease.

We consider it a sheer hypocrisy and sign of unseriousness in the fight against Ebola virus by the regime that has postponed resumption of schools and advised against mass gatherings to have endorsed the mass rallies across the country in support of ambition of President Jonathan for the second term.

We also hold that the fact that residents of Emohua Local Government in Port Harcourt protested the location of Isolation Centre in their area confirms the deep level of anger against the failure of the state government.  They accused the state government of abandoning the primary health centre in the community. The Amaechi –led Rivers’ state government is equally toeing the line of the Jonathan government in engaging in mere propaganda without being truly caring about the public health in the country as a result of neo-liberal capitalist agenda.

We call for mass community efforts with democratic involvement of the mass of working people and adequate government support in setting up community precaution, awareness and emergency committees to place a red alert against the spread of the dreaded disease.

We hold that the failure of the government at all levels to contain the spread of Ebola virus has further confirmed the need for a genuine working people’s political alternative. The SPN represents a step along this direction and strives for a genuine working people’s political government where the enormous resources will be deployed to the research and production for the cure of such diseases as Ebola which threaten humanity, as against the current order of profit-first agenda of capitalism.

Onwunalu Alexander

Publicity Secretary

SPN Rivers State Chapter