Buhari Government: Working People Must Prepare to Struggle for improvement and Real Change

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

Email: socialistpartyofnigeria@yahoo.com

OGUN STATE HOUSE NUMBERING FEE:

ANOTHER CONDUIT FOR MASS EXPLOITATION OF CITIZENS

Press Statement

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) Ogun State Chapter condemns unequivocally the current attempt by the Ogun state government, through its Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, to exploit the people of the state by imposing on them a house numbering levy of One Thousand and One Hundred naira (N1, 100:00). The ministry claims that this would enable it affix new house number plate.

The SPN demands a total stop to further collection of this provocative fee and a refund to those that have paid. The new house number plate should affixed at no cost to the house owners. We also demand that the government should embark on the provision of mass housing which is affordable for the poor and working masses.

 

The Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs is carrying out the harassment of house owners in Odogbolu local government area of the state conjunction with NEXUS Properties, a private firm. Nexus Properties, apparently a front of, or crony to government officials, is one of the consultants purportedly recruited by the Ogun State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, for the house numbering project exercise. The firm through a letter from the ministry’s Permanent Secretary with Reference No.LGP 389/110 dated 31^st January, 2013, is demanding the payment of N1100 house numbering charge within seven days! Other private firms are carrying out the same exercise in the other parts of the state.

This act has again shown how insensitive this government is. Incidentally, this is coming few weeks after the people voted the APC government of Ibikunle Amosun for a second term in office. For the record, we in the SPN are not averse to numbering of houses, in fact we support it. But, we are totally against ceding government duties to profiteers posing as consultants, who exploit the citizens, in quest for profits at the expense of the people. This explains why under this unjust capitalist system, the majority would continuously be denied the basic needs of life as the pro-capitalist government only robs the poor to pay the rich. 

This profit first motive of the government to satisfy few rich, as against the needs of the majority has been the bane of development across the country in all facets. 

The government, at all levels, should embark on construction of affordable mass housing scheme for all, rather than seeking rents. But this would be mere dreams under this government committed to the profits of the few rich. To reverse this trend, there is need for a working people political alternative that would harness society’s abundant resources to provide free education, affordable housing, functioning health care, transportation etc, as against this unjust capitalist government hell bent on making life difficult for the majority to satisfy few rich individuals. The SPN represents a step in this direction as a striking example of working people political alternative, we call on workers, farmers, market men and women, artisans etc, to join hands and help build it in their various communities.

Eko John Nicholas

Secretary, SPN Ogun State

Non-Payment of Salaries and Pensions for Over Three Months in Osun State:

NLC, TUC, and affiliate Unions Should Mobilize for Strike and Mass Action

Press Statement:

Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Osun State Chapter strongly decries the refusal of the Rauf Aregbesola-led Osun State government to pay salaries of workers for over five months. We also condemn non-payment of pension arrears and monthly pension to retirees in the state. We consider it callous and irresponsible the denial of workers of their salaries and entitlement, using very fraudulent excuse. We call on the leadership of labour movement in the state including Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) to take drastic and practical actions to defend the right of workers. We call for immediate declaration of industrial actions including strikes, pickets, mass rallies and protests, to demand for payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.

It is highly treacherous and shameful of the Aregbesola government to claim there is no money to pay workers for over 90 days, yet the same government has millions to spend on campaign jamboree. The same government that claimed there is no money to pay workers and pensioners spent several millions of naira on frivolous referendum on new local council creation, even when legitimate elections into the local government administrations have not been held for over four years. We ask; where is the N30 billion the government claimed to have saved some time ago. Is the government claiming it is not getting any federal allocation or what? It is shameful that more than four years of the much-touted economic prudency the government still relies on dole out from Abuja to survive. Even at this, the government cannot meet its basic obligations and duties, one of which is payment of workers’ salaries and retirees’ pensions.

 Just recently, teachers in the state’s public schools embarked on a month-long strike to demand for provision of running grants to public schools for procurement of basic instructional materials like chalk! Currently, lecturers in the four state owned Polytechnics and Colleges of Education under the umbrella of Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun Tertiary Institutions (CASUOSTI) are on two-day per week industrial strike over backlog of allowances and salaries. Workers in the state-owned university, Osun State University (UNIOSUN) are at loggerhead with the state government over poor funding of the institution. Workers in the state radio and television stations just called off their strike some few weeks ago, over failure of government to pay their backlogs of arrears. Medical workers in the state employment, including doctors, have not been paid for over three months, thus threatening the already fragile and chronically-underfunded health system in the state. as we are writing this statement, medical workers in Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, the only state-owned tertiary health institution, and the State Hospital, Asubiaro are now on industrial strike. Worse still, none of these issues have been addressed or resolved by the government!

This clearly corroborates the position of the SPN that the Aregbesola government has bankrupted the state finance, no thanks to its pro-capitalist, pro-big business policies. It is clear that the state government has mortgaged the finance of the state to big time contractors, politicians and financial sharks. Currently, the state is virtually at a standstill in terms of governance. Various projects, including the few road projects and school rehabilitations have been abandoned despite billions of naira of loan procured for them. Public institutions like schools and hospitals are in deplorable state. Is it then accidental that Osun State came distant twenty-second (22nd) in the 20014 WAEC SSCE rating. Clearly, the Osun State government is short-sighted in its approach to finances of the state. The government is only interested in projects and activities that will put public funds into private businesses of politicians and their big business partners, as seen in the School Uniform Fraud, where government gave almost one billion naira of public fund to private firm to solely produce and sell school uniforms, albeit of low quality, to pupils and students in the state. 

While we agree that, as a result of the neo-colonial and rent-seeking character of Nigeria’s ruling politicians, both in the PDP and APC, the revenue of the country has greatly reduced due to fall in crude oil price in the international market, we make bold to say this has only shown the bankrupt nature of Aregbesola government, rather than absolving it of blame in the economic woes that has betide the state, nay the country. We challenge Aregbesola government to come out with the financial report of the state vis-à-vis the revenue of the state, the federal allocation, and expenditure of the state, and it will be glaring how public resources are being used to satiate the lifestyles of politicians and their big business acolytes. 

We call on workers not to be hoodwinked by the bogey of poor allocation or financial victimization of the state by the federal government, as being bandied by the government and its town-criers. Workers and pensioners must demand for their right to adequate and timely remuneration. Leadership of labour unions should be proactive in the defence of their members’ interests. The various individual industrialactions taken by some unions in the last four to five months, while commendable, shows there is need for a holistic mass action of workers across the state. We call on labour leaders in the state, especially NLC, TUC, and the affiliate unions, to declare a 48-hour warning strike with mass rallies and protests across the state to demand immediate payment of workers’ salary arrears, and accumulated pensions and gratuities. An immediate congress of workers in the state should be the first step in this direction. We call on workers in each union to put pressure on their leadership to take industrial and mass actions on the issue immediately.

Kola Ibrahim

State Secretary

2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND WORKING MASSES: LAGOS SPN HOLDS PUBLIC MEETING

By SPN Reporters

 

Against the background of the outcome of the Presidential election held on March 28, 2015, the Lagos State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria held a Public Meeting on Saturday, March 28^th, 2015. The meeting attended by members from Agege, Ajegunle and University of Lagos held a refreshing political review of the presidential election

The meeting kicked off with an introduction of the background of the meeting by Ayo Ademiluyi, the Moderator of the meeting on the need for genuine socialists and working class activists to examine the implications of the victory of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, MuhammaduBuhari at the March 28, 2015 polls. Taking off on the agenda, Ayo Ademiluyi gave a report on the state of the organization with update on the Lagos SPN Programme of Intervention in the 2015 general elections. He informed that the planned March 3^rd Lagos SPN protest rally on the last adjourned date of the SPN court matter could not hold due to fuel scarcity. He equally reported that branch tabling was held in Agege on March 14, 2015 as part of the intervention in the 2015 polls.  He informed that the next major upcoming events are the DSM National Committee meeting billed for April 18^th and 19th, the May Day Intervention for May 1^st , Branch meetings for May 16^th , tablings across   Branches for May 21^st and  Political Symposium for June 12, 2015.

Chinedu Bosah, still on the state of the organization gave update on the registration of the Socialist Party of Nigeria. He informed that on March 3^rd, 2015, the last adjourned date of the SPN court matter,  INEC through their lawyer made a move for out-of-court settlement, upon which the court adjourned the matter for May 22^nd ,2015. He informed further that the SPN counsel, Citipoint Chambers has written a letter to INEC to seek for a date for verification and INEC’s response is being awaited.

On the political discussion, “2015 Presidential Election: What Perspective for the Working Masses?”,Segun Sango, the National Chairperson of the Socialist Party of Nigeria was on hand to give a lead off. He underlined the vibrant response  of Nigerians to the election despite the initial postponement. He noted the fact that while the “change” slogan of the All Progressives Congress gained echo but it is entirely another thing that the incoming Buhari regime would carry out genuine change in terms of the living conditions of the working masses, given that it operates within the precincts of capitalism. He submitted the need to step up the struggle for a genuine working people’s political alternative and the need to step up the efforts in building the Socialist Party of Nigeria.

In their reactions and comments, comrades one after another submitted that there is no fundamental difference between the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party. They submitted further that it remains entirely another question how the Buhari regime will implement its populist promises made during the campaigning period, given the ongoing crisis ravaging Nigerian capitalism, specifically the collapse of the crude oil sales and the fall of the naira. In all, there was concession that the widespread illusions in Buhari may hold back struggle for a short period but as soon as the regimecarry out fundamental attack on the living conditions of the working masses, another period of ferocious struggle will open up. It was concluded that there is need to rebuild the trade union movement and continue the agitation for a genuine working people’s political alternative. It was finally submitted that the struggle for the registration of the Socialist Party of Nigeria must be fought to conclusion with the aim of building the SPN as a mass electoral opposition against the All Progressives Congress.      

In his sum up, Segun Sango highlighted the fact that the new political situation requires a new leadership and he challenged comrades to take up political responsibilities of building the Socialist Party of Nigeria. He further submitted that this would be linked with a stepped-up campaign for a genuine working people’s political alternative.

On finance, Ayo Ademiluyi informed that a financial appeal would be sent out to comrades for the upcoming June 12 Political Symposium,that is being planned by the Lagos SPN. A fighting fund of N1, 020 was raised at the meeting.

As AOB, Moshood gave an update on the funeral preparations for the late Uche Dike of Ajegunle Branch and he reported that there is no date yet for the burial but there is a plan by the Branch to send one or two representatives to his hometown for the burial in Imo State. One minute silence was held in the memory of the late UcheDike.The meeting ended with solidarity songs and a preparedness to engage the current period correctly.