KEROSENE SUBSIDY REMOVAL: BUHARI TIGHTENS THE NOOSE ON WORKING PEOPLE AND THE POOR

Labour must act mobilize mass actions against anti-poor attacks

PRESS STATEMENT 

We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) condemn in strongest terms the removal of subsidy on kerosene by Buhari government. With the move, the price of kerosene has been increased from 50 naira to 83 naira. We view the move as a further step in impoverishing the mass of the working people and the poor after subsidy on fuel has been removed.

It is a fact that kerosene is the means of cooking in most poor and working people homes. This action has further confirmed our position that there is no fundamental difference between APC and PDP and hence Buhari government cannot guarantee real change for the masses.

We are of the view the entire trade union movement and pro-working masses’ organisations must mobilise the working people to resist this attack

We note that the Nigeria Labour Congress has condemned  this attack through  the Communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Committee of held on 29^th January, 2016. However, we are quick to state that only organised mass movement can repel the avalanche of  attacks on working people and the poor.

More importantly, we submit that without the labour movement coming to a clear ideological conclusion that without the mass of working people taking over the reins of governance and the commanding heights of the economy and building a mass political movement to achieve this task, there is no way out for the working people.

Segun Sango

National Chairperson

 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS: LAGOS STATE GOVT MUST OBEY COURT ORDER

PRESS STATEMENT

We of the Lagos State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) welcome the recent court judgment granted by the Lagos State High Court ordering the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to conduct local government elections in Lagos State without delay. The case was instituted by the National Conscience Party (NCP). We believe that the court order is a judicial victory in all respects for the mass of the working people in Lagos State who have been denied the opportunity of democratically electing their desired candidates into the local governments in Lagos State. We salute the leadership of the NCP in Lagos State for their steadfastness in prosecuting this struggle unto victory.

We hold that the situation also demands that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) speedily grants the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) its Certificate of Registration after it has met all prescribed requirements under the law for the registration of a political party. This is because we are willing to join the electoral fray and contest the local government elections as ordered by the Court in Lagos State. Already on account of INEC’s refusal to register our party (something that is now being challenged at the Federal High Court Abuja Division), the SPN was denied the opportunity of taking part in the 2015 general elections. We believe that further denial of participation in forthcoming elections would amount to a grave injustice.

Many state governors have turned the local governments to their “handbags” as they appoint unelected Caretaker Committees and administrators to manage the affairs of these local governments. It is through this means that they purloin federal allocations sent to state government accounts for the running of local governments into their private pockets. This undemocratic manner, with which the leadership of the local governments is chosen, together with anti-poor policies including exploitation of masses under the guise of taxes, has rendered the local governments completely useless.

Unlike pro-rich political parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC) who see local government as conduit pipe for corruption, the SPN sees local government councils as veritable tool for development of our communities and provision of decent life for the people. To this end, the SPN demands an end to the fraudulent practice of State/local government joint account. We stand for independent, democratically-run and accountable local government councils that receive their allocations directly from federation account aside other internal sources of generating revenue.

We call for the struggle to compel LASIEC to organize local government elections to be sustained until victory is guaranteed. We call for wider awareness and publicity to expose this brigandage. We believe a successful struggle for democratic elections into local governments and the victory of a party like ours will spur the implementation of pro-working people policies of expansion of basic infrastructure, massive job creation and democratic management of resources by the working masses in the communities to advance the interest of the community people.

Moshood Osunfurewa

State Secretary

SPN Continues Struggle for its Registration, Matter adjourned until December 17

Today November 2, the case of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) came up at the Federal High Court in Abuja where the INEC again pleaded for time to settle out of court after wasting the last 6 months or so without taking any concrete steps to settle. Their claim this time around was the vacuum created by the absence of a substantive chairman of INEC. Thankfully, the Judge, Justice Kolawole Gabriel, gave a relatively short adjournment and asked both parties to appear on December 17 for the report of settlement or definite hearing.

In addition to the legal action, two different sets of SPN members were at the court and Channels Television Lagos this morning to again raise the demand for INEC to issue the SPN a certificate of registration after fulfilling all lawful and constitutional conditions for registration including the payment of N1million administrative fee and having NEC members from 24 states plus Abuja

To all comrades and SPN members who against all odds remain committed to the campaign for the registration and building of a genuine working people political alternative, we say: Stand firm for with struggles there shall be light at the end of the tunnel!

Federal High Court Abuja

Channels Television Lagos

NIGERIA AT 55: Working People Must Fight for a Genuine Socialist Change

 The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Lagos State Chapter felicitates with Nigerians on this year's occasion of the 55th Anniversary of the flag Independence of Nigeria from British colonial rule. However, the occasion also offers the opportunity to ask: to what extent, if any has the fate of the poor and working masses been bettered under the successive regimes that have come to power since 1960? The current President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress Federal Government came to power on the crest of “big promises” to transform the current spate of mass unemployment, insecurity, corruption and looting. However, while we have seen spate of “probes” into former political office holders, the problem of corruption remains persistent.

BUHARI'S “CHANGE”: NOT YET UHURU FOR THE WORKING PEOPLE

Thus far, what we have seen is an attempt by the Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC), Federal Government to use the “anti-corruption” show trials as a smokescreen from the pressing issue of resolving the socio-economic crisis that the entire capitalist ruling elite has dragged the mass of working people into. The APC, which is the party that largely all the elements in the Buhari government is drawn from is peopled by the same-of-the-same anti-poor politicians who openly advocate neo-liberal policies of privatization, commercialisation and deregulation or  members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose 16 years in government were a monumental failure. Working people must not be hoodwinked into the false propaganda that the Buhari government offers a permanent panacea to the myriads of economic crisis bedeviling them but step up the struggle for fundamental improvement in their socio-economic conditions.

LAGOS STATE:  MASSES IN NEED OF GENUINE ALTERNATIVE

The state of affairs under the Ambode-led All Progressives Congress, Lagos State Government for the mass of the working people in Lagos State has not changed for the better. Under the outgone Fashola-led government, several draconian laws of Lagos State were passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly that criminalise the poor and the unemployed. The current Ambode-led administration is outdoing the former regime in implementing these draconian laws. The “Kick Against Indiscipline” and Monitoring and Enforcement Taskforce of Lagos State are the two vicious of the agencies of Lagos State Government that unleash attacks on democratic rights of the poor and unemployed.

            It has become the major occupation of these two agencies to arrest ordinary citizens at random and charge to court for wandering and joblessness without the right to fair hearing! In the first place, the Ambode-led Lagos State Government is not making any practical efforts to create jobs for the millions of unemployed people in Lagos while also harass petty traders who strive to eke out a living and impound their wares. This anti-poor government is quick to arrest, try and jail these ordinary Nigerians while failing in their responsibility to create jobs for the working masses.

            We of the SPN is convinced that ordinary people in the communities must organise mass actions against these attacks on their democratic rights. We hold that the actions of the Ambode-led Lagos State Government cannot be separated from the anti-poor and pro-rich “Megacity” for the “Mega-rich” project, which the APC has been implementing in stages for the more than sixteen years it has been in power in Lagos State.

JOIN THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF NIGERIA

What is urgently needed is a political mass fight-back of ordinary workers and youth. The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) is prepared to lead this mass fight-back in the immediate period. We enjoin you to join SPN today and be part of a political movement of ordinary workers and youth who are taking their fate in their hands to transform the current mass penury amidst plenty into a better life for all.

SPN Leaflet circulated in Lagos on October 1, 2015 to mark Nigeria Independence