Baba Aye's

Introduction Few in Nigeria would have the feeling that 2012 is barely a month old. The past few weeks have been filled with events of historic proportions. First, in response to the unpopular 120% hike in petrol price, the people spontaneously took to the streets across the country in stiff resistance and with an 8-day general strike and mass protests, won a stunted victory. After this, the fundamentalist sect known as Boko Haram, which has killed no less than 935 persons in barely two years according to Human Rights Watch carried out is most deadly attacks on state institutions killing over 200 persons in the northern city of Kano, as it freed 100 of its incarcerated members. It is pertinent in reviewing this situation which Tell a leading liberal weekly in the country describes as “A Revolution Postponed”, to put in perspective the contradictions and convergence of crisis which the Nigerian society is now embroiled in and make projections about the turbulent road that lies ahea...

how great it was on Wednesday to get this lill' machine functioning once again since the early hours of January January 12! forward ever! backward never!!

The Federal Government declared war on Nigerians on New Year day, with its 120% hike in fuel price. With heads held high, the people gallantly rose across the country in stiff resistance, immediately. The resistance snowballed into a General Strike and series of escalating Mass Protests of historic proportions, with over ten million Nigerians demonstrating in more than 50 cities and towns within the country and no less than a dozen cities across Africa, Europe and the Americas. After nine days of this earth-shaking manifestation of the people’s power, in which over twenty citizens were brutally murdered by the police, particularly on the heels of four days of an indefinite General Strike, it seemed the state wanted peace and normalcy returned to the land as it summoned a meeting with organised labour and representatives of civil society. Alas, it only feigned concern for the people and the country. The meeting ended in a deadlock as the state refused to heed the legitimate demand of...

In the past few days, the Federal and state governments have tried to find a straw man to bear the responsibility for the turbulence they stirred, in ways and manners to break the collective of citizens rising against the system they represent and its insensitive policies such as “deregulation” & “removal of fuel subsidy”. The straw man’s other name is “vagabond”. Several top functionaries of the Federal Government have cried themselves hoarse that the streets have been seized by hoodlums. Mohammed Bello Adoke, the Attorney-General, has threatened to bring the full force of the law to bear on them for causing breakdown of law and order. Anyim Pius Anyim, Secretary to the Government of the Federation went a step further, demanding that organised labour condemns these “vandals”. In a number of states, including Kano, Kaduna, Edo & Oyo states, curfews ranging from dusk to dawn to 24 hours have been declared ostensibly to forestall further violence by these same hoodlums. Who...

We are alarmed at the fact that government is not intending either now or in the future to reduce the pump price of petrol. Whether government builds ten refineries in the nearest future and Nigeria’s refining capacity is increased beyond domestic demand, it is alarming that government is not intent on reducing the price of petrol, ostensibly because it wants prices to compete with neighbouring nations in order to avoid smuggling of the products across the borders. Instead of government initiating ways to man the borders and prosecuting fuel smugglers, government is intent on sustaining the hardship on Nigerians. This is terrible. This means that if those in neighbouring countries increase their pump prices beyond the present level, the Nigerian government will immediately increase the pump price of petrol again, in order to avoid smuggling. This is subversive, as government thinks only of economic value and not human value. If it makes economic sense to remove the subsidy, this sh...

The Federal Government’s contempt for Nigerian workers was expressed once again yesterday as it threatened to invoke the “no work, no pay” clause of the Trade Union (Amendment) Act, 2005. What arrant nonsense! Has any of the endless numbers of ministers, special advisers, senior special assistants, special assistants etc ever failed collect “pay” from the public treasury for doing NO WORK,? Or what work have they done, with the way Nigeria has continually moved from bad to worse as a nation, economically, politically and socio-culturally? How many service chiefs and IGP have been sacked for not being able to halt the menace of Boko Haram? Which minister of industry has lost a dime for the continued de-industrialization of an economy that was under-industrialized from the word go? It is however not surprising that the state makes this threat. Its functionaries are worried & scared silly! They had thought that we would go on strike for just two days as some of our socialist friend...

The National Union of Metalworkers Union of South Africa (NUMSA), the genuine and trusted ally of the Steel, Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) supports the ongoing class struggle against high fuel prices imposed on the working class by political elites and fuel profiteers. We denounce the current profit embedded Capitalist assault meted against the working class on their right to cheaper and affordable transport, access to basic amenities and a right to free and unhindered movement amidst deepening of capitalist crisis and worsening living conditions in the world today. We pledge our solidarity with the entire trade union movement and broader working class in Nigeria. We are fully aware of the consequences and devastating impact the high cost of fuel will mean to the workers, marginalized, unemployed, youth and the poor of Nigeria. It is the very same workers and the poor who will have to endure the burden and hardships of soaring food prices and escalating cost of trans...