Baba Aye's

Workers in Federal Health Institutions across the length and breadth of Nigeria commenced an indefinite strike action at midnight this morning. This is as the ASUU strike in the education sector inches towards its fiftieth day. And very much like the university teachers strike, the current working class action in the health sector stems from the crass insensitivity and utter dishonesty of the Nigerian state and the ruling class which it serves. The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) which is a coalition of: Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN); National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM); Nigerian Union of Pharmacists, Medical Technologists and Professions Allied to Medicine (NUPMTPAM); Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals. Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) and; Non-Academic Staff Union of Education Institutions, Research and Allied Institutes (NASU), called this strike action to demand the imp...

Mugabe the old fox...in MDC's poultry! For a good part of his 33 years in power, Robert Mugabe has presided over a ruthless dictatorship. From the thousands killed in the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres and misery for millions under ESAP, Operation Murambatsvina and hyper-inflation of 2008. Yet in the 31 st July elections, endorsed by SADC and AU, the 89 year old ruler annihilated the hitherto iconic working class leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T, who beat him in March 2008. Mugabe got 61% to Tsvangirai’s   34%. Zanu PF won a 76% parliamentary majority, enough to re-write the new constitution and doing better than it did in 1980. What happened? Wabi wedu wakawarairwa nezamu mu GNU vakangamwa vanhu. The working class is deeply pained by this tsunami, and many are tempted to go for the easy answer that MDC merely lost because of rigging. That there was intimidation, an uneven terrain and some manipulation or rigging through the voters roll may be true, but the massive s...

Comrade Abdulwahed I. Omar, at the Opening Session The Daily Rain, Vol 1, No. 1  EDUCATE! MOBILISE!! ORGANISE!!! The editorial board of The Daily Rain welcomes you to the 11 th NLC Rain School, the theme of which is “Strengthening Trade Unions for Defense of Workers’ Rights”. It promises to be an exciting week of learning, making new friends and finding time to generally interact with comrades from a broad number of unions, state councils and across West Africa. Make the best use of this and mingle! NLC places great premium on its National Schools (Rain and Harmattan). In the course of the week, we will have a broad spectrum of leadership with us for the plenary sessions. Indeed, the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar will be gracing the opening session as the Chief Host, while the Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio declares the 11 th NLC Rain School open, today. The theme of the 2013 Rain School has been carefully selected, according to C...

Introduction Twenty years ago, what has been described as “the freest and fairest elections” in the history of Nigeria, held on June 12, eleven days after it was annulled and for six years, the country was never the same again. Bashorun MKO Abiola, the June 12 "custodian" Diverse views have been expressed by different interest groups on what “June 12” symbolizes. We shall put in perspective the events, class interests and developments within those six years of struggle, from the world view of the working class, drawing lessons for our struggles today and our historic goal of social change. 1986-1992: Prelude to a revolution The 1985 palace coup which brought the General Babangida junta to power was welcomed by most Nigerians, due to the neo-fascist character of the Buhari-regime, which most Nigerians had expected a lot from after the corruption-ridden and visionless 4-years episode of the second republic. IBB, who once described himself as an evil genius, pro...