Socialist Labour condemns in the strongest possible terms the burning of Comrade Joe Ajaero’s House in Lagos at the weekend. The entire building was razed to the ground without a pin salvaged, but thank fully no lives were lost.
Whilst the full might of the DSS and the police are used to personally protect each corrupt member of the National Assembly and the Government, the security services are not prepared to protect the common people. Every day we suffer attacks, burglaries and worse.
We see this attack on Comrade Ajaero as an attack on the whole labour movement over our fight to stop the anti-people attacks of this government. After years of high inflation and dwindling value of our salaries this government suddenly increased the price of petrol by around 200%. This massive attack on the popular masses requires a resolute and unified response from the labour movement and wider civil society. We cannot let this unprovoked personal attack on the President of the NLC deter our campaigns against this neoliberal government. They are hell bent on implementing the pro-rich policies of the IMF and World Bank.
Not only are we suffering from the increase in the price of petrol, the official price of the naira has been devalued by 70% in the last two weeks and we are threatened with an increase in electricity tariffs by 40% from the end of this week. The palliatives that the Government is promising are nothing less than a scam. The details of the Student Loans Act show that almost no students will benefit.
In the face of the cowardly personal attack on Comrade Ajaero’s house we need to strengthen our collective resolve to defeat all this Government’s anti-poor people’s polices. We need the labour movement and civil society to unite as never before in the face of these attacks.
We need the leadership of the labour movement to lead the working masses in a collective fight back. Therein lies their freedom, safety, security and honour.
We need to encourage protests in every local government and every state. We need maximum solidarity and support for all protests. United we can win – divided we fall!
We cannot afford more than N186/litre for petrol!
We cannot afford to pay more for electricity!
We need a decent minimum wage!
No threats of no work no pay!
Pay all salaries and pensions as and when due!
Biodun Olamosu, National Secretary, Socialist Labour
