We Can Make a Difference IF We Make Our Voices Heard
We live in frightening times. Inflation is now well over 30%. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the cost of a healthy diet is now almost N30,000 a month for a single person, just for food (without preparation or transport to market costs). The government is tripling the price of electricity and threatening to unilaterally impose...
FELA: MUSICAL ICON AND PAN-AFRICANIST
By Biodun Olamosu
The singer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti will forever be remembered as an unrepentant crusader for social justice. He was a musical legend whose his fame traversed the length and breadth of the globe. His influence on Nigerian and African youths can only be compared with that of his hero, Kwame Nkrumah, the first...
Student Loans – a Cruel Hoax in Place of Proper Funding of Tertiary Education
The Student Loans Act marks yet another embarrassing policy reversal by the Tinubu Government. The revised act, currently in National Assembly, removes some of the glaring faults of the original Act. However, the fundamental problems of student loans remain. They discriminate against poorer students, require huge bureaucratic costs and encourage corruption.
The students loan...
Workers in Chad Show Fight Against an Increase in the Price of Fuel and Other Issues
There was a widely supported general strike in Chad that lasted for a month from 20th February, 2024. This was over the military government increasing the price of fuel by 40% in the middle of February and the coming to an end of the three year social pact between some trade unions and the government without many...
NLC Holds Successful Protests in Almost All States (and FCT) – forward to resolute action on its 17 demands
The NLC held successful street protests in 35 states and in the FCT. The only state where protests were not held on the 27th of February was Borno State. We have collected pictures of the NLC protests in each state, see:https://socialistlabour.com.ng/2024/03/02/nlc-holds-successful-protests-in-almost-every-state/
Following the protests the NLC made some excellent demands including:• An immediate removal...
NLC HOLDS SUCCESSFUL PROTESTS IN ALMOST EVERY STATE
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), its member unions and others organised massive protests across the country on Tuesday, 27th February, 2024. The rallies were to protest against “the excruciating hardship that millions of ordinary Nigerians, especially workers, are facing”.The trade unions have yet again shown their ability to organise huge simultaneous protests in almost all state capitals....
Governments Have Plenty of Money to Pay for a Decent Minimum Wage and our Other Demands
The Accountant General of the Federation managed to claim at the end of January that the “limited nature of government revenue” meant the Federal Government could no longer afford to pay the monthly allowance of N35,000 promised to Federal workers. She was lying. In reality, the state and Federal governments have more money than they know what...
We Are Hungry – They Are Greedy!
United Protests and Strikes Can win!
Socialist Labour congratulates the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for planning protests across the country for Tuesday and Wednesday this week, for an indefinite general strike from 2nd March and for calling for wider support from civil society. These strikes and protests can end our hunger if they are united...
GLOBALIZATION, IMPERIALISM AND FATE OF THE NIGERIAN WORKING CLASS
BYDR. SALEH MARI MAINABeing a paper presented at the Lenin Centenary International Conference, January 22-23, 2024, Abuja
Since its emergence into sovereign nationhood, the contemporary Nigerian state has been characterized by policies and programmers pursued by successive administrations aimed at subjugating the Nigerian working class to the dictates of capitalism and imperialism. This...
Banning of Trade Union Organisation in Certain Government Departments and Services
There are a number of public sector organisations where the workers are denied the fundamental human right to join and organise in trade unions. These include the security services including the armed services, police, DSS, EFCC, IPCC, Federal Road Safety etc, but also other organisations that previously had this right including the Customs and Excise Department, the...