Nigeria: Bomb explosions in Abuja – more evidence of the failure of capitalist government

For democratic self-defence committees

We in the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) condemn in strongest terms the terrorist attack on the popular Nyanya motor park in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, on Monday April 14, which killed over 70 people. While no group has claimed responsibility we hold that the Nyanya bomb blast is another in the long chain of heinous terrorist attacks on the working people in Nigeria.

We contend that the attack has further exposed the utter helplessness of the state-apparatus in the face of the behemoth of terrorist activities. This again justifies the need to build armed self-defence committees under the democratic control of the working people in the communities, parks, schools and marketplaces to forestall and defeat terrorist attacks.

We hold that it is mass suffering and anger in the midst of enormous resources that has created fertile ground for recruitment into terrorist activities. It is a result of the failure of successive capitalist governments to commit the huge wealth of society to the benefit of vast majority of the population.

What the outpouring of agitation and protests against the attack urgently demands is a leadership that accurately reflects the needs of the situation from the working people’s organisations, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress with the Joint Action Front. It must spearhead immediately a mass movement nationwide against the growing terrorist activities and killings as well as the palpable incompetence and incapacitation of the government to rein in the terror.

While the NLC has issued a press statement to condemn the attack, it must join forces with other pro-working people’s political organisations to name a day of national mourning and mass protest against terror. It should also include demands against the anti-poor policies, like attacks on education, mass unemployment and poverty wages.

The failure of the government in the face of this disastrous situation has raised the urgent need for a working people’s political alternative that can proffer an alternative agenda. This is even more necessary because the different fractions of the monstrous capitalist ruling elite – organised in both the People’s Democratic Party of president Goodluck Jonathan, and the All Progressives Congress – are only preoccupied with how to turn the misfortune and loss of ordinary people to self-serving political advantage.

The SPN is prepared to work together with pro-working people’s organisations in spearheading the building of the much-needed mass political movement to remove the rotten ruling capitalist elite from power. This should be linked with the task of socialist transformation which will open up a new society without poverty, terrorism and war. We urge the mass of workers, students, youth and the poor to join and build the SPN to achieve this task.

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