The day after the article below by a leader of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) was published, the Nigeria Labour Congress finally issued a statement entitled ‘NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC MESS AND IMF’S DENIAL: “ESAU’S HANDS BUT JACOB’S VOICE”,
This statement rightly criticised the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, for their rank hypocrisy of now trying to distance themselves from the dire economic and social effects of the neo-liberal policies they have demanding that the Nigerian government implements.
The NLC statement makes many true points. It ends by calling on the “World Bank and IMF to remove their knees from our necks so that we can breathe as a nation”. Again fine words but the NLC makes no criticism of the Nigerian Federal Government implementing neo-liberal policies and oppressing those who oppose them. The NLC statement makes no demands whatsoever on the Federal Government, makes no call for an end to neo-liberal policies or for the reversal of the fuel and electricity price hikes. Most significantly the NLC once again makes no mention of what it will do or make any call for mass mobilisation to end the unfolding desperate situation of collapse and hunger facing the vast majority of Nigerians. This DSM statement explains the reasons for this failure by the Labour leaders and outlines the steps which need to be taken to start to build a movement and a way out of this unfolding disaster.
socialistworld.net
A Conference of Trade Unions, Left Activists and Socialists to Discuss Alternative to Neo-Liberal Programme is Needed
The latest increase in the price of petrol is yet another proof that there is no let-off for working people and the poor from the devastating attacks on living standards by Bola Tinubu’s government. This hike, which was the second in one month, means that the price has risen by a whopping 430 percent from N198 to N1030 officially, since May 29, 2023, when Tinubu proclaimed that “petrol subsidy is gone”. This is part of a neo-liberal offensive, which also includes devaluation of the naira, that has seriously compounded the economic crisis that actually preceded Tinubu’s government coming to office. As a result, many Nigerians have been plunged deeper into poverty, depreciation of quality of life and economic hardship, while large parts of the economy are imploding, and society shows signs of disintegration. We join the working masses and youth to condemn the hike in petrol price and call for the reversal of all anti-poor capitalist policies which are at the root of the current mass economic hardship.
Certainly, action is needed to get out of this mess. And truly, working people and youth, through a series of pockets of protests against mass hunger which broke out in February and #EndBadGovernance protests which started off in August, have demonstrated an indication of their preparedness for mass resistance against the anti-poor policies. We of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) are committed to contributing to the ongoing efforts at building the #EndBadGovernance movement such that it is capable of consistently organizing a series of nationwide mass actions to win immediate steps to improve living standards and also provide a basis for a mass political alternative.
At the same time, we call on workers and trade union activists to agitate at workplaces, factory floors and trade union organs for the leadership of the organized labour, especially the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), to act responsibly and seriously in defence of the interests of ordinary workers. Sadly, the labour leadership at best hardly go beyond radical words and token actions in the face of the raging neo-liberal attacks. There have also been different disturbing examples of labour leaders issuing ultimatums or threats without any follow-up action despite the government ignoring the demands or even doubling down with further attacks.
No Serious Fightback
Sadly, it is the lack of a serious fightback from the NLC and TUC that has handed Tinubu’s government a field day to confidently unleash vicious attacks on workers and ordinary people. For instance, the current Labour leadership have not held any protest or strike over any fuel price hike, despite of at least four such hikes since Tinubu assumed office. At the same time, they turn a blind eye to the ruinous policy of the naira devaluation. There was also a deafening silence to the wave of outrageous fee hikes in tertiary institutions. It appears these leaders have accepted, or capitulated to, the neo-liberal economic programme or are confused as a result of lacking a clear-cut alternative to the neo-liberal programme. Hence, they don’t put up a serious fight beyond making an occasional radical statement or calling for palliatives.
For instance, on September 3, the NLC issued a statement over the increase in petrol price from about N600 to N897, lamenting how they had been betrayed by Tinubu but promising that “In the coming days, the appropriate organs of the Congress will be meeting to take appropriate decisions which will be made public.” More than six weeks after, there was no such a meeting let alone any decision. However, while they were still dilly dallying or apparently believing that Nigerians “were reluctantly coming to terms with their new realities” and hence saw no need to fight, the Tinubu government further increased the petrol price.
Similarly, in reaction to the latest petrol price increment, NLC President Joe Ajaero on Arise TV on October 11 said the NLC’s CWC or NEC should hold a meeting the following week “where a decision on the next line of action will be taken”. Actually, a joint meeting of NLC and TUC NECs was called for October 16. But it was initially a matter of conjecture on whether the meeting was held or not, as there was no public statement or communique, until Vanguard on October 23 did an exclusive story, credited to “sources at the NEC meeting”, on the reported outcome of the meeting. Worse, there has not been even an internal memo on the resolution of the meeting to affiliates and state councils many of whom were not represented at the meeting.
Why is it difficult for both the leadership of the NLC and TUC to do something which is as routine as issuing a communique or internal report of a meeting where important issues, which adversely affect the wellbeing of workers, including the rapid erosion of an ordinarily paltry minimum wage even before its implementation, were supposed to have been discussed? This could only be as a result of a lack of conviction or seriousness to fight back. Besides, given their socio-economic status, many labour leaders don’t wear the same shoe as ordinary workers and therefore don’t really know where it pinches. All these explain why the reported outcome of the meeting is filled with platitude and moralization, rather than a fighting program of action to force the Tinubu government to reverse the price hike and other anti-poor policies. Therefore, the labour leaders, as summed up by the Vanguard in the title of the story, merely demanded “halt to frequent petrol price increase, other anti-people policies” (Vanguard, October 23).
We also find it worrying that sometimes the NLC leadership apparently in a desperate bid to absolve themselves of responsibility would make a statement that suggests naivety. For instance, NLC President Ajaero once said that “One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.” (Premium Times, September 3, 2024). We see this as an excuse from labour leaders who are not prepared to fight against neo-liberal policies or to seriously struggle for a decent wage. Otherwise, it is belittling for labour leaders, who know their onions, to believe that a government that has not hidden from inception its commitment to a neo-liberal capitalist agenda and market fundamentalism would not increase petrol price.
Again, if there were determination to fight to protect the interest of workers, resisting capitalist attacks on living standards such as fuel price hike and struggling for decent wage would not be taken as being mutually exclusive. This is especially when inflation as a result of the neo-liberal policies of fuel price hike and naira devaluation had already meant that N70,000 being offered as the national minimum wage was much lower in value than N30,000 in April 2019 when that was signed into law.
Also, in its statement of October 9, the NLC challenged “the government to go to the drawing board and present us with a blueprint for an inclusive economic growth and national development instead of this spasmodic ad hocism and palliative policy”. They also told the government to “be bold enough to tell Nigerians in advance the destination it wants to take the country” These statements suggest that the NLC leadership does not know that the Tinubu government is clear about its blueprint which is based on neo-liberal program or they erroneously believe it is possible to tweak the neo-liberal programme, in a neo-colonial economy, in such a way to guarantee “an inclusive economic growth and national development”. Besides, it is the labour leaders, because of their refusal to fight for the reversal of the anti-poor policies, who in reality enable what they denigrate as “spasmodic ad hocism and palliative policy” of Tinubu government.
Way Forward
Ordinarily what labour leaders should do instead of calling for a blueprint, something which is not missing, is to present an alternative economic agenda. The problem is that it appears they themselves do not believe there is an alternative to neo-liberal capitalist programme of Tinubu government. It explains why they uncritically supported Peter Obi who also openly advocated petrol subsidy removal and devaluation of the naira in the 2023 election. While Obi is now making regular criticisms of the Tinubu government, some of which are accurate up to a point, he does so on the basis of supporting capitalism which is the root cause of Nigeria’s permanent underdevelopment and widespread poverty. This is why Obi’s programme does not offer a real way forward for the vast majority of Nigerians.
Therefore, we reiterate our call on workers and trade union activists to agitate within the trade union movement, workplaces and communities for the return to the tradition of Labour opposing neo-liberal capitalist agenda and capitalism itself which naturally militate against the interest of workers and the poor masses.
More importantly, there is need for a conference of the broad labour movement including trade unions, left activists and socialists to discuss what should be the alternative program to the prevailing capitalist economic program and how to rebuild Labour’s fighting traditions. At such a meeting, we will argue why a socialist alternative is the only program that can guarantee decent life and meet the aspiration of the vast majority of the populace on a permanent basis. This will also mean building of a mass movement to constantly and consistently resist anti-poor capitalist policies and at the same time struggle to take over political power and form a government on the basis of a socialist programme which entails a planning where the needs of the vast majority and society, not the greed of a few as presently obtained, will form the basis of economy and governance.
Right now, we call on workers and trade union activists to agitate and mount organized pressure on the NLC and TUC leaders to immediately declare a 48-hour general strike and nationwide mass protest, as a first step, to demand the reversal of petrol price hike and other anti-poor policies of Tinubu government. If the current labour leaders cannot lead the fight to defend the interest and economic wellbeing of ordinary workers, they should be asked to vacate their positions and be replaced by those who can. At the same time, as has happened before like in 2012, initiatives can be taken to build a movement such as #EndBadGovernance movement, from below aiming to gather a wider echo and active support when the official labour leaders choose to do nothing. Such steps are urgently necessary given the severe crisis the country is in and the growing hunger throughout the land.
