The ‘treason’ trial of Michael Lenin and ten other #endbadgovernance protesters is scheduled to commence on 29 January after its postponement last year. The trumped up charges of treason and terrorism financing could potentially earn them a death penalty, if not quashed.
In the early hours of 5 August 2024, Adaramoye Michael Lenin and a few others were abducted and detained. It took a serious local and international campaign by socialists, activists and trade unions before they were granted bail after almost two months.
The campaign to demand the dropping of charges and an end to the trial and victimisation must now be intensified. We call on socialist groups and trade union activists to join this campaign and to demand an end to attacks on the democratic rights of working people in Nigeria.
The conditions that gave rise to the #endbadgovernance protests last year have worsened, with an escalating cost-of-living crisis. The horrific deaths of about 65 people, including 35 children, in Christmas charity stampedes last year, is a huge testament to the height of hunger and desperation to survive.
There is no other cause of the mass hunger other than the brutal neoliberal policies of past and previous governments. The current government has doubled down on the attacks by fully deregulating oil and gas refining and devaluing the currency, amongst others, and now plans to introduce big business tax cuts.
These attacks are occurring against a backdrop of a meagre minimum wage of N70,000 set in 2024, that has yet to be fully implemented across all states. With inflation running at over 30%, it is not enough. The trade union leadership, particularly the NLC and TUC trade union federations, must be prepared to mobilise for serious struggle to force the implementation of the minimum wage, while also putting forward demands for reversal of all the anti-poor policies of deregulation, privatisation, education fee hikes, and currency devaluation.
There is also need for the trade union leaderships, socialist groups and activists to take on the Nigerian government, against repression of workers, activists and socialists. In addition to the attacks on the #endbadgovernance protesters, Abbey Trotsky, who is a coordinator of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights in Oyo State, has faced state prosecution for six years. He has suffered harassment, including arrest and detention, over this period. He has been arrested no less than eight times and is facing trial on trumped-up criminal charges for the role he played extending solidarity to thousands of casual workers at Sumal Foods Ltd, who went on strike protesting against poor pay and slave working conditions.
Join us in building the solidarity support against an attempt to continue to enslave the vast majority of Nigerians. The huge natural and human resources possessed by the country could, if placed under collective ownership and democratic control and management of working people, guarantee decent living standards for all. That is why we need to fight to end the rule of the rich few elites by organising for a democratically run mass workers’ party, armed with a socialist programme.
Nigeria protest at 1pm Wednesday 29 January at the Nigerian High Commission, 9 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5BX
