Defend democratic rights in Nigeria
Youth Rights Campaign is a campaign platform of the Democratic Socialist Movement, the Socialist Party’s sister party in Nigeria. Here is its latest statement.
Urgent action is needed to support those challenging the Nigerian government’s disastrous policies, demanding change to prevent the catastrophe the country faces.
The government is pressing serious charges, including ‘treason’ and ‘terrorism’, against organisers and activists from the #EndBadGovernance protests at the beginning of August. Also, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) – the country’s largest trade union federation – has faced police questioning over “criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime”, and has been called in again to face more investigation.
Amnesty International summed up the process: “Another round of the government’s unrelenting efforts to punish protesters and demonise protests.
“Some of the charges… ranging from treason, which carries the death penalty, to allegations of a ‘plan to destabilise Nigeria’, shows how far Nigerian authorities can go in manipulating the criminal justice system to silence critical voices. These blatantly trumped-up charges must be immediately withdrawn.
Absurd
“Attempts by President Bola Tinubu’s government to charge those who protested against widespread poverty and rampant corruption with treason is beyond absurd and baseless. We condemn these sham trials even before they begin, and call for an end to these endless, bizarre attempts to deprive people of the right to peaceful protest.”
Nigeria’s deep economic, social and political problems were plunged deeper into crisis when new president Tinubu launched an unprecedented neoliberal programme last year. That has undermined living standards and the economy.
Nigeria’s naira currency collapsed. Food prices have risen by 39.5% in the last year. 32 million Nigerians suffer from acute food insecurity.
The situation has been far worsened by last year’s sudden withdrawal of ‘fuel subsidy’. A measure which meant that transport, cooking, and running electricity generators at work and home was somewhat affordable.
There is mass unemployment and underemployment. The economy is stagnant. Millions survive on a day-to-day basis.
Foreign companies are ending production in Nigeria, because of high input costs, extremely weak infrastructure, and social breakdown. Nigeria’s foreign debt repayments are up 54% since last year.
In this situation, naturally, protests have developed as anger has mounted. Early August saw the first #EndBadGovernance protests, organised by a broad front of different forces opposing the government’s neoliberal policies, and the corruption gripping the country.
The possibility of widespread protest terrified the government. ITUC-Africa (International Trade Union Confederation) said there has been a “heavy-handed response by the government to legitimate and peaceful assembly and protests”. The British Trades Union Congress (TUC) has said the Nigerian government is seeking “to crush the protests”.
The reason? The regime feels weak and fears protest. President Tinubu was elected last year with just 8.8 million votes, less than 10% of Nigeria’s registered voters – in a country of 230 million.
Tinubu also faces anger over corruption, which the ruling elite are infamous for. Billions of dollars from oil and gas revenue have disappeared.
There is even secrecy over what members of the national assembly are actually paid. One Senator recently told the BBC that he received 21 million naira – over $13,000 a month in salary and expenses. In comparison, the Nigerian minimum wage is $43 a month!
Against this background the regime is lashing out, trying to intimidate opposition. It has made wild accusations as justifications for repressive measures, like raiding Labour House, the NLC secretariat.
The Nigerian Police has spoken of the discovery of plans to “mobilise the public to violently storm police facilities and military barracks, anticipating a bloodbath that will instigate international condemnation of the Nigerian government”. The British TUC correctly said that the police actions against the NLC are an “intimidation of trade unions”.
Fear working-class power
Fearful of the potential strength of the trade unions, the Tinubu government is desperate to pile on pressure to avoid a repeat of 2012’s nationwide revolt, which included a general strike. That forced the then government to backdown from ending the ‘fuel subsidy’.
Repression is spreading in Nigeria. Journalists are being assaulted and detained. More significantly, there has been widespread brutal suppression of #EndBadGovernance protests, which left over 30 dead, and well over 1,000 protesters arrested.
Adaramoye Michael (Lenin) is the national coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), a member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), and one of the key organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests in Abuja, the federal capital. The case against him shows how this regime is operating.
He was arrested at 2am on 5 August at home, and held incommunicado in a secret venue, with no legal or family visits. Then, 17 days later, on 22 August, he, along with 123 others, was remanded in detention for a further 60 days at a secret court hearing at which neither defendants or defence lawyers were present.
To no surprise, the court did the government’s bidding, with no apparent enquiry as to the detainees’ wellbeing. News of this secret court decision only came out when the state news agency reported it on 24 August, revealing the charges on Michael and his co-defendants.
Only on 29 August, over three weeks after he was seized, was Micheal able to see a lawyer. And then, on the following weekend, he was told he would be charged in court on 2 September.
International protests
There have been international protests. After the security services’ raid on the NLC headquarters, and the police summoning the NLC president for questioning, the International Confederation of Trade Unions protested, with its general secretary saying: “The situation in Nigeria is deeply concerning. These latest events come on the back of a sharp rise in intimidation and repression of trade unions”.
“This includes the harassment of activists, the violation of collective bargaining rights, and the violent suppression of peaceful protests. We see the systematic contravention of International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions by the Nigerian government, particularly those related to freedom of association and the right to organise.”
The fact that the state seems, at least for now, to have limited itself to just questioning NLC president Joe Ajaero may be linked to the trade unions’ threat of a general strike, if he was arrested.
Won’t intimidate
Clearly, the state hopes it can intimidate the NLC leaders not to take action over the repression and the social crisis gripping Nigeria.
The protests need to be stepped up. Support must be given to those fighting to defend living standards and democratic rights, and against a massively corrupt elite, to open the way for a new society.
Immediately it must be to demand the dropping of the serious, yet ridiculous, court charges against the #EndBadGovernance protest activists, and the immediate release of those detained for organising or participating in protests against economic collapse.
It is necessary to support those struggling to change Nigeria. It is not a question of foreign interference in Nigerian affairs, but giving support to the mass of Nigerians achieving a better life. The workers’ movement and socialists do not have to apologise for that.
We say:
- Drop ‘treason’ and ‘terrorism’ charges against protest organisers
- Defend the right to protest, and free the hundreds detained for protesting
- Fight to defend Nigerians from economic and social collapse
Add your name to the statement:
These trade unionists have already signed:
Dave Semple ( PCS Vice-President), Marion Lloyd (PCS National Executive Committee) Fiona Brittle (PCS National Executive Committee), Padraig Mulholland (NIPSA Deputy General Secretary), Tanya Killen (NIPSA President), Paul Dale (NIPSA Vice-President), Maria Morgan (NIPSA Deputy General Secretary), Carmel Gates (NIPSA General Secretary), April Ashley (Unison National Executive Council, Black Members Seat), Suzanne Muna (Unite Executive Council), Sheila Caffrey (NEU National Executive), Adam Harmsworth (NAPO National Executive Committee), Duncan Moore (UCU National Executive Committee), Anton McCabe (NUJ National Executive Council)
Pass the motion in your union:
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This union branch notes:
- The peaceful 10 day protests for the #EndBadGovernance campaign against hunger and hardship in Nigeria has been met by brutal oppression by the Nigerian state with over 30 people killed. At least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified persons while covering #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.
- Organisers and activists were arrested by the Nigerian State, some abducted from their beds at 2am Monday 5th August, and were initially held incommunicado with no legal or family visits. In Abuja these included Eleojo Opaluwa, a member of National Union of Electricity Employees and a vice-chairman of Kogi State Nigeria Labour Congress, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, and Eleojo Opaluwa. After weeks in detention 124 others were remanded for 60 more days by a secret court hearing with neither defendants nor their legal representatives present. Then a few days later 10 detainees were informed they would appear in court on 2nd September to face charges, amongst others, of treason and terrorism. Similar developments took place in other cities and those charged are now formally jailed on remand awaiting trial.
- At least 1,400 peaceful protesters have been in prisoned, barely getting a meal a day
- The Nigerian president Bola Tinubu, has a record of smashing unions. As governor of Lagos he sacked the union leader Ayodele Akele and many workers, over their struggle for payment of the minimum wage.
- The Nigerian Labour Congress trade union federation had its national office raided by the state on Wednesday 7th August
- Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, who was previously hospitalised in a Tinubu regime backed attack last year, is being investigated over charges of terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony to which the police have now added examining whether to charge him with “criminal intimidation, malicious damage to properties and conducts likely to cause breach of public peace”
- In response several unions in Nigeria have declared they are willing to strike if their leaders are arrested. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and individual unions internationally have supported the oppressed through statements, letters to Nigerian ambassadors and other action
This union branch believes
- The Tinubu regime’s ever-increasing and dangerous tyranny poses a serious risk of a step back in rights, similar to the period of military rule where activists were frequently arrested, abducted, detained, tortured and killed
- There needs to be a strong response from the international labour movement to support the workers movement and oppose these attacks with demands for
- The dropping of all the fake charges of treason, terrorism etc and release of all #EndBadGovernance activists from imprisonment
- The end of harassment and attacks on the trade union movement, the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero and labour activists
- The organisation of solidarity with the struggle for democratic rights, defence against state attacks on activists and labour leaders as well as defence of living standards
This union branch agrees to
- Promote & mobilise for any local protests called on these issues
- Post a solidarity message on social media and send a letter to the Nigerian High Commission in London (and Embassies in other countries) calling for release without charge of all arrested, and an end to the attacks on the Labour movement and the wider working class. Please send copies of all protests to the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights to [email protected]
- Send a donation to The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR)
- Share information and links with our members, affiliated trade councils and our larger union organisation to encourage them to take the same action agreed above
