May Day: Nigerian Workers Must Rise Against Regime Of Anarchy, Barbarism — African Action Congress

The African Action Congress has urged Nigerian workers to rise against “anarchy and utter barbarism” under the President Buhari-led administration.

The political party commiserated with Nigerian workers, stating that Nigerian workers have proven to be the bastion of wealth over time.

In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Femi Adeyeye, the party said workers have a duty to rise to the occasion of leading the Nigerian people in a coordinated fight against poverty and insecurity now that there is deepening socio-economic crises that have polarized Nigerians along ethno-religious lines.

The statement read, “The African Action Congress seizes this medium to commiserate with the ever-resilient Nigerian workers on the occasion of the International Workers’ Day. Historically, the Nigerian workers have proven to be the bastion of wealth generation and, in the public conscience, have helped amplify the overall yearnings of the Nigerian people in pursuit of good governance, peace and prosperity.

“This could be traced back to its age-long responsibility of fighting all that represents the system of greed and power. Its capacity to unite Nigerians despite diverse ethnoreligious backgrounds has been confirmed in popular struggles such as the Anti-SAP, 2012 Occupy Nigeria and the over eight general strikes against numerous anti-people policies of the Nigerian state.

“With deepening socio-economic crises that have polarized Nigerians along ethnoreligious lines more than ever, there is no better time than now for the trade union to rise to the occasion of leading the Nigerian people in a coordinated fight-back against poverty, insecurity, and their resultant socio-economic effects.

“Sadly, the Nigerian workers have been victims of the worst human, social, political and economic abuse of embarrassing magnitude. Aside from astronomical increases in costs of living which include hiked electricity tariffs, fraudulent oil subsidy removal and maddening rate of inflation, to mention but a few, the Nigerian workers have also been confronted with the most terrible form of human rights and labour rights violations. In addition to the fact that the take-home wage can no longer take workers home, even the homes are no longer safe from banditry, neither are the streets free from terrorism.

“Never in history have Nigerians been this divided along ethnic lines, neither have we been so torn apart along religious divides. While past governments have done so much to privatize public wealth, the Buhari regime has helped to deeply consolidate this socio-economic crime with merciless impunity.

“Of note is the failure of respective state governments to respect the 30,000 naira minimum wage agreement they wilfully signed with workers. Many governors, including the always-sobbing Ben Ayade, Emperor Yahaya Bello, despotic Nyesom Wike, mischievously-weeping Ortom and El Rufai, whose mastery of mischief and violent anti-labour practices have descended the state into abject poverty and unprecedented insecurity.

“We condemn the plot by the government to further subject Nigerian workers and the people to excruciating living conditions through plans to yet again increase the price of fuel. We are not oblivious of the machination employed by the government through the “zero remittance to the FAAC by the NNPC” government magic, which would, in turn, translate to zero salaries for workers, zero healthcare, zero education funding, zero security and the long term attempt to blackmail the Nigerian people into accepting further increases in fuel pump price under the guise of the infamous subsidy removal. Nigerians refuse to be blackmailed by the prodigal ruling class.

“In today’s reality, the Nigerian masses are presented with options of whether to fight the intra-class war with themselves, using the weapons of secession or to organize politically in a revolution against their common exploiters. As we join workers to mark the 2021 May Day event, we reiterate our position: the Nigerian workers must rise to the historic task of leading the Nigerian people against this regime of anarchy and utter barbarism.

“The African Action Congress as a revolutionary party of the masses, workers and youths remains a willing vehicle to mobilize support and solidarity towards the cause of the Nigerian working people. Solidarity!”