Nigerian activists and politics: how serious?

Salihu Moh. Lukman

Former NLC President, Adams Oshiomhole

Sometimes in 2004, at an interactive session with Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, then visiting Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF), a member of President Obasanjo's economic team who was a Minister emphatically announced that the People Democratic Party was in government, "not to practice democracy but to defend democracy". This assertion was made against the background of opposition of Nigerians led by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against the federal government reform policy of deregulating the downstream petroleum sector. Apparently angered by NLC's viewpoint that the deregulation policy was informed by neo-liberal capitalist agenda of the IMF, the former Minister was reported to have told NLC that "If Labour feels concerned about some of these policies, let it go and form a communist party and form a government. But for this PDP-led government, we cannot be discussing every policy with everybody".

Realities may have changed, loyalties could have shifted and allegiances no longer the same, although ideological claims may still be retained by all the 2004 actors, including the former Minister. However, the message to NLC reflects the contemptuous disposition of public officials and politicians to the category of people referred to as activists. These are mainly leaders of civil society, trade unions, women, youths, persons with disability, non-governmental organisations, etc. They were at the centre of

To build an alternative political party platform: the question of capacity and other matters

BY JAYE GASKIA

Image of Nigerians protesting. Taken from ynaija.com

For quite some time now, and particularly since the announcement of the decision/intention to merge by the main opposition parties into a mega party with the proposed name – All Progressives Congress [APC]; there have been quite a lot of euphoria and near jubilant excitement within the ranks of emergent politically conscious youth and young activists and active citizens radicalized principally by the January Uprising of 2012 on
the one hand; as well as barely suppressed excitement on the part of activists and active citizens, whose politically radicalization predated the January Uprising, and many of whom can rightfully be considered veterans of the anti-military, human rights and pro-democracy [including pro-democratisation or deepening of democracy struggles] – that is those activists and active citizens that were involved in

‘QUICK GUIDE TO FIGHTING CORRUPTION: A STEP BY STEP APPROACH’- [SIMPLIFIED EDITION]

AUTHOR: GEJ, THE PRESIDENCY; PUBLISHED BY: TRANSFORMATION AGENDA PUBLICATIONS; DISTRIBUTED BY: BREATH OF FRESH AIR COMMUNICATIONS; MARKETED BY: NEIGHBOUR TO NEIGHBOUR WHOLESALES LTD]

 Vehemently reject public declaration of your assets – ‘you don’t give a damn!

 Protect subsidy and crude oil thieves.

 Indict petty subsidy thieves; while protecting the ‘majors’ and those aiding and abetting them in government and the MDAs

 Arrest and parade petty crude oil thieves; while protecting their main sponsors

 Set up audit, probe and investigative committees, and promptly proceed to disregard their findings and recommendations

 Uncover 45,000 Ghostworkers from assessment of 159,000 workforce; and fail to uncover those collecting the N100bn in annual ghost-salaries

 Award without due process and secrecy coastline, waterways, and pipelines protection multi-billion naira contracts to Ex-Militant Generals in your kitchen cabinet.

 Use armed troops, armed police and surveillance helicopters to disperse Anti-Corruption protesters

 Arrest and harass Anti-Corruption Protest organisers

 Reward renowned thieves and treasury looters with choice and juicy board appointments

 Enter into plea bargain arrangements with convicted treasury looters

 Pardon notorious Bandits and Pirates convicted of pillaging the treasury

PUBLIC DISCLAIMER/CAVEAT EMPTOR:

‘Let us remind the Pardoners and the Pardonees that this and past Generations of Treasury Looters Shall not go Unpunished, as long, and as soon as We TAKE BACK NIGERIA! #DPSR

Disclaimer Issued By – DPSR

Written and Circulated By Jaye Gaskia: 13-03-13Popular power for social justice

The Challenge of 2015: The Change That We Desire and the Change That Is Required

BY JAYE GASKIA 

04/03/13

Many of us want change. In fact perhaps the overwhelming majority of us desire to have such a decisive and impactful change in our polity, in the way we are governed, in the processes of governance, in the dynamics of our national economy, and in the nature of social cohesion among our peoples.

The overwhelming majority of us are equally tired, frustrated and at our wits’ end with the way and manner that those who have and continue to govern us have governed and continue to govern us since flag independence. We have been locked into a downward spiral development wise that quite literally makes every past regime seem to be better than the current one with respect to the general well fare of our peoples and the well being of our national economy. 

True the economy is witnessing

It's about citizenship

Nigeria has become an object of ridicule and pity. Many Nigerians, even though envied by other nationals, are unaware of what lies in them. Their power.

This feeling of powerlessness and lack of belief in themselves is waning by the day. Right from the January Uprising of 2012, we began to realise the power that lies in our collective will.

Muslims protected Christians while the latter prayed in churches; Christians stood guard over Muslims while prayers went on in mosques. It happened in Minna, Kano, Kaduna and many other places. It's been happening in Lagos. But those who profit from division never want those stories told.

We are telling these victorious tales because we've got the right to tell it. It is our story. It is one of the values added to our citizenship.

We started reclaiming our citizenship many years ago until Abacha died and we thought we had gotten into sane times. Before January 2012, we started the process again. We met in groups. We talked on social media and in newspapers, and on radio and on TV, in the market, in molues and achabas. 'Unsilenceable', we became.

Then the government dared us by increasing the price of fuel. They asked us to make more sacrifices than we had made already. They bought jets with our money while we went without food. They increased school fees and left the schools run down, while sending their children out of the country. They lived as citizens while we lived as slaves. But they live on borrowed citizenship of foreign countries, not our Nigeria. In our Nigeria, they own the houses and determine how much we pay as rent. They ensure their children are born 'abroad' so that they can 'enjoy' dual citizenship. Do nationals of other countries rush their pregnant women to our country so as to seek Nigerian citizenship? No. It's our borrowed citizens who do!

So, we are taking back what belongs to us. We shall treat Nigeria right, we its real citizens. Join the party that will let you be its voice. You matter because you are a Nigerian.

Popular power for social justice

Protest to Power Collective releases manifesto for political party

BUILD THE PARTY TO TAKE BACK NIGERIA: CONVERT YOUR ANGER INTO LIBERATING POLITICAL ACTION

[STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE PROTEST TO POWER COLLECTIVE ON THE RELEASE OF THE MANIFESTO OF THE PROPOSED PARTY – DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR SOCIALIST RECONSTRUCTION – DPSR – JAN 20^, 2013]

The Protest To Power Collective [P2PC], is a loose and growing collective of activists active across Nigeria and in the Diaspora, who have reached the conclusion that the most significant lesson taught by the January Uprising of 2012 is the necessity for Nigerians who are gravely concerned about the devastating conditions of the country, to make the leap from protest to power.