End repression in Nigeria – Scotland protests
Protests in Paisley and Glasgow against state repression in Nigeria
Wednesday 9th October
12pm UWS university library – Paisley Storrie St
5pm City Chambers , George Square, Glasgow
Organised by Nigeria Solidarity UK, UWS Socialist Students Society and Socialist Party Scotland
Matt Dobson protest organiser said
“It has been a tale of woes and anguish in Nigeria as the government, led by Bola Tinubu, has continued to unleash multiple attacks on the mass of working people, youth and the poor. Not only have living standards been driven down by continuous implementation of neo-liberal, anti-poor policies, but also brutal attacks and crack-downs on anyone or anything that appears to be in opposition to the government’s anti-poor policies.
Besides indiscriminate arrests, harassments and prosecution of protesters, journalists, activists and labour leaders, including the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), inanimate objects like books have also been the subject of attacks. For example, the Iva Valley bookshop, situated in the NLC secretariat, was invaded and books carted away by state security forces. These latest attacks by the Tinubu-led regime have been described by several citizens as a race to civilian dictatorship – one that is reminiscent of the dark days of military jackboot absolutism in Nigeria.
Given the pervading cost-of-living crisis occasioned by the disastrous policies of the regime over the 15 months since Tinubu came to power, mass anger has been mounting, with protests and strikes demanding better living conditions and an end to hunger. Already suffering from insurgencies in different parts of the country, and deep-rooted corruption of the political ruling elites, Nigeria was plunged into deeper crisis when, last year, the newly elected president launched an unprecedented neo-liberal programme that has undermined both living standards and the economy as a whole. Inspired by the heroic protests and concessions won by the youth-led protests in Kenya between June and July this year, Nigerian youths prosecuted a ten-day protest in the first week of August, tagged #Endbadgovernance, to oppose the neo-liberal policies and massive corruption perpetrated by the ruling elites. The response of the state to the movement that took place across the country from 1-10 August has been that of the iron-fist, heavily cracking down on demonstrators and attempting to criminalise protests and constrict civic spaces. In the small hours of 5 August, Adaramoye Michael (Lenin), National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign and leading member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (CWI Nigeria), was abducted alongside Mosiu Sodiq and others by officers of the National Intelligence Agency. They were blindfolded, detained, interrogated and held incommunicado in a secret venue without legal or family visits. Then, 17 days later, he alongside 123 others was remanded in detention for a further 60 days at a secret court hearing at which neither defendants nor defence lawyers were present.
Unsurprisingly, the court did the government’s bidding with no apparent enquiry as to the detainees’ wellbeing. This secret court decision only came out when the state news agency NAN reported it on 24 August. This also revealed the charges Michael and his co-defendants were being held on, namely, “criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cyberstalking and cyberbullying”. In all, not less than 30 people were killed and over 2,000 arrested linked to the #Endbadgovernance protests.
The regime has continued to intensify attacks on voices of dissent. Trade union leaders, socialists, journalists and activists have been the major targets. Not only has the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, received two police invitation letters, he was also arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) at an international airport and his passport seized, thereby preventing him from travelling to the TUC Congress being held in Britain. The threat of a general strike by the unions appears to have forced his release the same day.
Earlier on, Eleojo Opaluwa, a member of the National Union of Electricity Employees and a vice-chairman of Kogi State NLC, was arrested. Daniel Akande, a member of the Movement for a Socialist Alternative was also arrested 1 September and has not been arraigned in court since then. On 15September, Omoyele Sowore, leader of the Take It Back Movement, was arrested by the DSS and detained briefly on his return to Nigeria.
The government’s attempt to try to evade addressing the real demands of the protesters, looking instead for scapegoats, including blaming the protests on ‘foreign sponsors’ or Nigerians in the diaspora, is insulting as it tries to dismiss the fact that the excruciating conditions suffered by the Nigerian working masses are enough to stir up a resistance. Adaramoye Michael Lenin and Mosiu Sodiq have been freed on bail after almost two months in the captivity of Bola Tinubu government. Also freed is Eleojo Opaluwa, a regional officer of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE). They were granted bail since September 11 following a strident local and international campaign for their release. But the stringent conditions of the bail meant that they spent three more weeks in prison custody. Just three out of original 10 charged with treason had been previously freed. Still in detention are Daniel Akande, Bashir Bello, Suleiman Yakubu and Abdulsalam Zubairu. Daniel, who was arrested on September 2 was charged to court on September 27. However, 103 are still languishing in detention in Abuja at Police’s IRT and Kuje prison without charges and trial. Also, Khaleed Aminu and 6 others remain in DSS detention in Kaduna while in Kano and elsewhere, there are several activists, journalists and whistleblowers still being held sometimes without access to their family and lawyers. Therefore, it is not yet finally hurrah!
We demand an immediate freedom for everyone still detained in Abuja and across the country in connection with the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest. Besides, despite being out of prison, it is not yet total freedom for Michael Lenin and others as they still remain on trial for treason. We here by demand dropping of all trumped-up charges against them. We also demand the unfreezing of bank accounts of activists and organizations which have been barred in connection with #EndBadGovernance protest”
Contact 07927342060 for more details
DSM is the sister party of Socialist Party Scotland in Nigeria both are affiliated to the Committee For a Workers International – socialistworld.net
