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Nigeria’s Solution; Not In The Ballot Box By Kola Ibrahim
“The contemporary history of the world – Venezuela, Bolivia, Mexico, Greece, Ukraine, etc today has shown that it is masses’ independent political actions that can change the society”.
The outcome of the general election – that of the 14th and 21st April 2007 – has clearly shown that the solution to the Nigeria's hydra-headed socio-political problems can only be achieved when the mass of the working but toiling people of Nigeria take their destiny in their hands and exercise political movement as a counterweight to the bourgeois corrupt politics. The politicians of all shades cannot be relied upon to resolve the sufferings of the Nigerian working people.
To start with, the clash within the rank of the ruling elite especially that between president Obasanjo and his vice, Atiku Abubakar was never based on how to better the lots of the masses who have been made to swallow the poisonous pills of neo-liberal capitalist economic policies for the past eight years. In fact, the cause of the rancour between the duo is a stinking issue of succession. While Atiku claimed to have conceded power to Obasanjo in 2003 in order to have it back in 2007, the Obasanjo camp see no reason why an Atiku who has served two terms in the presidency could be “criminalizing” Obasanjo for going for third term in office. The political camp immediately split toward the two camps – those who are well over-fed by the political arrangement led by Obasanjo and those who have been estranged ably led by Atiku.
The masses were presented with these two camps of the same corrupt political arrangement without a genuine alternative. It is on note that both the president and his vice have been together in implementing the anti-poor, pro-rich policies of neo-liberalism. Atiku was the chairman of National Council on Privatization (NCP) for more than five years wherein several government corporations and parastatals were privatized while social service providing institutions were either commercialized or partly privatized while mass of people were made the scapegoats of the age-long corruption and mismanagement by the ruling elite via retrenchment, unemployment, unpaid entitlement including pension and inflation. Whenever, the masses tried to raise their voices in the dungeon pit of poverty, they are easily jackbooted by the almighty king-kong called PDP. Atiku was privileged to have control of logistics of our ports through his INTELS while also maximizing the decadence of our educational system to his benefit through the ABTI-America University in Yola, aside other juicy packages from our treasury (over-bloated contracts for personal business, mouth-watery salary and allowances, bribe for contracts and sell offs, etc). Obasanjo being the commander-in-chief could not exercise this power better than using it to extend his business chains. We are aware of his agrarian policy, which has meant provision of cheap loans, favourable patronage, etc for his farms while millions of toiling farmers could not access ordinary ten thousand from bank. The president did not fail to show to us that if the nation he rules over could not manage its tertiary education, he could do better and the children of the poor masses who want good education should either cough out N500, 000 at Bells University’s bursary or go to hell. We are not unaware of hundreds of acres of state farmlands bought over by the president or the Obasanjo Library. Their followers also could definitely boost of juicy packages which they tried as much as possible to protect – Tony Anenih’s ghost road projects, Bode George’s NPA scandal, etc.
While the so-called opposition will want to present themselves as alternative, their past could not help them. One could easily recall the action of the former PDP chairman, Audu Ogbe in 2004 when he called the bluff of NLC for resisting fuel price hike, reminding Adams Oshiomole that president Obasanjo is still a military man neither could Nigerians could easily forget the spree of retrenchment of the former AD southwest governments of the likes of Bola Tinubu in Lagos, Bisi Akande in Osun, etc. All of them bow before the almighty neo-liberal economic pills (as advocated multilateral agencies of imperialist capitalism – IMF/World Bank, WTO, etc) which ensure fat profit for multinational vampires and crumb for politicians to loot either directly or otherwise while the masses are made to cope with retrenchment, diseases, poverty, unpaid pension, inflation, inaccessible social services, etc.
This goes to show that political action taken by anyone of them could not take into cognizance the plight of the poor people; the best it can do is to use people’s plight to justify their quest for power while confusing the mass of people in the absence of genuine alternative. This explains why none of them could give reason why they supported or participated in policies that have deprived the majority. Obasanjo even say it loudly that all those who antagonize his “reforms” could not provide alternatives because they all stand for the same. This is further underlined in the letter Atiku Abubakar wrote to Obasanjo in early 2006 of his intention to vie for presidency. Aside other things, he praised Obasanjo for his economic reforms (of retrenchment, denied entitlements, decrepit social services, looting via privatization, etc) and promised to continue the policies. Neither Atiku or his kindred in the so-called opposition has given any alternative to neo-liberalism and market economies which are even being rejected by the working people of the centers of capitalism.
Therefore, their politics was mainly to confuse the masses and prevent them from taking independent actions. The ruling class politics of survival of the fittest is substituted for radical political actions of the masses because of their fear of masses taking the political road. This is necessary because any attempt to allow the masses take independent political action through formation of a working people’s party that will want to divert the resources of the country to pro-poor policies like provision of free, qualitative education, free and functional health system, adequate living salary and pension, secured job opportunities, better infrastructures, etc all of which can only be achieved by stopping corruption and privatization of national wealth and economy will spell doom for their corrupt ambitions. Therefore, the ruling politicians and their estranged counterpart in the so-called opposition (which some media has wrongly tagged the progressives) continue their ruinous politics while the masses are being cajoled with such hollow terms as rule of law, respect of electoral wishes, etc. It is noteworthy that the same estranged politicians participated actively in the electoral fraud of 1999 and 2003 while many of them played major roles during the dark days of military absolutism, which plunge the country to this sorry state it now finds itself. For instance, Obasanjo was the first head of state to plunge Nigeria to the abyss of debt and economic dislocation while also decapitating the mass organizations including NANS, NLC, etc. Atiku was also the head of Custom, which was fraught with corruption while individuals such as Ojo Madueke, Uche Chuwumerije, etc were advocate of military jackboot rule until such was dismantled by the masses. Therefore, to expect these individuals to genuinely involved the masses in the political actions is an illusion.
The outcome of the election clearly reflects the futility of relying on any section of the ruling class for political breakthrough for the masses. While the estranged ruling class tried to use mass pressure to force the main ruling section (PDP) to concede to part of their demand, the ruling class maximizing the constitutional flaws and illegitimate right to authority (through its control of INEC, the armed forces, part of the judiciary, etc.), ensured that the power did not leave its hand. Therefore, the masses which the estranged section wished to use to pressure the PDP ruling class to concession of power were boldly disenfranchised by the political machine of the PDP ruling class through rigging, violence, etc. On the other hand, the estranged opposition could not mobilize the masses out as a result of its morbid fear of masses questioning its right to political power.
It will be foolhardy for anybody claiming to come from a Left background to believe that any political gain can come the way of the masses if they attached themselves as apron string to the estranged section of the ruling class without thinking of undertaking independent democratic, mass based, radical political activities. One can safely pardon many so-called civil society organizations many of which derive their grants from the imperialist agencies in the West which only give grants out on the basis of maintaining the status quo. But the pro-masses organizations and individuals who rather than build a political platform of the working and toiling people of Nigeria that will seek to dismantle the stranglehold of the capitalist ruling class on our economic and political lives have continue to either be in lethargy or complete illusion. This is where Comrade Oshiomhole got it wrong. By believing that it is only through bourgeois politics that he can assume power for the masses and thus exhibiting contempt for the masses he had once led in protest, Oshiomhole had denied himself of the enormous mass support he would have got by organizing a working people’s party which would garnered the mass anger against the ruling class and given a genuine focus for the masses who are desperately seeking for change from this rotten bourgeois system. An attempt to disenfranchise an Oshiomhole contesting under a working people’s party directly controlled by the masses themselves from the grassroots up to the national level would have ensured political disaster for the ruling class. But Oshiomhole left the masses ranks and confused them. While one appreciate the fact that it was only Oshiomhole that undertook an organized mass protest among the rigged candidates – which also reflect the difference between the pro-workers individual and a mainstream politician – such political action would have been organized on a national plane and given a better focus had Comrade Adams mobilized the masses around a working people political alternative. From the foregoing, it is important to draw the lesson of the last week farce called general election for the working masses. First of all, it must have been seen that given the present arrangement, both constitutionally and politically, the corrupt capitalist ruling class shall continue to recycle itself in power no matter the mass opposition to it. Secondly, confining the masses within the economic framework of neo-liberalism shall continue to deprive the masses of the political will to undertake independent political action. Thirdly, the masses in order to ensure a breakthrough from this quagmire must build a fighting political alternative that will be economically and politically different from the corrupt politics and such alternative platform must be democratically organized from the grassroots to the national level. Fourthly, it will be erroneous for the leaders of working class organization or alternative platform to believe that by confining themselves to the so-called civil/legal means only, they can assume political control; unless the masses and their organization take to the street along with other mass political actions can they force the present ruling class to abdicate power. Also, the political alternative that will be formed must link its politics with the daily struggles of the masses for democratic rights including right to free and fair elections.
On this basis, without prejudice to points earlier raised, the mass organizations and their leaders must reject the last week nonsense called general elections and immediately call for the reconstitution of the electoral body, rerun of the whole elections and convocation of a Sovereign National Conference that will draw its membership democratically from mass organizations – trade unions, market men and women associations, students ‘movements, civil societies, etc. – and ethnic nationalities which shall reconstitute the political and economic agenda of the country. This by no mean is a support for other corrupt politicians but a step toward building a mass struggle that will culminate in the ultimate reconstitution of the country in favour of the working masses. The mass organizations must come together and call the masses to the street to take their destinies in their hands. This must also be used to convoke a general summit of all pro-working peoples organizations (to be spear-headed by the trade unions) with the aim of forming a working people’s party that will serve the interest of the masses. I propose a week of political protest around the country to include mass processions, leafleting, rallies, mass meetings, etc. as soon as possible.
Finally, I wish to state that unless the masses fight for a democratic socialist Nigeria where the resources of the country will be used for the welfare interests of the masses as against that of the already rich few.
KOLA IBRAHIM, a student activist from; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
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