MAY DAY 2021 PRESS STATEMENT
AGAINST THE DIVISIVE TENDENCIES OF SECCESSION AND THE DRUMS OF WAR, IT’S TIME FOR THE WORKERS TO UNIFY NIGERIANS UNDER THE BANNERS OF REVOLUTION.
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 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 ethno-religious backgrounds has been confirmed in popular struggles such as the Anti-SAP, 2012 Occupy Nigeria and the over 8 general strikes against numerous anti-people policies of the Nigerian state. With deepening socio-economic crises that have polarized Nigerians along ethno-religious 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 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. A number of 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 mass of our 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 salary 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 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 which is that the Nigerian workers must rise to the historical 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!
Signed:
‘Femi Adeyeye
Publicity Secretary, African Action Congress
1/5/2021
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