Lagos - Wednesday 16/9/2020 affiliates members of the Joint Action Front, JAF, organised a protest rally, that is, a week after the one organised by SPN on party deregistration and the fuel hike.
The protest rally was to demand the total reversal of the N160 (which marketers already are selling for N183) fuel hike and the 100% electricity tariff hike the Buhari administration has implemented.
Before the kick off from the NLC Secretariat, Yaba Lagos. The leadership of JAF, in the person of Abiodun Aremu, Achike and others addressed the press, present to cover the protest march.
According to Abiodun Aremu he said, "the deregulation of the oil sector won't make fuel available or Nigerians to buy cheaper. Instead, what it will do is to put more money in the pocket of the capitalist politicians."
Other speakers like Sina Odugbemi, Achike also spoke. Achike said "Nigerians should not accept this pump price increment from the regime. We should oppose it and get ourselves organized as working people. That is why JAF is out to mobilize Nigerians."
Adeola Soetan (DSM) also addressed the press, and he said, "the marketers are the government, that is, the capitalist politicians. That this increments wont solve the problem but harden to the suffering of the Nigerian masses."
A lot of civil society group and socialist activists in different organizations including individuals from genuine background of struggles, were present to join in the protest march with placards that have sharp demands and leaflets to circulate.
Thousands of JAF leaflets calling for mass actions were widely circulated. Also, other groups like the DSM, MSA, RevolutionNow etc circulated theirs and have discussions with people, who empathize with the protest march.
At Ojuelegba under bridge, leaders of JAF addressed the working masses, on why the mass should begin to get themselves organized, to reject the policies of the Buhari led regime of APC (PDP), that have decided to add more burden and suffering on the working masses.
The leadership also used the medium to call on the NLC, TUC to commence actions against anti-mass capitalists programme of deregulation and privatization of both the oil sector and other key sectors of the economy.
On the part of the NLC, according to report from the dailies. The NLC led Wabba and Ajaero leadership said, they are giving the federal government "seven days" ultimatum, to reverse the fuel hike increment and the electricity tariff.
That failing to reverse both increments of fuel hike and electricity tariff, which is to burden the Nigerian people. The NLC, TUC will mobilise all its affiliates members for industrial action, that will imprisoned the Nigerian government and profit driven system.
On the protest march, that is, immediately after the people were addressed at Ojuelegba under bridge, and the march continue to Lawanson road. The Nigerian police of the Area C Command, Ojuelegba/Yaba, in their hundreds invaded the march from going forward.
Leaders of the front, that is, JAF, in the persons of Achike, Abiodun Aremu, Sina Odugbemi etc were arrested including more than thirty persons or so, who were squeezed into two of the police van.
Before the protesters were cart away in the police van. Nigerians, traders, workers etc on the lawanson road, had started enchanting solidarity songs to free the protesters. There were huge anger already from the people against the method of police brutality.
Indeed, the police on their part, who were fully armed, showed resistances by forcefully arrested some of the protesters in spite of the enchanted songs of "free them", which in Forty Five minutes hold ransom the Nigerian police Force, in taking any decisive action, not until they shamefully drove their vans with the arrested protesters in it.
Seeing the crowd building up and solidarity songs breaking wave, the area commander and the DPO (names anonymous) of the Ojuelegba Police Command, ordered their men to drive the arrested protesters to their station.
After a short while, the arrested persons were free at the Ojuelegba police command, Area C. This was done because of the pressure especially at the scene of the unlawful arrest that Nigerians frown at. Even agitated against when the NPF wanted to open fire to disperse the crowd.
The Joint Action Front in its speeches especially from leaders of the affiliates have used the protest march to call on NLC and TUC to commence mobilizations of workers and the Nigerian masses to reject both increments.
Also, to openly confront the system of capitalism by organising actions that will force the regime to reverse the fuel hike and electricity tariff. Other socialist activists and organizations like MSA, DSM etc shared in this light.
However, in their leaflets mentioned that the time for the labour leaders to commence the building of a mass political alternative is eminent. Perhaps, the working masses must begin to consciously take charge to bring a socialist transformation via socialist revolution.
The Editorial
LIFEINSLUM
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