PRESS STATEMENT
Workers and Youth Solidarity Network’s position on the planned 1st August nation wide #EndBadGovernance protest
24th July
The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network has resolved on the following in support of the #End Bad Governance Protests.
– That Peaceful Protest Is An Inalienable Right Of Citizens Guaranteed Them By The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.
– Urges Nigerians To Completely Ignore THREAT RHETORICS And Boldly Stand And Protest against all anti people policies.
* Charges The President of the Federal Republic To Uphold and protect the Constitutional Rights Of The People He Swore On Oath To Protect.
* Neo-liberal Policies As Promoted By IMF/WORLD BANK Hurts The People, Reverse Their Policies, End All Alignments With Them.
– Announce The Immediate Opening Of It’s Protest Observatory And Communications Room To Monitor Rights Compliance And Report On All Actors Around The Protest
The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN), extends her firm solidarity with the oppressed Nigerian Masses on the upcoming Mass Protest Against Bad Governance, Crippling Economic Policies, Poverty and Hardship in Nigeria. The Protest which will commence on the 1st of August 2024, is billed to have mass participation spanning the generality of Nigerians who have for long, forborne the pains of mis-governance that has occasioned widespread Hardship and Poverty, which has brought about a state of Hopelessness and loss of Lives.
Right from the onset, the present administration to the shock of Nigerians, rolled out purely neo-liberal economic policies as packaged for it by the Bretton Woods twin sisters the IMF and the World Bank, which they have used for decades as tools to prey on gullible governments and Countries around the world in advance of their own selfish cause/es.
These Policies including the Privatization of critical National Assets including Education, Floating of Currency, highly inflated loans and borrowings among other things have never worked anywhere and rather have aggravated mass suffering and has wrecked nations where these policies have been forcefully enforced. It furthermore creates a gaping divide of the society into Two Classes of the extremely rich and extremely poor, with over 90% of the Population being the later.
In Nigeria, these same scenarios are playing out with the policies immediately
resulting in hyperinflation, and multi taxation which has resulted in excruciating suffering by the teeming working people, as the policies totally weaken the currency value and completely erodes the purchasing power of the Naira leaving the people reeling in unmitigated poverty and hardship. However, in the midst of it all, political office holders in Nigeria, their cronies and collaborators, who specifically have been the beneficiaries of these neo-liberal economic policies, have not-surprisingly, been living large in flamboyant affluence and provocative lifestyles with utter insensitivity and disregard for the struggles of the teeming Masses.
We affirm clearly therefore, that protest remains a legitimate course of actual and in this instance and scenario, the only viable and constitutional way for Nigerians to express their total dislike and anger against the continued implementation of these anti people policies that have seen the deterioration of living conditions and standards, insecurity/ crime, and hyperinflation.
We therefore firmly call on Nigerians to completely shun the threatening rhetoric of the agents of government and boldly come out En Mass to exercise their constitutional right of dissent and expression of dissent through peaceful protest. The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network notes that the protest is long overdue, and has become important at this point in time, when the government grown all thick skin and deaf ears to both the sufferings as well as the cries of the masses and has rather practically shown, that its policies are purely for the rich to get richer, while the poor gets poorer. Leading poor Nigerians into suicide on a daily basis.
We categorically condemn threats of repression and attacks against ordinary people that wish to come out to protest.
We unequivocally condemn these attacks, be it by the Department of State Security. Nigeria Police or supporters of the Tinubu led administration at the federal government and other sub national entities, we wish to make it abundantly clear to the President that he holds the duty and mandate to protect the life of every Nigerian who steps out to exercise his Fundamental Right, and that he will be held accountable should he fail.
We therefore charge him to strongly rein in his attack dogs and rather put in place elaborate and effective measures to ensure Citizens Protest without fear, intimidation and without harm
Lastly, the WYSN, strongly calls on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) to declare total support for the Protest and activate its entire machinery and to join forces with the aggrieved masses in order to make it more resounding, far-reaching and to win more successes.
While we note and appreciate the fact that they have both agreed that it was the fundamental human rights of aggrieved Nigerians to peacefully assemble and protests, it is also important for them to understand that the piecemeal 70,000 minimum wage cannot solve the problems of the Nigerian working class. Indeed, it is evidently clear that resources are not Nigeria’ problem but the management of it and by extension, the continued pillage of this our collective resources by those who are in power.
It is also imperative to use this critical occasion in the nation’s historical development, to also call on Labour Leaders, Youth Leaders, Community Organisers, and Civil Society to commence discussions on building a Mass Workers’ Political Alternative. The APC, PDP, and the many political parties in Nigeria have shown to be neo-liberalist and capitalist. Being largely responsible for the mass misery amidst abundance. It has therefore become imperative for the Masses to come together to begin mobilisation towards an Alternative that will join the daily struggle of the working people to bring about a true and enduring transformation and an end to the sufferings of the Masses.
Signed;
Comrade Salako Kayode Southern Coordinator
Comrade Iortyom Moses Northern Coordinator
