*Reject the Fuel and Gas Price Increases Alongside Rising Food Costs.

*Say No to Economic Burdens on the Masses!

Nigerians must Organise & Reject Incompetent Government!

*The Working Masses must bid for Power to replace the Tinubu regime with a Working People Government!  

*Demand Affordable Living and Nationalisatisation of the Commanding Heights of the Economy!

The increasing cost of living has inflicted severe economic hardship on countless Nigerians, worsening their already difficult financial situations as a result of the anti-people neoliberal policies of the Tinubu regime. The burden of this crisis weighs heavily on the shoulders of ordinary citizens, increasing their struggles to make ends meet. There is no doubt that the economic hardship imposed on the populace has reached extraordinary levels, flooding every part of society. 

Within the last few months, we have seen the prices of commodities rise to an outrageous height. For many ordinary people, amidst the devalued naira and a shattered economy, to afford the most basic necessities of life, like water, has been a struggle. As we speak, the price of a bag of sachet water is at ₦500— which has forced most working-class families to adopt drinking water from sources that are mostly unsafe and barely treated. In virtually all aspects of the economy, the reflection of these crises is more than obvious: in transportation, education, health, and even the cost of living. The purchasing power of most households is nothing to write about. A dollar currently sits at ₦1500 and above. The living wage has been stagnant or unpaid. The tripartite committee on minimum wage is largely made up of members of the ruling class, who themselves have refused to pay in full the current pittance of N35,000 minimum wage. It leaves the labour leaders with no other option but to mobilise the working masses for organised action, up to the state of calling a general strike to compel the Tinubu regime to pay a living wage. But as usual, the government keeps harping on the lie that a new minimum wage will increase inflation as a means to justify why workers must continue to suffer while they waste on themselves jumbo salaries and allowances.

CAPITALIST POLICIES ARE THE PROBLEM AND MUST BE REPLACE

We need not reiterate that since the Tinubu regime came to power, the working people have suffered from one neo-liberal, anti-poor, and anti-people attack from one time to another: from the so-called removal of fuel subsidy, where the cost of a litre of fuel is hike from N197 to the current price of ₦600 to ₦700; to the deceptive student loan scheme that has in turn seen university managements outrageously increase school fees and push students from poor working-class homes away from their basic right to free & publicly funded education; and down to the current announcement to remove electricity subsidy, which will see more burden added to many households still battling overestimated bills & epileptic power supply. This is a country where nothing has fundamentally improved since the power sector was privatised a decade ago. The country cannot boast of more generated megawatts. In fact, the highest average ever generated was 4,616 in February 2023. This is far too low for a population of over 200 million people. Yet, the government keeps making the argument for further privatisation of the commanding heights of the economy— part of the reason is that since the 24 years of democracy, the working people have been on the receiving end— enduring, adapting, and suffering. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the food inflation rate in January 2024 surged to 35.41 % as against the 24.32 % in January 2023. 

The imposition of privatisation and commercialisation policies by the ruling elites under the directives of the IMF and World Bank is naturally negative to the interests of the working masses. These policies cannot foster any meaningful development for the masses, and they only serve to enrich the privileged few entrenched in power. In response, the Nigerian working masses must mobilise and advocate for the nationalisation of key sectors of the economy, placing them under democratic control and management of the working people. This transformative approach is essential to ensure that the wealth and resources of the nation are utilized for the collective benefit of the populace rather than being exploited for the exclusive gain of a select few.

Scandals, Lootings in Government Despite asking Nigerians to be Patient 

With the high cost of living and inflation (now approximately 30%), where there is income inequality, social injustice, and a general lack of access to necessities, it is formidable to say that the working people must wake up and say enough is enough. At no point should the illusion be sold that the country lacks funds to cater for the basic needs of its people. 

The recent revelation of a N585 million scandal within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, led by Betta Edu, remains a stark reminder of the rampant capitalist corrupt government plaguing Nigeria. Moreover, reports of an uncovered N37 billion fraud within the same ministry under the Buhari administration further underscore the extent of wrongdoing within the government. These staggering amounts embezzled from public funds paint a grim picture of the relationship between capitalism and corruption at the highest levels of power.

Despite these blatant acts of plundering the nation’s resources, the Tinubu regime audaciously implores the masses to exercise patience. This insincere plea for patience is not only insulting to the people of Nigerians but also demonstrates the government’s disregard for the mass suffering. While the ruling elites continue to amass illicit wealth through fraudulent means, ordinary citizens are left to bear the brunt of economic hardship and deprivation.

NLC and TUC Must Organise the working masses Against anti-people policies 

With the continuous increase in the cost of living, the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress need to act to save the masses from these anti-people policies of the Tinubu regime. From the floating of the currency to subsidy removal, life has become unbearable for the common man. And this is why we welcome the actions of the NLC & TUC to provide the necessary working-class leadership for the resistance of the working masses, beginning with two days of National protest on 27/28 February 2024, leading up to General strike action. We call on workers, both formal and informal, market women and men, students and youth, and the unemployed to form a PROTEST & STRIKE ACTION COMMITTEE at workplaces, factories, Campus and in the communities to coordinate the protest and strike so as to ensure victory on the part of the working masses. At the same time, it also calls on the rank and file of the police and the military to not see themselves as any different from the working masses. They are also affected and must see the need to provide the needed support for the protest and Strike action by not heeding any call from the Tinubu regime to shoot at protesters. 

Victory for the working masses is possible. The 2 days National protest must be followed up by the NLC & TUC, a call for a 48-hour General strike action. With the demand for a complete reversal of the pump price of fuel to the pre-May 29 rate. No to any increase in electricity tariff and as well as an end to other related neo-liberal policies implemented by the Tinubu regime. 

However, the working masses should not be deceived. Protests and Strikes aimed only at putting pressure on the Tinubu regime or on any government put in place by the ruling class will never be enough. Nor will the Tinubu regime accept the fact of its incompetency and heed the call to Resign Now! Nothing else but the Actions of the working masses to organise themselves independently to struggle to win political power for their own class and rule over society and country with the goal of serving the interest and meeting the needs of the working masses. 

It is the only step that will make possible the nationalisation of the commanding sectors of the economy under the democratic control and ownership of the means of production by the workers themselves. Until this is achieved, the economic crises are bound to continue. Poverty, in all senses of the word, does not have or understand tribal or ethnic differences. Hence, workers must, by such, unite and fight against their common enemy: the capitalist system & its cohorts. World over, the contradictions inherent in the capitalist system show the growing rottenness and why it must be replaced.

With war and killings in Ukraine and Palestine and the Middle East, human life does not come first; rather, it prioritizes profit, land and power at the expense of human life and the weak and the cry of the working masses for freedom to organise and earn a fair share of the wealth of the universe with which to meets their basic needs. This is exactly the system the Tinubu regime and the ruling class represent. The working class should by no way be deceived that a Messiah is coming from anywhere one day to save them. Only through their organised action can they turn things around for the better for the working masses by seizing history and coming into the arena of class struggle to take over power in the name of the working class with a Socialist Alternative programme and manifesto.

As long as we have leaders who serve the interests of big businesses and the maximisation of profits, the working people are bound to suffer in degenerated crises. The working masses must place no trust whatsoever in any section of the ruling class. Neither Atiku or Obi nor any other capitalist politicians can be trusted to make capitalism work or turn things around for the good of the working masses. The same is true for any Military General. The rich and super-rich continue to benefit from this system and will not act in any way against it.  Only through socialism can we end the growing capitalist crises and the misery it imposes on the working masses. A working people government will ensure a reduction in economic disparities, provide affordable housing, healthcare, and education, and ensure a living wage for all. It is duly the working class that must rise up to its historical role to overthrow the capitalist system by accomplishing a Revolution. Thus, beyond the economic demands or social democracy, the working class has a political role in reclaiming the Labour Party and using it as a basis to sensitise and revolutionize its programme to stand in the interest of the working class. As such, we call on the labour leaders, all working class activists and organisations to unite and as well act as a vanguard in ensuring that the mass movement is not betrayed and should stand its ground to defend workers’ interests.