By Damilola Owot
Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) in Nigeria
On August 1, 2024, Nigerians took to the streets on a series of nationwide protests in response to ongoing inflation, rising food costs, insecurity, and widespread hunger that have worsened since May 29, 2023, when the Tinubu administration took power. This marks the fifth significant mass protest in Nigeria within the 15 months of Tinubu’s rule.
The protests began peacefully, but tensions escalated when the police fired tear gas and live ammunition at protesters, resulting in the deaths of over fifty people across the country. More than two thousand protesters have been detained in various police facilities nationwide. Additionally, government-hired thugs were deployed to disrupt the protests.
The situation worsened on Sunday, August 4, when President Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast, casually dismissed the protests without addressing any of the protesters’ demands. In response, activists called for continued protests, which led to further crackdowns on socialists and activists by the government.
Why Nigerians Protested
The first year of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency (May 2023 – May 2024) has been marked by increased hardship for Nigerian working people. The country has experienced rising costs of living and severe inflation, all driven by several anti-people policies such as the removal of fuel subsidies, the student loan policy, naira deregulation and devaluation, increases in electricity tariffs, higher tax burdens on the poor, soaring prices of staple foods and the privatization of key sectors of the economy.
Tinubu came to power in March 2023 after a fiercely contested election among top capitalist elites. However, much like his predecessor, Buhari, Tinubu’s administration has continued to implement policies that negatively impact the working class.
Nigeria has seen an average of a 225% hike in tuition fees across all federal and state institutions. The introduction of student loans, rather than study grants, will not address the education sector’s issues and will lead to disadvantages such as further fee hikes, mismanagement of funds, and mounting student debt.
Endless corruption, the squeezing of small and medium sized enterprises, power outages and the high cost of energy, the bad shape of the transportation sector, ect. were also key issues that sparked protests.
The Fuel Subsidy Scam
The reintroduction of fuel subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has become another critical issue. The Tinubu government abruptly announced the removal of subsidies on May 29, 2023, during the president’s inauguration. This sudden declaration lead to sharp price hikes for goods and services. The Tinubu administration has consistently justified this decision by falsely claiming that the funds saved from subsidy removal would be redirected toward infrastructural development.
However, the allegation by Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, concerning the reintroduction of PMS subsidies, has sparked confusion. Speaking to journalists on April 15, 2024, El-Rufai revealed that many Nigerians were unaware that the government had reinstated fuel subsidies—at even higher levels than before. This claim was corroborated by Ogbechie, CEO of Ranoil, who stated that the Federal Government now spends N60 billion monthly on petrol subsidies. Earlier, on February 14, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had also confirmed the return of PMS subsidies, citing the continued depreciation of the naira in the international market.
As of September 5, 2024, fuel prices have skyrocketed from N165 per litre (pre-Tinubu era) to an average of N900 per litre.
It is strikingly ironic that, despite being an oil-producing country, Nigeria does not have a single functioning government-owned refinery. Instead, it remains heavily reliant on the importation of petrol and other petroleum products. While some view the new Dangote Refinery as a potential solution, it is clear that a privately-owned corporation will not serve public good but private profit.
Gross Violation of Human Rights
Like his predecessor, President Tinubu continues to abuse human rights and disregard court rulings. A prominent example is the judgment against the Nigeria Police Force, where the court ordered the payment of N50 million in compensation to the family of the late Alex Ogbu, who was shot by the police. To this day, the Nigeria Police have refused to comply with the order.
Tinubu’s administration has also refused to implement the findings of the investigation into the killings of peaceful #EndSARS protesters by the military and police at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020. All atrocities committed by the police before and after the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) must be thoroughly investigated. Victims deserve compensation, and those responsible must be brought to justice.
We continue to witness gross human rights violations by the Nigerian military, State Security Services, and the Nigeria Police Force, as they repeatedly take the law into their own hands. These violations include indiscriminate arrests, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and incommunicado detention, especially in regions like those where the Indigenous People of Biafra live.
Labour unions in Nigeria have also faced threats and coercion during strikes and protests. Life has become dangerously cheap in Nigeria, where kidnapping, abductions, ransom payments, and killings are common occurrences due to the failure of the security system.
The Arrest of #EndBadGovernance Protesters
Around 1:40 a.m. on Monday, August 5, 2023, security forces invaded the homes of Adaramoye Michael, Mosiu Sodiq, and Babatunde Oluajo (OSB), abducting them from their apartment on the orders of Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser to President Tinubu. While Oluajo was released a few days later, the other comrades face charges of treason and other politically-motivated crimes.
The wave of repression continued when, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), one of the country’s main labor centers, was invaded by the Nigerian police. A bookshop (Iva Valley Books) within the NLC premises was ransacked, and all the books were confiscated. Adding to these attacks, on August 19, the President of the NLC was summoned to appear on August 20 in connection with charges of “criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.” NLC President Joe Ajaero was arrested on September 8th, to be later released, in a clear move to intimidate the movement.
On the morning of August 21, police officers broke into the home of Drew Povey, the owner of Iva Valley Books. After forcing a statement from Comrade Abayomi Abiodun Adeyemi, an employee of Drew Povey, the police charged several protest leaders in Abuja, including Comrades Adaramoye Michael (Lenin), Eleojo Opaoluwa, Mosiu Sodiq, Angel Innocent, and others, on September 2, after over 28 days of illegal detention. Drew Povey has since been declared wanted by the Nigerian police.
On Sunday, September 1, another member of the Network of Abuja Left Groups, Comrade Akande Daniel Babatunde, was brutally arrested by the police in his church. When church members resisted and questioned the arrest, the police falsely claimed he was a murderer to avoid admitting that he was being detained for participating in protests against hunger and hardship in Nigeria. To date, Daniel has neither been arraigned nor released.
On September 11, the 10 “leaders” of the “plot” were granted bail (10 million Naira each) and their court case has been set for September 27.
Many more remain detained and do not know if they will face trial on trumped up charges as war plotting, terrorism, treason and an attempt to topple President Bola Tinubu.
Among the activists jailed are members and supporters of the Committee for a Workers International, Socialist Labour in Nigeria and the International Socialist Alternative.
A number of activists and socialists, among them members and supporters of Revolutionary Socialist Movement (the ISp affiliate in Nigeria) have gone into hiding in order not to get arrested.
We call for solidarity with the #EndBadGovernance protesters in Nigeria who are currently detained or facing charges for staging peaceful protests against the tyrannical government of Bola Tinubu.
