revolutionary socialist

Where are the Libraries? Despite all the crocodile tears being shed by Nigerian ruling elites, about the abysmal reading culture and dismal education quality, the glaring fact is that they are comfortable with the current horrible situations. Nothing exemplifies this than the state of Nigerian libraries. I am not referring to various elite libraries like the presidential library, but those that should be available to the vast majority of our youth and poor Nigerians, who constitute the majority of the population. My recent experience and subsequent inquest reveal this much. I was desperately in need of some literatures, but with dearth of functional and well-stocked bookstores in Osun State and quantity of work to be done, I had to make use of public libraries within reach, hoping to get more than I would need. Based on my previous experience with the local government library in Ile-Ife town, I resolved to approach the national and state libraries in the state capital, as the...

Reforming Nigeria’s “Electoral Reform” One of the issues generated by the so-called liberalization of party formation in the recent is the proliferation of portfolio political parties on the one hand, and centralization of political posts and governance around handful political parties on the other. As a result of this, the nation’s electoral body, INEC recently, banking on a clearly undemocratic electoral law provision planned to deregister some political parties, which it considered unviable. This has received a mute response from many so-called civil society practitioners and entrepreneurs, and self-acclaimed opposition (or is it progressive) political parties, many of whom were quick to shout on top of their voices of the need for electoral reform, especially when their interests are in jeopardy. Indeed, before the undemocratic attempt at curtailing electoral rights, the much-trumpeted electoral reform committee set up by Yar’Adua/Jonathan government had made some funny recom...

Reflection on Lagos State Government’s Onslaught on Public Doctors The recent ridiculous mass sack of over 788 medical doctors by the Raji Fashola/CAN-led lagos State government clearly underlines the high level of contempt which pro-free market ruling elites in Nigeria of all shades hold the poor and working masses. In order to break the fighting spirit of the doctors, the government went ahead, in an action reminiscent of the military jackboot absolutism, to eject the doctors from their quarters – an action that runs contrary to government’s own tenancy law. This action of the Fashola government is a direct affront on the working and poor people, who have borne all the anti-poor, pro-rich policies of the Fashola/ACN government and its big brother Federal/PDP government. Consequently, all genuinely progressive forces including the labour movement, pro-labour organizations, civil society groups and other professional groups must intervene in the current struggle of doctors in L...