Five years after the fall of the hated military dictator of Nigeria,
General Sani Abacha, we look at why he came to power and why in the end
the same ruling elite that had supported him was forced to intervene to
remove for fear of the mass movement that was building up from below.
We have received reports on the latest developments at the OAU in Ife,
Nigeria, from the students involved in the struggle. In spite of a
determined effort by the student leaders to stop the massive fees
increase, because of many factors, not least the totally treacherous
role of the student leadership nationally (NANS), for now the
authorities have managed to impose their measures. But this is not
going to be the end of the story.
The workers of Nigeria are once again on the move with the start of
today's indefinite general strike. This is a first report about what is
happening there. Further analysis will follow in the next few days.
The masses in Nigeria are showing enormous willingness to struggle. It
is now spreading to the a key sector, the oil workers. But this
militancy is not matched by the leaders of the unions who are
negotiating with the government a reduced increase in the price of oil.
That is not why millions of workers have been out on strike for.
An Editorial Board statement of the Workers' Alternative on the outcome of
the June general strike and the political conclusions that can be drawn from it.