Teachers strike; FG’s attempt thwarted
July 11, 2008 by 
Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
The two weeks old primary and secondary school teachers’ strike was yesterday dealt a fatal blow by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. The teachers had gone on strike in pursuit of a harmonised Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) for all the teachers across the federation.
After the FEC meeting, the government speaking through the Minister of State for Education Dr. Agada, appealed to teachers to go back to school in the interest of their students as federal government will not concede to the demand of the teachers. Teachers were also urged to go to their states and negotiate with their respective employers i.e. State government.
Legally correct (employee/employer contract) as this FEC position may be, it does not speak well about the drive of this government towards uniformed development. The rich states will attract and pay well the best of teachers while the poor rural states will have leftovers, which will subsequently affect the quality of SSCE/JAMB candidates. Nigeria will soon head back to the era of educationally disadvantaged states being given lower cut off marks and other questionable academic privileges.
This masterstroke the Federal Government has divided the solidarity among the Nigerian Union of Teachers, as teachers from affluent States are jostling for the speedy call off. In a bid to strengthen the sagging strength of NUT, the NLC is threatening to lend strategic support to the teachers strike. The incumbent NLC president is still the NUT president. A position he has not relinquished despite having stayed over one year in office as the NLC boss.
Despite this attempt, the Secretary to the federal government Baba Gana Kingibe is still meeting with the leadership of NUT to find a lasting solution meanwhile NUT in Lagos, staged a street procession yesterday to protest government’s stand on TSS
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Nigerian Teachers Resume Nationwide Strike
June 30, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Students across the federal were turned away from school today, due to the nationwide strike embarked upon by the National Union of Teachers (NUT), an umbrella body of all the teachers in Nigeria. The NUT had suspended her three days warning strike after the Senate and other well meaning Nigerians intervened to bring the government to a round table. The teachers want a better working environment, implementation of payment of minimum wage and an upward review of their salary. According to the NUT, the Minster of Education Dr. Igwe Aja Nwachukwu was callous, rude and unfeeling towards the plight of teachers and when confronted with threat of an industrial action said “I wish you all the best”. Furthermore, the NUT accused the minister of misleading the president on the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure. The teachers want a harmonised salary structure across the 36 states of the federation.
This renewed hostility by the teachers is expected to be long drawn, as the NUT vowed to picket any private school that refuses to participate in the strike. Most children of rich men and politicians attend private schools, where a terms school fees is equivalent to the annual salary of a teacher in a run down public school.
NUT holds the minister responsible for the failure of the talks.
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Arise O Compatriot
May 12, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Comments Off
Being a text of a speech delivered by Che Oyinatumba at a lecture organised by the Abuja Socialist Collective to mark this year’s May Day.
I the president of the oppressed voiceless Nigerians, address you to live up to the creed and wordings of the Nigerian National Anthem, especially, ARISE O COMPATRIOT.
This is another May Day. A day to celebrate the toiling workers contributions to the Nigerian economy and the workers’ contributions to the betterment of those in power. It is a day of long speeches and empty promises from “invited guest” representing the government and other oppressors of the worker-the private sector. The greatest oppressor of workers in Nigeria, the multi-nationals, especially the Asian won factories, is regretting that the worker in the name of May Day will have a day off to relax/recreate and revaluate his unrewarded contributions to his Oga’s healthy bank account. Whether they like it or not, the labourer deserves his wages and rest.
But the toiling, impoverished and homeless workers of Nigeria have no rest to enjoy as the commonest basic needs cannot be met by the peanuts they receive as salary. Furthermore, the thieves of our mandate has started abracadabra called probe. From Power Sector to NNPC, all we hear is that OBJ and his gang of thieves looted Nigeria dry, leaving Nigeria worst than Abacha raped her. Nigerian workers should arise and demand from Yar’Adua’s administration what he intends to do after these probes. Will there be light? Those fingered by the probe report MUST be tried and jailed. Nigerian worker, arise and demand for the prosecution of Imoke, Agagu,Ezekwesili,Obasanjo, Abusalami Abubakar (MD of Energo) and others indicted. The wages of a worker is affected when the industrial wheels refuse to turn as a result of no electricity. It is the right of the worker to work and that of her employer to provide a conducive environment for the worker to produce his best with dignity.
Workers of all trades unite and march down National assembly to demand the arrest of all the companies who took our money without going to site and carrying out the job. Nigerians should know that the greatest defence of these thieves and looters of our national treasury is the non demand of their trial and jailing by the vast majority of the oppressed Nigerians. The ruling class can never try then, unless we the oppressed declare a fatwa on them. Arise now.
We also call on all progressive Nigerians, to task the presidency to disclose the illness Mr. Yar’Adua is suffering from. If he has AIDS, let us know and bear it. We want to know how much was spent on his latest trip to Germany to cure an allergy related infection and from which allocation was the deduction made. Mr. Yara’Adua cannot be shouting Rule of Law without being transparent to Nigerians. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. This unwarranted trip abroad is an indictment that his administration has failed, will not be any better that those before her and the 7 point agenda mantra, is carved out to deceive Nigerians. Why is there no “catarrh” treatment centre at the National hospital Abuja or any of the numerous University teaching hospitals sprinkled across the country? Nigerian doctors should be retrained to arrest this “catarrh” since it
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Impediments to a Nigerian Revolution
May 9, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · 3 Comments
By: Che Oyinatumba
Apart from the shallow revolutionary content of the characters of Professor Ben Nwabueze’s gang, see Inconsequential Inconsistencies there are other impediments to a political upheaval in Nigeria.
Even the most pacifist in Nigeria, knows that the ingredients to reshape Nigeria are abound, pleading for blending to brew a revolutionary change. The ruling class is not left out in this understanding. Before the Nwabueze’s irritant call during his book launch, Professor Charles (prefers Chukwuma) Soludo had on Thisday Newspaper of Tuesday October 30th 2007 spoke out for the poor and oppressed of the land, expressing the fear that; if the rich does not do anything to keep the poor distracted, there will be an uprising that will consume the rich.
These calls are not for the benefit of the poor, rather the elite wants to reposition themselves in the new scheme of things. The slave is not fed out of love, but to sustain ‘it’ to produce move surplus for the master. Hence the co-pilots in the treasury looting with Obasanjo are now turning mouth piece for change, imprinting their faces as the new face of leadership in post Obasanjo regime. Of these entire “born against” leaders, the one I find absurd is Professor Jerry Gana. Gana served all the military heads of state to OBJ’s wasted 8 yrs. As is the fad with Orji Uzor Kalu, Atiku Abubakar, Fayose, Danye, Tinubu, Gana who was in government for 20years wants Nigerians to see him as a victim, a compatriot in suffering.
This brings me to the first impediment. The absence of opposition party / movement. After Atiku Abubakar and his gang of governors emerged from their clandestine meeting with chant of continuity in 2003, the official opposition party APP caved in. Not that APP was an opposition party in the real sense of it. (No party opposed the jumbo furniture allowance, the privatization of Nigeria chaired by Atiku, and other nefarious anti people policies of Obasanjo/Atiku misgovernance).
The human right community, bloodied by the long bout at the barricade against the military flattens out when they saw military apologists take over the gains of June 12 struggle. Some of these military apologists are still around in government for example Ojo Maduekwe-Foreign Affairs Minister. While some “activists’ mantra was on June 12 we stand, others ate on June 12. Even the running mate of the detained MKO, carpeted to the enemy. Who wants to cry more than the bereaved? The centre could no longer hold and things fell apart into NGOism.
These NGOs have dealt irreparable blow to the organizational strength of any movement towards a Revolution. Each NGO represents the interest of her donor agency/patron country. These agencies are not interested in curing the manifest ills in the Nigerian structure. They prefer reforms. Dario FO quoted in Sam Omatseye’s Not Yet a Revolution captures the role of NGOs.” Do people demand a really just system? We will arrange it so that they will be satisfied with one that is less unjust…
They want a revolution; we will give them reforms-lots of reforms, drown them in reforms and will drown them in promises of reforms, because we’ll never give than the real ones either”.
A good number of those chanting revolution are not ready. They are yet to shed the burden of Abraham’s sons. Being more Catholic than the Pope or holier than the Saudi King, Nigerians leave everything to God; even the simplest things like what meal to eat.
For a true Nigeria over haul, this opium must be banned and all those calling for revolution must start first by challenging these Israelite/Arabian interpretations of life in Africa and how to solve it. That which was/is applicable in the Middle East, can’t be applicable here. Till Nigerians or those parroting revolution start understanding that Nigerian problems can’t be solved by kneeling down or facing east but by hard work, commitment and honestly believing in Nigeria as their spiritual and earthly home, Nigeria will remain in the woods of undevelopment. Religion, should be a private thing and not (as is the case) a weapon of brain washing Nigerians to seek for a sugarcandy mountain somewhere.
Akin to this predominantly Middle East influence, is the uni-polar inbalance of power in the international arena. America as the sole super power will have to anoint a revolution before it can be successful. In the era of cold war before the collapse of USSR in 1991, KGB agents militarily and financially supported revolutions against American stooges. Mandela’s ANC benefited from this.
American foreign policy which is crude oil tailored, does not favour revolution, especially where such upheaval will affect oil price in the international market, destabilize regional “peace” and displace people.
Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) gave a ray of hope when she marched to National Assembly on May 8th 2008, to demand the trial of those fingered. While I celebrate this move, I wish to remind NLC that the Chinese Revolution did not end with Chairman Mao’s trek, or did India get independence after Gandhi marched down to make salt but both engaged in massive education of the masses, as a formidable force in wrestling out power from the oppressor.
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NLC Commences Protest
May 7, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
By Ashimole Felix/Abuja.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for a peaceful march to protest the endless House Committee Probes into all the facets of the Nigerian skeleton. The procession will commence from Berger Roundabout in Abuja and snake through the busy routes of Abuja to wake up the Nigerian people into action and a demand that all indicted by any probe panel be prosecuted and the full weight of the law applied.
This move according to watchers of the Nigerian labour movement this call by Comrade Omar led NLC, is a revival of is a of NLC. The NLC that just celebrated May Day, have bared her fangs. At this year’s May Daycelebration, NLC/TUC vowed to make Nigeria work for Nigerians.
Since the change of baton from Adams Oshiomhole last year to Comrade Omar, all have been cold at the trenches, despite the hardships Nigerian workers are facing. NLC under Oshiomhole became the barometer to gauge the thinking within what is left of the Nigerian Left.
Comrade Omar, a teacher is believed to be a student of diplomatic and non combative approach to issues but the magnitude of the rot unearth by these probes have pushed him to the trenches. According to one of his aids, NLC is drawn into the battle field because there is no credible opposition party left at the National Assembly to compel the enforcement of the report of these probes.
On Wednesday May 8th the strength of the new leadership of NLC will be tested.
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