[size=18pt]6th April 2005 - BBC News
Pres. Obasanjo destroys Atiku's prospects of succeeding him[/size]

Since General Olusegun Obasanjo won Nigeria's presidential election in 1999, there has been speculation in political and media circles that a pact existed with his most important supporter, former ruler General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

The speculation is that in exchange for the support that he received from Babangida, the president would anoint him as his successor when he steps down at the end of his second term in 2007.

Obasanjo denied the existence of such a pact when he told journalists last year: "I don't know who will succeed me."

But any doubts about Obasanjo's commitment to Babangida have been removed by the perceived ruthlessness with which he has been cutting down his deputy, Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Financial muscle

When a caucus of Nigeria's military officers met at the presidential villa in 1998 to determine the successor to General Abacha, a decision was taken to release all political prisoners.

General was one of the beneficiaries of the amnesty. He was languishing in jail at the time, serving a 25-year jail term for alleged treason.


With Abacha dead, Obasanjo was a free man - and one of the first visitors to his farm in Otta was General Babangida, who was Nigeria's dictatorial ruler for eight years, until 1993.

General Babangida wasted no time in informing Obasanjo that he should prepare to contest presidential elections. Obasanjo was at first reluctant, but he relented after Babangida assured him he would not fail.

Obasanjo registered as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Babangida provided the financial muscle for his campaign.

Obasanjo won the election and he was sworn in on May 29, 1999.

Now, after six years in charge, he is looking for a successor.

Atiku is the only credible presidential contestant from within the ranks of the PDP.

During their first term in office Atiku demonstrated total loyalty towards Obasanjo and he was rewarded with power over a wide range of issues in government.

He told Obasanjo of his ambition to succeed him and had on numerous private occasions sought his support: each time, Obasanjo was reported to have told him that it was premature to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, Babangida started building his political machinery.

This concerned Atiku and he showed it. It has been his undoing.

When Obasanjo sought the PDP's nomination to serve another term as elected president in 2003, Atiku hesitated before giving him support.

Although his last-minute intervention gave Obasanjo victory at the PDP convention, Obasanjo felt hurt and he set out to erode Atiku's support base.

He has removed virtually all the vice-president's supporters from the cabinet and other important political positions.

Required support

The final blow was the forced removal from office of the national chairman of the PDP, Chief Audu Ogbeh, in January this year.

Obasanjo had first sought to oust Ogbe at a meeting of the party's Central Executive Committee, but he made a tactical retreat after realising that he would not get the required support.


A few days later, he sent Atiku to represent him at the Sudan peace deal signing in Nairobi, Kenya.

As soon as Atiku was out of the country, the president summoned the party chairman to the presidential villa and forced him to submit a resignation letter.

Ogbeh complied, announcing later that he resigned in the interest of the party, the nation and his family.

Being abroad, Atiku could not intervene. He was helpless as a powerful ally was being removed from the party hierarchy.

The chairman's resignation and planned reorganisation of the ruling party by Obasanjo have completely eroded Atiku's influence.

Sensing they have no future with him, Atiku's remaining allies in the PDP are deserting in droves to the Obasanjo camp.

They include state governors: Atiku could count on the loyalty of around 20 of them, but this is no longer the case.

The winning camp at this time is the Obasanjo/Babangida alliance.

Babangida holds PDP membership card No 007 from his hometown, Minna in Niger State.

Several groups have sprung up under the "Nigeria Project 2007" banner. They are campaigning for Babangida to be the next president.

He may be 'stepping back' into the presidential villa - unless General Obasanjo has other plans

[img]http://3.bp..com/_BaabZGe_Uf8/STt4wutTLiI/AAAAAAAAFTk/DjhlY4yasXU/s400/atiku.bmp[/img]
Abubakar Atiku




Olusegun Obasanjo



[img]http://babajidesalu.files./2010/04/ibb-1.jpg?w=652[/img]
Ibrahim Babangida -aka IBB

God help us

[size=18pt]News video inserted 16th January 1970[/size]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcZ4YVaUTKE

[size=18pt]7th April 2005 - socialistworld.net
President Obasanjo introduces law banning strikes in Education, Health, Water, Communication amongst other sectors[/size]

At the end of March, Nigerian President Obasanjo signed into law an anti-trade union measure aimed at crippling workers’ resistance to his government’s neo-liberal measures. Since June 2000 there have been four official general strikes, the longest lasting 8 days, called against Obasanjo’s policies, especially increases in the price of fuel. On four other occasions since 2000 mass upsurges of protest, most recently last November, developed around planned general strikes that were called off at the last moment by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

The following statement was issued in Lagos on 1 April by the Democratic Socialist movement (DSM):


President introduces anti-union legislation
Obasnjo’s anti-labour law:
Oshiomhole and others should quit Obasanjo’s ‘confab’ now

If there is still any doubt about the anti-people intention of the Obasanjo government in the pursuit of neo-liberal policies or its disrespect for democratic rights of workers, the new trade union law just promulgated should have removed such. The law is undemocratic, anti-worker, anti-people, vindictive and draconian. We of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), condemn this reprehensible law and call on the all the labour centres, NLC, TUC and CFTU, to set up processes and actions to defeat this anti-worker, anti-people law.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should resume the campaign it commenced when the bill was before the National Assembly and later suspended out of illusion in the legislatures.

With this latest crushing attack on the labour movement, the NLC president, Adams Oshiomhole, and other labour elements, should by now have no reason to dodge the persistent call for them to quit the on going confab. They ought to have been convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the confab is a useless forum, since Obasanjo’s government has made up its mind on how it wants to restructure Nigeria and the labour movement even without regards to the opinions of conferees.

We, therefore, reiterate our call for the immediate withdrawal of labour elements from the confab. Labour leaders cannot continue to fiddle at the unelected National Political Reform Conference (popularly known as the ‘confab’), and lend credence to Obasanjo’s government self-seeking agenda while their constituency is being destroyed. If the labour leaders are genuine in protecting workers’ interest at all times, massive mobilisation of workers and masses should commence immediately to kick-start a mass protest against the obnoxious trade union law.

This year’s May Day should be dedicated to the struggle against this anti-people law along other attacks on the workers’ interests. Adams Oshiomhole’s leadership of labour must not insult the intelligence of Nigerian workers by inviting Obasanjo to the Workers’ Day (May 1) as is usually done, as Obasanjo’s hatred for workers’ interests knows no bounds.
The draconian, unconstitutional provisions

Among the vexatious areas of the law is the provision that makes it illegal for workers in the so-called essential services, which include education, health, electricity, air traffic control and aviation, communication and water services, to go on strike. It is not only ironical but also shamelessly hypocritical that the government that does not deem education and education sectors, for instance, so essential to deserve adequate funding, could come around to see them as such while it is determined to use it as an undemocratic law to quell workers’ inevitable resistance.

Another obnoxious provision of the law is the one that outlaws embarking on industrial actions by the labour in protest against anti-people policies of the government like perennial increase in the pump price of the petroleum products. The provision allows other categories of workers to go on strikes but strictly on the direct labour related issues like wages, welfare package, etc.

The foregoing cited provisions are not only draconian but also blatantly unconstitutional. It sharply runs contrary to the spirits of the section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution which stipulates rights to freedom of association. While the trade union law pretends to recognise the freedom of association, it defeats the essence of existence of such association which is the protection of the workers’ interests. The law outright denies workers in the so-called essential services enjoyment of this fundamental right, while it creates impression that the interests of workers are limited mechanically to the issues pertaining to their condition of services. But the fact is that workers are not isolated from the entire society, like every citizen any policy of the government is of interest to the worker. Therefore, if such policy is against general interest for decent living the workers have right to protest.

good help us .

God bless us.

God bless Nigeria

GenBuhari: [size=18pt]22nd January 1985 - ITN News
NIGERIA: FOURTH CONGRESS OF OATUU OPENS IN LAGOS.[/size]

One of the subjects for discussion at the week-long meeting was the IMF's (International Monetary Fund) role in Africa.

The OATUU prepared a 15-page report on the "danger" the IMF poses to the African continent, and delegates were being asked to take a strong stance against it.

when great men ruled Africa. men who can look evil in the eye,call its name and curse it.

True.
Even President Shagari (who was generally considered clueless) could openly decline US request for more oil.

thoth:

when great men ruled Africa. men who can look evil in the eye,call its name and curse it.

[size=18pt]9th September 2005 socialistworld.net
Obasanjo raises Fuel prices by 30% - provokes renewed anger[/size]



The end August 30% rise in Nigerian fuel prices has provoked a renewed outburst of mass anger in Africa’s most populous country.

Robert Bechert, cwi, London

Officially the Nigerian Government allowed this increase because the world price of oil has risen. But this argument has not cut much ice in Nigeria. Nigerians obviously know that they live in a major oil producing country and that, irrespective of the world price, the cost of actually extracting oil from the ground has not jumped this year.

It is true that, due to long-term corruption, Nigeria’s oil refineries cannot meet local demand and therefore refined oil has to be imported. But most Nigerians argue that the increased cost of imported oil can be covered by at least part of the $10.27 billion extra revenue that the Nigerian Government says that it has received in the first eights months of 2005 as a result of higher oil export prices. This extra income is equal to N1.43 trillion naira, over three times more than the 400 billion naira that Finance Minster Ngozi Okonja-Iweala has said that subsidizing fuel would cost for the whole of 2006.

The Nigerian government began “deregulating” the fuel prices in June 2000, when petrol stood at 20 naira a litre, after the latest hike it stands at least 65 naira. The now regular fuel price increases have resulted in higher transport, travel and cooking costs, while also hitting the local economy.

This has taken place against a background of an almost continuous fall in living standards. Only a few days before the latest increase the International Monetary Fund published a report that stated that in Nigeria “most indicators of social and economic progress, including real per capita income, real per capita consumption, literacy, access to clean water, and income distribution, indicate that poverty has worsened since 1960. Despite its human and natural resource wealth, Nigeria has become one of the poorest countries in the world. Per capita income in real terms was lower in 2002 than in 1975.”

Since 2000 the hikes in fuel prices have been met with mass opposition and mass action, or threats of mass action, by the trade unions led by the Nigerian Labour Congress. In the last five years there have been five general strikes, including one lasting eight days in June/July 2003. But in November last year the NLC called off, at the last moment, a well prepared general strike because, in reality, its leaders feared that the strike would go beyond purely economic issues and become a challenge to both the government and capitalism.

After that there was a down turn in the movement, but the latest increase created enormous anger that has begun to rekindle mass opposition.

Monday, September 5, saw a five hour meeting of the NLC, Trade Union Congress and “civil society” groups to discuss action against the latest fuel price rise. Significantly it was generally accepted that Nigeria was in a deepening crisis and it was it was necessary to widen the struggle.

NLC President, Adams Oshiomhole explained that experience had showed that “it has thus become necessary to adopt more far-reaching and comprehensive strategies, mobilise a wider spectrum of the Nigerian society and broaden the issues. In the light of these, LASCO resolved to initiate the emergence of a broad, popular movement aimed at a far-reaching and fundamental restructuring of government system in the country. This movement will include Labour, civil society groups, women, students, pensioners, professional and religious bodies and the informal sector.”

Unfortunately this was not linked to any concrete plans for determined action against the government. Indeed Oshiomhole justified his new approach on the basis of the “failure of strikes to achieve meaningful goals” when it fact the “failure of strikes” has been due to the policies of the NLC leaders themselves rather than the method of struggle.

It was agreed that LASCO (the Labour Civil Society Coalition that links the unions and other groups) would call eight rallies in different parts of the country, starting with one in Lagos on September 14 and ending in Jos on September 30. These would be called on only to protest against the end August increase in the price of petrol, but against the “anti-people reform programmes of the Federal Government”.

At this September 5 meeting the Democratic Socialist Movement welcomed holding rallies but proposed that they should be part of a mobilisation for definite action and moved a resolution called for the Federal Government to be given a clear ultimatum to withdraw the fuel price increase. Unfortunately this was not accepted and instead it was agreed that if the rallies did not lead to a price cut then there would be “mass protests and work stoppages”. There is a danger that the NLC leaders are starting to use radical phrases about the need for political change to hide their reluctance to launch any struggles now.

Despite this Segun Sango, the DSM general secretary, was elected to a nine person “technical committee” formed to organise the rallies and is arguing for the DSM’s proposal that local work stoppages to be organised alongside these rallies as part of preparation for a general strike.

As Dagga Tolar, the editor of the DSM’s paper “Socialist Democracy”, recently explained the immediate challenges before socialists in Nigeria is how to articulate and carry out series of mass propaganda agitations among the working class people at workplaces, communities, schools etc. Tens of thousands of leaflets have to be produced giving broad socialist and struggle ideas in the course of mobilisation for mass resistance against the latest fuel price hike. The aim is to reach out to mass of change-seeking elements and win them over to a rounded revolutionary, socialist option.

The DSM has already helped initiate the formation of the Joint Action Forum (JAF), a coalition of DSM and various well known civil rights groups, after last November’s general strike was called off and LASCO became inactive. The JAF chair is Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti, a very well known civil rights activist and brother of the famous musician Fela Kuti, while the secretary is Chima Ubani of the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO. The JAF is now part of LASCO and hopefully will play an important part in the coming struggles.

In the article “One Fuel Price Hike Too Many” the DSM explained that “Right now, JAF has called on the Nigerian people to organise Protest Coordinating Committees in their neighbourhood to ensure coordination of struggles in different areas. For us in DSM, the acceptance of this demand provides the rank and file working masses the opportunity to take concrete and real control and influence on general strikes and protests that will ultimately make it impossible for top labour and civil society leaders to run and end particular struggles in an undemocratic and pro-status quo fashion.”

What this means was explained in a DSM statement issued earlier this year “The series of general strikes that have taken place against the Obasanjo government are the irrefutable proofs that the masses are yearning for a clean break with the present rot. If however, despite these general strikes and protests, the Obasanjo government has been able to retain power and in consequence is able to continue with its anti-poor economic and political agenda, the primary blame should go to labour leaders who have always, against the grain of fact and logic, confined themselves to an half measure struggle and isolated demands instead of using these general strikes and protests as part of the processes to effect the total transformation of the current unjust capitalist, economic and political dispensation. The DSM struggles for a fighting labour leadership that will act, not just speak militant words.”

Just before the most recent fuel price hike was implemented the DSM published the latest edition of its paper, Socialist Democracy, and wrote:

“We therefore call on all the three labour centres, NLC, TUC and CFTU, civil society organisations, student and youth groups, pro-people political parties and organisation, to commence various activities to drum loudly the people’s objection and be prepared for popular resistance that will include strikes, demonstrations, rallies, etc.

“However, as the experience of the last six years has shown, the working masses and their organisations must be prepared to get rid of this capitalist and pro-imperialist government with its anti-poor policies, including incessant increase in fuel price, astronomical rise in price of foodstuff, retrenchment of workers, privatisation, etc.

“We, thus reiterate our long held call on the labour leaders, pro-people organisations and parties, change seeking individuals and socialists should, at communities, factories and workplaces, local, state and national levels as soon as practicable, convene conferences to discuss and fashion out a coherent economic and political alternatives to the prevailing unjust capitalist order. To that effect, those conferences should be geared towards the formation of a genuine working peoples’ party with rounded socialist programmes. The most correct and scientific lesson that can be drawn from the general strikes and protests that have been held so far in reaction to the policy of incessant hike in the fuel price is that the ultimate goal of the struggle should be the overthrow of capitalism represented by Obasanjo, the PDP and other pro-capitalist parties and its replacement by a workers and peasant government which only can potentially carry out pro-masses policies of affordable housing, free and qualitative education, healthcare, constant electricity, portable water, functional transport system amongst others.”

Obasanjo

Thief Chief Obasanjo

Thief, Thief , Thief !!


Obasanjo, how many times did I call you?

[size=18pt]News story inserted: 22nd March 1981 page (1) of thread[/size]

God help Nigeria

[size=18pt]24 October 2005 BBC News
First Lady Stella Obasanjo dies during cosmetic surgery in Spain[/size]

Stella Obasanjo, wife of Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, died after cosmetic surgery, a doctor has said.
Mrs Obasanjo died on Sunday in Spain, where she had gone for the operation.

Results of an autopsy performed in the town of Malaga on Monday not been made public but have been given to a judge investigating the death.

Mrs Obasanjo, 59, was a controversial figure who ordered the arrest of a newspaper publisher earlier this year over an article headed "Greedy Stella".

The autopsy lasted two-and-a-half hours and seems to have given clear information on the cause of death, Antonio Garcia de Galvez, director of the Malaga Institute of Forensic Medicine, told the Associated Press news agency.

He did not give further details on the cosmetic procedure that the first lady was undergoing.

In a television broadcast announcing Mrs Obasanjo's death, presidential spokeswoman Remi Oyo said books of condolence had been opened at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja, the State House Marina in Lagos, and at the president's home in Otta.

Olusegun Obasanjo had several wives before returning to power in 1999, but since he became president Stella had been considered his official wife, the AFP news agency reports.

Newspaper publisher Orobosa Omo-Ojo was detained earlier this year after his newspaper, the Midwest Herald, ran an article entitled "Greedy Stella".

God help Nigeria