DEATH OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS AT IMMIGRATION JOBS TESTS:

GOVT. IS CULPABLE

ERC Demands Sack of Minister of Interior and NIS Comptroller General

Calls for a Day of Mourning and Mass Protests

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) is outraged at the avoidable wastage of the lives of scores of unemployed Nigerian youths during Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment test over the weekend. The promising youths had gone for the test to seek means of keeping body and soul together only for them to be forced into their early graves by the irresponsibility and callousness of Nigerian government.

At some centres where the tests were conducted, deaths and grievious injuries were recorded. Official sources have explained this to be a product of the impatience of the candidates to gain entry into the venues of the test. As usual victim-blaming and arms-wriggling is the default response of the Federal Government to any national calamity including those caused by its gross incompetence and the abject failure of its policies and projects.

In Abuja and many other centres, reports show that more applicants beyond what the centres could accomodate were invited to write the tests. For instance at the Abuja National Stadium which has a maximum seating capacity of 60,000, over 65,000 applicants were invited. To make matters worse, only a few of the about 30 entry points into the stadium were opened. The same stories exist in many other centres.

As far as we are concerned in the ERC, the blame for the death rests primarily on the shoulders of the Federal Government and particularly the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Ministry of Interior which appear to have turned the recruitment test to an opportunity to make quick money. According to reports, only 4,556 vacancies were advertised but the NIS accepted application fee of N1,000 each from over 500,000 applicants making a clean return of over N500 million! This is unconscionable! This is unacceptable!! The NIS and the President Jonathan's capitalist government are preying on the misery of hapless Nigerian youths especially graduates who suffer years without gainful employment.

The ERC believes it is the social responsibility of the government as the custodian of society's commonwealth to provide a decent job for every citizen. All talks about young graduates becoming employers of labour is nonsense especially in a society where public infrastructures like electricity supply, water supply and transportation infrastructures needed to support self employment are lacking.

Actually, the crisis of chronic unemployment which plagues the nation is a product of the inherent unjust nature of the capitalist system which prioritises profit and privilege of a few over people's needs. As a result of capitalism, Nigeria is locked in an absurd contradiction of such magnitude that even the Finance Minister Okonjo Iweala for all her famed qualifications as a foremost economist is left in a quandary.

It is not as if there are no jobs. There are actually more potential skilled job opportunities than the current number of unemployed graduates can fill. In the secondary and primary schools for instance, over 200,000 skilled teachers are needed to close the yawning gap in the teacher:pupil ratio. In the health sector, there are not enough doctors and other health professionals. In the tertiary institutions, there is a yawning need for more academic staff. We need more engineers and technicians to be employed to drive the Nation's industrialisation, so also do we need thousands of farmers, agricultural scientists, agronomists etc to drive the much-needed agricultural revolution and food security. So there are jobs. The fundamental cause of our predicament in this Nation is the contradiction of capitalism, which prioritizes maximization of profits of few superrich against welfare of the majority, coupled with legendary kleptocracy called governance in Nigeria. This explains the refusal of the government to invest in turning these potential job openings into actual jobs so that the army of unemployed youths can apply for them.

This is why the ERC while staunchly advocating the rights for free and public-funded public education never fails to call for a revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and its replacement by an alternative socialist system as the only real way out of Nigeria's seemingly insurmountable crisis. For as long as this unjust system of capitalism remains, the kind of unconscionable wastage of the lives of our youths while hunting for jobs which ordinarily is their right will continue to occur.

The public has been expressing outrage at this mindless wastage of the lives of the youth of the Nation. We now demand that this outrage be turned into a flood of mass indignation and protest at an incompetent government and its unjust system of capitalism which has caused this wastage of the lives of our youth. We specifically call on the labour movement, civil society organizations and unemployed youths to organise a day of National mourning and mass procession to protest and demand the following:

(1) Immediate Sack of Minister of Interior Mr. Abba Moro and Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service Mr. David Shikfu Parradang for gross incompetence and complicity in the death of unemployed youths over the weekend

(2) Refund of the N1,000 application fee and other payments to all applicants

(3) Provision of decent and well-paid jobs to all unemployed youths commensurate to their qualifications and skills

(4) Payment of unemployment benefit to all those requiring jobs but are not employed.

(5) Public ownership of the commanding heights of the economy and their democratic management to ensure benefits for the mass majority unlike presently when only a few actually benefits.

                                                                                                                         

Hassan Taiwo Soweto                                                   Michael Ogundele                                          

National Coordinator                                                    National Secretary                                       

07033697259                                                                   07066249160    

ERC DECLARES NATIONAL CONFERENCE A CHARADE

· Condemns NANS Participation

Press Statement

 

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) declares President Jonathan's National Conference a charade. The National Conference is an expensive sideshow that is not designed to address the country's challenges like mass unemployment, rotten public education sector, and degenerate public health services etc.

We condemn the participation of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) at the National Conference which has been convened by a deeply unpopular government looking for any straw to hang onto.

We do not expect any positive outcome from the conference as it is not a SOVEREIGN conference of the elected representatives of working and oppressed masses of Nigeria. Rather it is a gathering meant to rebuild the damaged reputation of the government by presenting a semblance that Nigerians are talking when indeed what is happening is that a few people have been invited closer to dine with the government and thereby reduce the opposition against this brutally anti-poor government.

ERC urge the mass of students not to entertain a single shred of hope that the six delegates presented by National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) will ever represent their best interests. The reasons are not far-fetched:

(1) NANS as an organisation has in the recent years failed woefully to represent the best interests of students concerning issues such as education funding and democratic management of schools. During the last strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which was waged for adequate funding of the public universities, the national leadership of NANS came out in support of the Federal government. Right now public Polytechnics and Colleges of Education have been shut for months yet NANS has not deemed it urgent to call a nationwide protest to compel government to meet ASUP and COEASU's demands. Against this background, it should be clear to all discerning minds that the six delegate slots allocated to NANS is not an appreciation of the weight of the students population in society as some impressionable minds have said. Rather it is actually a celebration of the complete ideological capitulation of NANS to the government.

(2) The six delegates that would purportedly speak for students at the National Conference were not elected directly by the mass of students. So hasty and undemocratic was the Yinka-Gbadebo NANS leadership's urge to partake in the criminal wastage of our collective wealth which the National Conference actually is that the mass of students were not even consulted through local congresses to draw up a collective agenda which the six delegates are meant to canvass at the National Conference.

We therefore urge all Students' Unions across tertiary institutions to condemn NANS participation at the National Conference.

Instead of participating in a National Conference whose resolutions just like the Obasanjo Conference would be dumped in the lobby of the National Assembly and that is the end of it, NANS should begin an immediate mobilisation of rank and file of Nigeria students across various campuses to build a mass campaign for meeting of the demands of ASUP and COEASU, reversal of hiked fees at the Lagos State University (LASU), dropping of criminal charges against UNIUYO 44, proper funding of public education sector, right to independent students' unionism, against privatisation and commercialisation of public education sector and democratic running of schools.

We make bold to say none of these salient issues would be addressed by the National Conference and these are the issues that NANS need to fight over on the streets of Nigeria instead of scheming to benefit from the N7 billion National Conference largesse.

To us in the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), the pretentious political prognosis of the Jonathan National Confab will not in any way solve Nigeria's socio-political problems or salvage the poor conditions of the country's public education sector.

The national confab with delegates appointed from different ethnic, cultural, professional groups and civil societies is designed to promote President Jonathan's second term bid and not to address the country's political and socio-economic problems.

We strongly oppose this expensive sideshow and task the trade union movement to immediately call for mass actions towards mobilising the entire working class and poor masses to fight against underfunding of public education, mass unemployment, privatization  and for provision of living minimum wage for workers, public ownership and democratic management of key sectors of the country economy.

                                                                                          

Hassan Taiwo Soweto                                                          Michael Ogundele                             

National Coordinator                                                          National Secretary                            

07033697259                                                                        07066249160                                                                                                                                               

ERC National Symposium: Last ASUU Strike and Lessons

Education Workers, Students and Socialists Agree that a United Action is needed to save Public Education from Total Collapse.

By Ogundepo Titus

On Thursday, 27th February, 2014, no fewer than one hundred (100) people including students, education workers and journalists gathered at a public symposium organized by the Education Right Campaign (ERC) at the University of Ibadan to discuss the 2013 ASUU strike and its lessons.

Virtually all the speakers commended the ERC for organizing the public gathering of both students and education workers which was the first of its kind since the suspension of the six months' long strike embarked upon by members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to protest poor funding of public university education.

A cross section of the participants

The speakers at were the Dr Nasir Fagge, President of ASUU; Chibuzor Asumogha, President Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP ) who was represented by Mr. Anderson, ASUP Zone D Coordinator from Federal Polytechnic Nekede Imo State; Segun Sango, Chairperson, Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) and Hassan Taiwo Soweto, National Coordinator of ERC.

Amongst other speakers were Dr Demola Aremu, ASUU National Treasurer who doubles as the Oyo State chair of Joint Action Front (JAF); Dr Alada, Dean of Students' Affair, University of Ibadan; Dr Omonigo Karo, Chairman, ASUU Unilag and Dr Segun Ajiboye, Chairman, ASUU UI.

Hassan Taiwo Soweto, in his introductory remarks, declared that the symposium was organized not only to arrive at suggestions on how the gains recorded during the last ASUU strike can be defended and sustained, but also to discuss the on-going strikes of ASUP and COEASU with a view to mapping out ways and strategies to take these struggles to a victorious end. He also made reference to current crisis in the Lagos State University (LASU) and the interventions of ERC so far to ensure reversal of the fee hike and adequate funding of that university. 

HT Soweto, ERC National Coordinator

 While leading the discussion on the theme of the symposium, Dr. Nasir Fagge's first statement was an appreciation to members and leadership of ERC for their remarkable roles during the last ASUU six-month strike. He also expressed his personal interest in ERC as well as the trust he reposes in the organisation as far as issues affecting the public education in Nigeria are concerned. 

Fagge blamed the government's irresponsibility and insensibility to public education as the root cause of the last ASUU strike whose main demand was the implementation of the agreement the federal Government signed with Union in 2009. He cited how improved budgetary allocation to education of some countries like Brazil, China, Malaysia, India, Finland, Sweden etc has been the secret of the tremendous progress those countries have made in making quality education accessible to a good number of their citizens.

Nasir Fagge, ASUP President

To sustain the gains of the last strike Fagge informed the gathering that all the branches of the union have been mandated to constitute an independent project monitoring committee to ensure that the N20bn intervention fund promised by the federal government is judiciously used for the need of the system and not to be squandered among contractors and University managements. 

Speaking on lessons of the last ASUU strike, Fagge revealed that the last strike made so many facts clearer to his union. Notably among these is lack of sincerity and will to defend the aspiration of Nigerians among individuals that are in positions of authority in the country.

Another important lesson from the last strike according to Fagge is the fact concerted effort and struggle of ordinary people is continuously needed before the government at all levels can be made to yield to her constitutional responsibility of making education accessible to all Nigerians. In view of this, he endorsed the proposal of the ERC for the united struggle of all stakeholders in education sector towards adequate and proper funding of education. He informed the gathering that the union has concluded plan to organize an education submit which will be held by July. He however acknowledged the fact that only a pro-working people oriented government is capable of guaranteeing free and quality education for Nigerian masses.

Mr Anderson ASUP Zone D Coordinator

While speaking on the sub-theme: The ASUP strike and matter arising Mr. Anderson revealed that the ongoing ASUP strike is also a reflection of negligence and irresponsibility by the federal government. He explained this by making reference to how federal government has been refusing to honour the agreement which was signed with union since April 2009.

According to Anderson, the detail of the agreement signed with the union are: re-amending of the Act that established the polytechnic which was amended last in 1993; the need to set up a commission to be regulating the activities of the polytechnic instead of using National Board of Technical Education (NBTE); the need to ensure that ASUP mode of salaries should not be under IPPRL payment roll; scheme of service which was last treated in 1989 should be retreated to make it updated to the new mode of service among others.

He reaffirmed the determination of the ASUP to continue the strike action as long as the Federal government refuses to accede to various demands of the union. He also welcomed the ASUU's plan to organize the education submit while pledging the support of ASUP to such urgently needed initiative.

Segun Sango, who is also the General Secretary of Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), in his short speech was able to clearly establish the fact that capitalist misrule and crazy drive for profit as against the need of the people is the root cause of all the enormous crises confronting public education as well as other sectors of the economy which the previous speakers had highlighted.

Segun Sango, National Chairperson SPN

 He lauded the ASUU's planned education submit and effort toward having a pro-working people Nigeria constitution and pledged the support of SPN and DSM. He was however quick to stress that only a pro-working people government with a socialist programme of nationalizing the commanding heights of the economy placed under a democratic control and management of the working people is capable of guaranteeing quality and free education. 

He also used the occasion to announce the initiative to form the SPN by DSM as the latest step taken by the organization towards realizing its age-long goal for a socialist transformation of Nigeria. Sango also mentioned the difficulty of raising N1m (One million naira) that INEC now demands as a registration fee. He therefore called on students, education workers particularly their unions (ASUU and ASUP) to support and donate to the SPN campaign fund for registration fees and party building.

One of the highlights of the programme was the solidarity message by the University of Ibadan, Dean of Students Affair who declared his support to the philosophy of ERC despite the fact that the ERC is not a registered organization with the Student Affair unit. 

Most of other solidarity messages were words of encouragement to students to be more active and participatory in day to day running of their union particularly towards reviving the students' movement. One of the striking solidarity messages was that of the LASU Students Union president-elect who solicited the support of ASUU and other education workers unions towards the ongoing struggle of LASU students presently being coordinated by members of ERC against outrageous fees. 

Eighteen participants including workers and students indicated interest to join ERC.