This was contained in a press statement jointly signed by Frances Akinjole, the National Chairperson and Mobolaji Otuyelu, National Secretary, on Monday, while blaming the trend of military takeover in West Africa to bad leadership produced through democratic process.
The Socialist Workers League (SWL) has warned that sanctions imposed on the Republic of Niger by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the leadership of Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu will only worsen the situation in the Western African country.
This was contained in a press statement jointly signed by Frances Akinjole, the National Chairperson and Mobolaji Otuyelu, National Secretary, on Monday, while blaming the trend of military takeover in West Africa to bad leadership produced through democratic process.
Recall that following the recent coup d'etat in the Niger Republic deposing President Mohamed Bazoum, ECOWAS gave the military junta seven days to restore the ousted leader.
Meanwhile, regional bloc ECOWAS has imposed sanctions on Niger, including halting all financial transactions and freezing its national assets. It also threatened to use force to reinstate Bazoum.
This has led to protests in the Republic of Niger, warning ECOWAS, especially Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu who is the Chairman of the regional bloc, not to interfere with the affairs of their country.
Reacting to this situation, SWL said it is concerned about the situation in Niger and its workers' rights.
The statement partly read, “It is also noteworthy that this will be the fourth elected government overthrown by soldiers in Africa within the last three years, making Niger the sixth nation in Sub-Saharan Africa currently under the grip of a military junta. With the history of military rule on the continent, we see no good coming out of this wave of coup d’états and thus, without prejudice to the interwoven contradictions in the unfolding situation, SWL condemns the coup in Niger.
“SWL notes the intervention being taken by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), currently being led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, whose emergence as the president of Nigeria remains illegitimate. These include sanctions, cutting off electricity supply to Niger, and a threat of the use of force, which could spark a regional war as the governments of Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali have vowed to support Niger in the event of attacks by ECOWAS forces.
“These measures will exacerbate the hardships faced by the Nigerien population, which is already mired in a state of pauperisation due to corrupt enrichment of the country’s wealth by its ruling class and the country’s exploitation by imperialist forces, particularly France its former coloniser, and the United States.
The measures will also not address the root causes of the Bazoum’s government's failure, which paved the way for the military takeover.
“There is a fundamental error in the assumption that the military coup is the root cause of the failure of democracy in the country. The reality is that it is the other way around: it was the civilian government's failure that paved the way for the military takeover. The civilian government failed to live up to its promises of democratising the polity, addressing the state of insecurity and improving the economic situation of poor Nigeriens. This is what led to the dissatisfaction and reflected in popular support for the coup. Economic sanctions or military interventions may not impact the coup leaders significantly. But they will harm the poor working people in Niger.
“The intervention by Tinubu/ECOWAS, unfortunately, is not in defence of democracy. It is more aligned with defending the interests of France/Western imperialist powers. The Tinubu-led government in Nigeria has already demonstrated its slavish uptake of the neoliberal agenda of Western imperialism with a series of anti-poor people policies inspired by the international monetary fund (IMF), such as sharp hikes in fuel pump prices and devaluation of the naira. These policies have subjected working people in Nigeria to unprecedented hardships over the two months he has thus far spent in office. A government that works for a few while millions of its country’s citizens are condemned to excruciating poverty and hardships cannot be said to be democratic.
“The imperialist role of France in its ex-colonies in Africa cannot be overemphasised. It has held these neocolonial states in an exploitative grip, extracting their natural resources and constraining their fiscal policy space in the most rabid manner. We thus welcome the coupists breaking of colonial accords with France. However, considering the fact that key players in the junta have been in governments that upheld these accords for decades, it is legitimate to see this step in the right direction as a populist effort at building a mass base of support, rather than part of a sustained anti-imperialist agenda.
“The coup leaders, just like the ousted government, are representative members of the ruling class of exploiters and oppressors in Niger. The true power to ensure social progress and radical democracy from below lies primarily in the hands of the working-class people of Niger. It is too early in the day to determine how the unfolding situation in Niger will play out. But it is crucial that this process is driven by the people of Niger, not by foreign powers like France or Russia.
“SWL urges the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to condemn any attempt at war in Niger and work with workers' organisations in Niger and across the region to fight for a democracy that prioritises the working-class people above any imperialist and capitalist interest.
“Our goal remains steadfast: a workers-led, democratic Niger, where the way forward is determined with working people’s power, by the working people themselves. The path to this is through organising and fighting by the workers and youth of Niger for revolutionary democracy and socialism from below and not any putschist politics or imperialist interference.”