The extension of lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun by President Muhammadu Buhari without tangible and adequate palliatives for working people and the poor is insensitivity on the part of the government.
This is the position of the Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN.
The extension of the lockdown was said to be a way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The party said the action of the government had further confirmed that the Buhari-led government was anti-poor, insensitive and callous considering the growing state of hunger, want and despondency.
It said the federal government and the respective state governments were implementing different restrictions and lockdowns without addressing the socio-economic effect of a lockdown.
It argued: “There are millions of people who survive on small daily income as artisans, traders, labourers etc., whose livelihood has been cut short for the past two weeks; there are millions of casuals who are paid on a daily basis, all these categories of people are presently suffering. The reality is that many private sector workers will not be paid this month, some will be paid a fraction of salary while some will lose their job and there is no social programme that addresses these problems.
“We also note that even the very limited relief materials that are sent to communities are stolen and diverted by corrupt anti-poor capitalist politicians in APC and PDP. This is why we have consistently called for a democratic committee of activists, trade unionists and elected representatives of youth organizations and community associations to be in charge of collection and distribution of relief materials in every community.”
SPN said the lockdown and its extension had further exposed the rot and fragility that confronted the Nigerian society.
According to it, there was growing tension with gangs of boys in hundreds stealing everything on their way including bread, sachets of pure water, biscuits etc., while working class and poor communities in Lagos and Ogun had come under mass attacks of gangs and communities had responded by creating vigilance groups to repel the attacks.
“We welcome the independent initiatives of community people to defend themselves following the failure of the government, whose capitalist policies daily create these gang and their actions, to protect them. We however call for the vigilance groups to be non-sectarian and run democratically,” it said.
It added: “SPN has consistently called on the government at all levels to come out with adequate palliatives and for democratic management of their distribution so as to cushion the effect of locking down the ordinary people. We had previously warned that in the absence of a sustainable palliative, there will be anarchy. This failure of governance is attributed to the long years of implementing neo-liberal and anti-poor policies that organized production, services and exchange to satisfy the huge profit of a few at the expense of the vast majority working masses and thereby creating more poverty and inequality.”
