AN INTERVIEW WITH NIGERIA'S AWARENESS LEAGUE
From Ideas and Action, #17, winter 1997 (magazine
of Workers Solidarity Alliance-IWA) .
[Conducted mid-'94 by Germany's Free Workers Union. Edited only
for American English clarity by Neither East Nor West-NYC and Love
and Rage. The Awareness League is the Nigerian affiliate of the
anarcho-syndicalist International Workers Association .]
Do you think there is a real danger of a civil war in Nigeria? Or
is there a real chance for free elections, which have been promised
several times?
The way things are going, there is a real risk of civil war. Many
prominent Nigerians have warned about this. So have many foreign
commentators who have recently visited the country for a first-hand
assessment, such as American civil-rights leader Jesse Jackson. For
the record, Nigeria fought a civil war from 1967 to 1970, when the
eastern part of the country declared the Republic of Biafra and
seceded. All the elements that were present in that crisis are
equally present in the current imbroglio:
A. There were disputed federal elections in 1964, and canceled
presidential elections in 1993. B. There was trial and imprisonment
of one of the opposition leaders on treason charges in the 1960s;
today we have the ongoing treason trial and incarceration of
[opposition leader] Chief Moshood Abiola. The chances of conviction
are high. C. There was the military coup in 1966. Now, the chances of
a military coup are high in the country. D. The east seceded from the
federal government in 1967; today the west and a host of ethnic
nationalities in the east have openly called for a confederation,
with the establishment of regional armies, which could be a prelude
to another secession bid .
Overall, the civil war scenario is not inevitable. The lessons of
1967-70 point to the futility of war as a means of resolving any
conflict. Internal and external pressures to force the military to
hand over power within the next six months can avert t he looming
catastrophe.
As for elections, the experience of [ousted dictator General
Ibrahim] Babangida shows that the military cannot be trusted. In the
event of any future election, the military will want to hand over
power to their candidate, or nothing. If they could annu l the June
12 elections [believed to have been won by Abiola], which, by their
own admission, were the freest the country has had, wherein lies the
guarantee that they would allow free elections in the future?
Is the Awareness League involved in the strikes now shaking
Nigeria? If yes, what are the activities of the Awareness League? If
not, why aren't you involved?
Yes, we are involved in the strikes. Our members are principally
university and polytechnic lecturers, journalists, students,
civil-service employees, and other activists of leftist persuasion.
The universities are currently on strike nationwide, and o ur members
are involved. Civil servants in the Enugu state are presently on
strike, and Awareness League activists are a part of it.
Additionally, many independent newspaper houses are presently shut,
and their premises forcibly occupied by soldiers and p olicemen.
Again, our members are affected.
What is the position of the Awareness League towards the
election?
The June 12, 1993 presidential elections pitted the Social
Democratic Party candidate, Moshood Abiola, against Bashir Tofa, the
candidate of the right-wing National Republican Convention. The
latter was clearly the candidate of the military. All progre ssive
groups, trade unions, pro-democracy groups, and left organizations,
including the Awareness League, rallied around the SDP candidate.
This action was, in the main, a vote against military rule. The
Awareness League, like many other left groups, was of the view that
the installation of a left-of-center government was a minimum
condition for the propagation and pursuit of anarcho-syndicalist
struggle and ideals.
Is there cooperation with other groups in Nigeria and other
African states?
The Awareness League collaborates with the human rights group
Campaign for Democracy, but we are not members of the group. There is
an emerging body in Nigeria known as the Left Coalition, to which the
Awareness League belongs. Our next congress will, hopefully, ratify
this step. We have been trying without success to establish links
with other left groups, and preferably anarchist groups, in other
African countries, especially South Africa.
What are the main fields of activity of the Awareness League?
In which professions and social groups are members of the Awareness
League from?
Our activities are mainly in the area of worker education,
ideological re-orientation, creation of the necessary environment for
political consciousness, propaganda, and mobilization. Our members
are mainly university workers and teachers, journalists, civil
servants, and students.
Are there many women in the Awareness League, and what are
their main political activities and interests?
Unfortunately, there are not many women members in the Awareness
League. This has to do with the structure of African society, in
which women hardly take part in political activities. This is made
worse by the fact that not as many women as men are edu cated. Most
women, therefore, are not in a position to appreciate the program of
anarcho-syndicalism. All that will be a thing of the past with
sustained political education and enlightenment over a period of
time.
What can people in other countries do to support the fight of
the Awareness League in Nigeria?
Fist and foremost, the Awareness League seeks fraternal
international solidarity. We also seek material and financial support
to be able to build a strong anarchist group in Nigeria by creating
the necessary enlightenment and ideological consciousness for the
mobilization of workers, leftists, and other activists. Our immediate
needs include a printing machine, photocopying machine, electric
typewriter, anarchist literature, books and other materials. These
materials will enable us to carry out our edu cational and propaganda
activities throughout the country, and facilitate our communication
with other groups around the world.
POB 1920
Enugu State
Nigeria
[Donations should be sent in cash or unsigned, blank American
Express Travelers checks.]
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