The Interest Of the Oppressive Ruling Class over theWorking Class - ON THE ISSUE OF FUEL SUBSIDY

After many years of scamming, looting and stealing from the commonwealth crude oil resources of the Nigerian people through the cover of Fuel Subsidy,  the Nigerian oppressive ruling class have further intensified their attack on the livelihood of the Nigerian people by the total removal of fuel subsidy. This class action which was already declared as a cardinal policy of all the ruling class candidates in the recently concluded bourgeois elections has some lessons to bear.

1. The Nigerian ruling class is clear and unified around their class interest. Indeed, Tinibu, Atiku and Obi were all unequivocal and united on the policy of Fuel Subsidy removal. This class exists principally to protect the interest of Big business, private capital and profit. They operate on the instructions and prescriptions of the IMF, World Bank and Foreign Investors all of whom have championed the anti-people pro-business policy of Fuel Subsidy removal

2. The Nigerian working class is not yet Class-Conscious. Unfortunately, while the ruling class are clear and united in their class interest, the working people of Nigeria have no clarity talk more of unity when it comes to where our class interest lies. A clear evidence to this is the massive votes from the working class for the three leading candidates of the ruling class in the just concluded elections who openly paraded an anti-people policy of Fuel Subsisdy removal.

3. The fact that we constantly praise and exalt this oppressive ruling class because of their material things which are all stolen from our commonwealth shows our deep misunderstanding and confusion of our class interest. This is made possible through the use of Educational indoctrination, Media propaganda, Religious Institutions, Paid bloggers and Influencers, sanctions and rewards etc. All these are instruments of the ruling class to continuously exploit and subjugate the people.

4. The Oppressive ruling class in Nigeria is a puppet and comprador class of Neo-colonialism.  They have historically adopted all the Neo-Liberal prescriptions set by their masters through the World Bank, IMF, WTO, MNCs, Foreign governments, NGOs…etc. A critical example is the Structural Adjustment Program(SAP) which drastically reduced public subsidies, shut down state enterprises and generally defunded public sector for Foreign investment and private capital.

5. SAP was a major prescription of the IMF and World Bank from the 1970s set for the puppet class in Nigeria. When it was then fully implemented in the 1990s it drastically increased the cost of living and reduced the life quality of the Nigerian Working class and in turn redistributed public wealth to private hands. It was the beginning of the cut in public spending and subsidies to the Nigerian people for the abstract idea of a free market- a market which exists for Big capital to exploit labour   

6. The Nigerian political and business elite work together. The Naira re-design policy saw the connivance between Bank owners and politicians to profit from the suffering of the Nigerian working people. Removal of fuel subsidy by the political elite have also been capitalized upon by owners of Petrol stations to profit from the anti-people pro-business policy of fuel subsidy removal. The political elite and business elite share the same class interest of exploiting the people.

7. The Nigerian Government works primarily for the interest of Big Business and is opposed to the people. Rather than renewing and reviving our moribund public refineries for efficient and effective refining of crude oil and for affordable Fuel, Kerosine, Diesel etc for the people, they would rather use taxpayers money to support their class member to build a private refinery which exposes the people to exploitation in the purchase of the by-products of our commonwealth crude oil.

8. The propaganda that removal of Fuel subsidy will result in increased public spending on health and education is false.

To be continued...