The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN) has declared that the promise of democracy in Nigeria has been betrayed by what it described as “a parasitic ruling class”.
Marking 26 years of Nigeria’s democratic dispensation, the group said the country’s vast human and natural resources have been systematically looted by successive administrations.
“We declare unequivocally that the promise of democracy has been betrayed by a parasitic ruling class whose greed, incompetence, and anti-people policies have plunged our nation into unprecedented crises,” the group said in statement issued on Wednesday by its National Secretary, Comrade Iortyom Douglass Moses.
The WYSN noted that despite generating trillions in oil revenue, Nigeria remains a caricature of development, with over 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty.
Unemployment rates have soared above 40%, and inflation has rendered basic necessities unaffordable, the WYSN said. “Over 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty, with unemployment rates soaring above 40% and inflation rendering basic necessities unaffordable,” the group added.
The education system is in ruins, with underfunded schools and incessant strikes by ASUU and other unions, while healthcare is a death trap for the poor, the WYSN said. “Our education system is in ruins, with underfunded schools and incessant strikes by ASUU and other unions. Healthcare is a death trap for the poor, as public hospitals lack basic equipment and drugs,” the group noted.
The WYSN attributed the escalating security crises to systemic inequalities perpetuated by capitalism. “These security challenges are not isolated but rooted in the systemic inequalities perpetuated by capitalism,” the group said. “Over 63,000 lives have been lost to insecurity since 1999, with millions displaced as refugees in their own land.”
The group, however, rejected the idea that this is the best democracy can offer and called for a socialist transformation of Nigeria. “True democracy cannot exist under a capitalist system that prioritizes profit over human needs,” it said.
The group saluted the resilience of Nigerian workers and youth who have resisted through strikes, mass protests, and movements like #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance.
The WYSN made specific demands, including an end to neoliberal policies, nationalization of key sectors under workers’ control, and prosecution of corrupt politicians and recovery of looted funds for public welfare.
“An end to neoliberal policies and the nationalization of key sectors under workers’ control. Massive investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructure to meet the needs of the masses. Prosecution of corrupt politicians and recovery of looted funds for public welfare,” the group demanded.
As Nigeria marks 26 years of democracy, the WYSN avowed commitment to the struggle for a socialist Nigeria where the wealth of the land serves the many, not the few. “Let us recommit to the struggle for a socialist Nigeria where the wealth of our land serves the many, not the few. The power lies with the working class and the oppressed masses,” the group said.
