Reinstate Ruqaiyyat!

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ruqaComrade Abdullahu Adeka, the Nasarawa NLC State Council has described the condemnable sack of Ruqaiyyat Tijjani Usman, by the state government as foul play, which will be resisted. Ruqaiyyat, a lawyer with the state ministry of justice was relieved of her duty with no clearly stated reason on February 26.

But, the reason for this questionable anti-worker stance of the government can be easily deduced. During the recent strike by Nasarawa state workers demanding the payment of their backlog of salaries, a “demonstration” by paid hoodlums was orchestrated by the government, to make the strike seem unpopular with workers.

Ruqaiyyat observed this and posted on her facebook wall: “I can see some political thugs protesting and not professionals; are we going down this way? I weep for my state.” The Nasarawa state government did not feel comfortable with this expose.

Now we know why the federal legislators tried to pass the “social media bill”, which they were forced to step down on due to mass outcry. The rich politicians across all tiers of governance know their hands are not clean and do not want to be exposed.

This repressive act also shows that, while we won against the bosses’ intent to pass that tyrannical bill, they will still use any means they can muster, to silence us. The attack against Ms Ruqaiyyat is thus an attack against free speech, and an attack against us all.

Social media themselves do not fight the bosses and their system. They are however channels we can use, not just to express ourselves. They are tools for agitation and mass mobilisation. This actually is what the bosses and politicians fear the most. We are more than them. And when we organise, and are conscious and aware of what the bosses are and what our ultimate aim is, we can bring to birth a new, better society on the ashes of their exploitative system.

Socialist Worker joins the Nasarawa NLC State Council in condemning the sack of Ruqaiyyat and in demanding her immediate reinstatement.

– Yusuf Lawal

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