The Socialist Workers League (SWL) salutes Take It Back movement for the gallant mobilisation and organising it put into the nationwide #April7Protest organised by its members. This action, which took place in different states of the country across virtually all the six geopolitical zones, and in defiance of repressive measures of the state, is a testament to the resilience of the political resistance which the movement represents.
SWL notes that in rallying the masses against the Cybercrimes (Prevention, Prohibition, Etc) (Amendment) Act, 2024, TIB thus stands as a voice for the defence of the rights of all of us, to enjoy freedom of expression as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. We salute the courage and consistency of TIB for not agonising but organising and mobilising as a social force against the Nigerian state and its oppressive machinery.
The SWL firmly believes that the #RepealTheCyberCrimeAct campaign is of utmost importance, being that it is a campaign to uphold free speech, which should be one ideal of democracy. However, the Bola Tinubu-led APC regime’s continued intensification of its anti-democratic tendencies does not surprise us. The government cannot solve the crisis of capitalism that besets us, because it represents this system. It cannot guarantee food, shelter and security for the working people. And its response to our discontent is repression. But, as TIB has shown on our collective behalf, it cannot break our resolve as a people.
Since its enactment in 2015, the controversial law has faced condemnation and contestation at various law courts in Nigeria, including the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court for violation of the freedom of speech. As a matter of fact, the Federal Government spent four years before making amendments to the Act in 2024 in fulfilment of the judgement order given by the ECOWAS court in 2020 for the repeal or amendment of the Section (24) of the repressive Act.
The case of the Cybercrimes Act is an example of how the law is used as an instrument of domination to legitimise the rule of oppressors. The law mostly reflects the political will of the ruling class under the exploitative capitalist system to protect the interests of the rich and powerful, because capitalist democracy is a dictatorship of the ruling class.
In fact, over the years, even after its amendment, the APC regime has weaponized the Act to suppress dissenting voices. The #April7Protest was a protest against the excesses of a tyrannical regime and bad governance. It is also a protest against the contradictions of capitalism, which pays lip service to democracy but represses the people who speak against the bankruptcy of the system. TIB’s nationwide protest is a call to all the exploited and oppressed people in Nigeria. We must fight until we win.
Signed: Jamiu TOWOLAWI (National Chairperson) & Amara NWOSU (National Secretary)
