Politics
STAKEHOLDERS have called on Nigerians to imbibe the ideologies of Vladimir Lenin, for sustainable development.
The stakeholders said this at the International Lenin Centenary Conference on Monday in Abuja.
Leninism emanated from Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary figure and founder of the Russian communism who overthrew Czar Nicolas II), it is a practical adaptation of Marxism for overthrowing the government, and its main focus is the process of subversion and the transformation of the country into a communist society.
Ms Owei Lakemfa, the Chairperson, Organising Committee for the conference, described Leninism as a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin .
Lakemfa said Leninism was a way of thinking about how workers could be empowered for a sustainable and developed country.
“The message is that there are alternatives ideas in the world ,apart from the capitalist system ,there is also a system more humane which we can pursue for a better Nigeria which we tried to pursue in the Fiirst Republic.
“During that time, the state was making contributions, and industrialising unlike what people are doing now which is the opposite.
“Rather than industrialise and build things, they are selling what have been built.
“People like Obafemi Awolowo suggested that we need a socialist system to include every body’s right to education ,free health ,accommodation and rural development and that was what they tried to do over the years,” she said.
Lakemfa called on Nigerians to explore alternative ideas to address the challenges in the country by becoming more productive rather than depend solely on import.
He said world over ,the government was in charge of development and called on the Nigerian government to charge and make the country more productive.
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero, said Leninism emerged at a tumultuous period of history and it sought to provide a framework for the establishment of a socialist state.
“Without the work of Vladimir Lenin who was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist and his group, all the beautiful Marxian postulations may not have found traction in real world economy.
“We therefore owe him greatly for the practicality and vibrancy of the ideologies of the Left. It is essential to assess how Leninist principles resonate with the challenges posed by these modern phenomena.
”It is important to state that his postulations have remained more valid and potent today than at its beginnings for people of conscience especially the left and indeed working-class activists as we are confronted with the deepening challenges of an increasing distorted and polarised world,” Ajaero represented by the Head of Information of the NLC, Mr Benson Upah said.
Ajaero said the celebration of Lenin would be in vain if active steps and resolutions were not taken to work together with the determination to work together as Nigerians to make a difference in the nation.
He urged citizens to be committed to reclaiming the civic space by building and empowering cadres across the nation and use it to bring an end oppressive tendencies.
Also, Mr Ray Bishop, the representative of the International Community League, said one of the Lenin’s contributions to the world was to build the Bolsheviks in Russia because that party gave the necessary leadership to the working class in 1917.
Bishop said that the movement helped in leading all the oppressed people and brought about the October revolution and the biggest defeat that imperialism ever suffered .
“Today, with all the problems in the world ,the key problems like national and social development in Africa and latin America can be defeated with proper programming to defeat imperialism, “he said.
Prof. Nuhu Yaqub, a former Vice-Chancellor, Sokoto State University, called on union leaders to be more committed to the course of promoting the welfare of the working class.
“What we are celebrating today is the practicality of changing people’s lives through Leninism, so I am asking the trade unions here and other stakeholders to emulate Lenin’s ideology .
“Lenin was able to organise for a better course and I urge unions to do the same and not just to fight for salary increase which by the time it is increased ,the value is gone.
“We are looking for a trade unionist like Lenin who was able to mobilise the workers for a more profitable course so we need a leadership of that calibre to develop things in this country, “he said
Yaqub said unionists must be committed to achieve a change and save the country, urging them to stay away from politics and not be influenced by politicians .(NAN)
T.S
-January 23, 2024 @ 6:14 GMT|
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