Democratic Socialist Movement (Nigeria)

The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) is the Nigerian section of the Committee for a Workers' International

Committee for a Workers' International

The Committee for a Workers' International is an international association of Trotskyist parties. Members include the Socialist Party of England and Wales, the Socialist Party , the Socialist Party the Democratic Socialist Movement in South Africa and Nigeria and groups using the name Socialist...

(CWI). It publishes a bi-monthly newspaper, Socialist Democracy.

Foundation

The section was first founded in 1986 at a conference of labour and student socialist activists, although due to the military dictatorship at the time, the DSM as an open organisation was only launched in July 1998. Prior to this the section was identified mainly by the name of its newspaper, Labour Militant (1987–1994) and Militant (1994–1998).

Structure

The basic unit of DSM is the local branch. The highest policy making body is the National Congress which meets annually. The next in rank is a National Committee comprising representatives of branches and which meets at least three times a year. A National Executive Committee, elected by the National Congress, directs the day-to-day work of the organisation.

Campaigns

During the first 13 years of the section's existence they were heavily involved in fighting against the dictatorship in Nigeria at that time. Since then they have continued to fight for full democratic rights, but also for the rights of workers. This campaigning has led to the arrest several times of leading DSM activists.
More recently, the DSM played a leading role in the general strike of June 2007 against high fuel prices

NCP, Elections and a Mass Working People's Party

Although currently part of the National Conscience Party (NCP), the DSM has argued since the 1980s for the formation of a Mass Working People's Party. They argue that such a party should be wholly opposed to neo-liberalism and privatisation.
The DSM participated in the briefly lived Nigerian Labour Party in 1989, and participated in the founding by Gani Fawehinmi

Gani Fawehinmi

Chief Abdul-Ganiyu "Gani" Oyesola Fawehinmi, was a Nigerian author, publisher, philanthropist, social critic, human and civil rights lawyer, politician and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria .-Early life:Fawehinmi, popularly called Gani, was born on 22 April 1938, into the Fawehinmi...

of the National Conscience Party in 1994.
In the 2003 elections, the DSM stood as candidates for the NCP and achieved some of the party's highest votes. However, in 2007 DSM members democratically elected at a State wide NCP conference were bureaucratically replaced as NCP candidates in Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

State by the current NCP leadership, leading local NCP members withdrew their candidates from the elections. Since then, Lagos

Lagos

State NCP has quit the National Conscience Party and set up the Campaign for the Formation of a Genuine Mass Working Peoples' Party.

International affiliation

The Democratic Socialist Movement is affiliated to the Committee for a Workers' International

Committee for a Workers' International

, and is the second largest of its forty members.

Publications

As well as regularly producing a paper, the DSM has produced several pamphlets.

Nigeria's Crisis: Time For System Change (2004)

Nigeria: Civil rule in danger (August 2002)

A Season of Struggles (September 2000)

Legacy of Leon Trotsky (2000)

Nigeria's Crisis: Breaking The Vicious Circle (1996)

The Abacha Junta (1995)

Programme and Perspectives for the Nigerian Revolution (1987)

External links

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