The Omaha guide., 1945-11-03

South Africa and Kenya. Mass meetings through
out Nigeria passed resolutions denounclng the
Uncle Toms who voted support for Richards and
demanded that the Colonial Office rescind the I'M
democratic constitution and take its hands off the
African lands. In the face of this nationwide in
surgency the Government flew to London to consult
with the Colonial Office. Meanwhile the natives
collected over $50, 600 for the expenses of a delega-
ton to London. Head of the delegation was Her
bert Macauly, Nigeria's "elder statesman who
successfully fought the British thirty years ago
when the Government attempted to confiscate tri~
bal lands belonging to Chief Elako, active ruler of
Lagos. The delegation Of twelve included repre-
sentatives from the most important tribes, Christ
ian, Mosem and Pagan. Azikiwe was appointed
secretary:
The Nigerian Trade Union Congress sent the fol
lowing cable to Oliver Stanley, British Colonial
Secretary: "Nigerian Trades Unions disfavor the
constitution in its present unsatisfactory form.
Approval by the Legislative Council is unauthoriz-
ed. Workers claims have been flagrantly ignored.
Memoranda mfollows.' One of the main points in
the memorandum Of the I. u. @. was that "the pro-
posed constitution should provide for adult suffrage
irrespective Of income AT the huge May Day
1915 celebration of the Il. u. O.. in Lagos a resolution
demanded full adult suffrage for the people Of Nj
geria.
There are no essential differences between the
new constitution and the old. The projected "re-
forms" do not in any respect constitute progress
toward Nigeria's independence. The real power
still rests in the hands of the Governor and his Elk
ecutive Council. The new reforms simply serve
to reinforce the alliance between the British and au-
tocratlc native rulers in opposition to the will and
desires OF the people. The primary functions of the
chiefs under this system Of indirect rule are to
maintain imperialist claw and ORDER secure fore
ed labor, recruit troops in time Of war, and, above
all else, collect the extortionate taxes imposed by
the British authorities.
Before the conquest Of the country by the EurOp.
cans the authority Of the chiefs derived from the
people and from elected councils Of elders. They
were subject to the will of the people. IF he be-
came autOcartic and tyrannical, the chief could be
removed by the people. Today under the system
of indirect rule, the chiefs are servants of the Brit
ish OverlOrds.
The people are recognizing the true role of the
chiefs as agents Of British rule and asserting them
selves IN opposition. The Colonial authorities, a
ware OF the dangers Of this rising tide Of popular
discomfort, are attempting to arrest the growing
democratic aspirations Of the people by tieing the
chiefs more closely to themselves under the new
constitution.
The West African Pilot, reviewing these propos-
ais, said: ANY system Of government which nour-
lshes feudallsm or advances a barOnial class who
must thrive at the expense Of the lower class is I'M
deslrable---The powerful indirect rulers of the
north enjoy good salaries 5000 pounds per annum
and Oriental palaces, they have nothing to COMPLAIN
about. But the classes under them have no Justice,
no education and their health is not enviable. The
building up Of a ruling class, vested with power,
supplied with money and set up to live in pOmp and
IuAuly STU ny SIuo Will q poor ana unQeTfed peas
ant class, will have exactly the same result as such
a system has had in other ountres-namely the
people seek the destruction Of such institutions"
The economic and political events Of the past
five years in Nigeria eliminating in the triumph
ant general strike of the organized workers against
the government confir manew the Trotskyist theo--
ry of the permanent revolution applied to the strug-
giles of the colonial peoples. In his report to the
Third Congress Of the Communist international in
1921 Trotsky predicted: "The combination Of the
military nationalistic oppression Of foreign imper-
ialism, Of the capitalist exploitation BY the FOREIGN
and native botrgeoisie, and the survivals Of fcudal
disabilities are c~erating the conditions il which tie
immature proletariat Of the colonial countries must
develop rapidly and take the lead in the revolution
airy movement Of the peasant masses"
IMPACT OF IMPERIALISM
This is what is happening in Nigeria. There the
impact OF imperialism is breaking up the ancient
conditions of life and labor. Agricultural produc-
ton has been carried on by small indenendent
peasant producers working upon land which is not
privately owned but held in trust from the tribe.
But these peasants have been unable to escape the
fare-raching tenacles Of finance capital. They arc
MOntinund III na0a E@71N