Ayade’s Economic Policies Will Create Class Consciousness -A Rejoinder

Emmanuel Undie|14 September 2015|6:40am

This article first appeared on the social media account of the present author, about last week, in the attempt to properly educate the public on the subject of Marx' class consciousness theory and it's form of manifestation in C' River as against the misrepresentation by Governor Ben Ayade's Personal Assistant on Media, namely Inok Solomon. This is to say, the original discussion was between Eau Undie and PA Inok Solomon.However, this press outfit deemed it apposite for publication owing to its informative character as well as putting things into perspectives.

"Ayade's Economic Policies Will Create Class Consciousness"-A Rejoinder

I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to tell the world here
Sir. Are you saying creating Class Consciousness in CRS by Governor
Ben Ayade is a good thing? Are you saying the way CRS government is
going about things, placing people against each other, introducing a
Police State and high-handedness, compelling a forced favorable public
opinion, instituting a special social class excepted as special citizens and exempted by law, favoring some groups over and above the
other, running a State system lawlessly, etc. is the right way to do
things? That these ways that will definitely create Class
Consciousness is a good way to govern? Wow!

What you don't understand Sir, is that the class consciousness theory
by Karl Marx was not a positive definition of government actions. It
was a proposed change of state of minds of the workers and the
oppressed to mentally prepare them for the revolution so needed to
arm-twist the ruling class to be considerate in their oppressive
tendencies.

Basically, Marx, a German Economist propounded theories in works that were seen as anti-government and so anti-leadership, radical, inspirational and provoking to the revolutionary elements of the society of those days so the institutions that be and the elites in the State never liked the guy. You can not lay side by side Ayade who is a core leftist capitalist with Karl Marx who was a man of the people and a socialist. You cannot in your wildest dream, try to compare Ayade in his best moments to Marx in his worst moments. Do you understand what you are trying to say?

Marx saw the society and consequently, the world as a group where inequality reigned, with its people as either at the top or below;
advantaged or disadvantaged, favored or disfavored. Ayade is not one of us. He is favored. He's on top. He is advantaged. And he took that
advantage from a system of corruption and insensitivity, a system skewed against the poor. Ayade paid for his ticket; He paid for state security to rig election for him. He paid for election officers to rig
election for him. These are things Bourgeoise, not peasants, do. They
take the power by force. They believe power belongs to them and they trash the rest of us to get there. They don't have people in mind when they make or implement laws. The laws are to keep us all down so they can continue to rule and climb! This is what Marx was saying-Where the disadvantaged are trampled upon by those in advantaged positions.

Marx had his eyes on the plight of the working class not the ruling
class. In CRS we know it is the same thing. Ayade is not doing
anything for the working class. To compare with Buhari, as soon as the
president came to power, he has been working to change the laws that encourage impunity, change the economic processes that encourage stealing, change the political landscape that encouraged corruption, put together a court system that is independent and that works and he is doing it quietly. With that framework in place, he hopes the country will run well on the right hinges. Ayade has yet to give us a single people-friendly bill from the government house. He has yet to give us a single action that addresses the plight of the people of
Cross River State.

Paying salaries is a debt the state owes workers. Only a thief would hire people, send them to work and leave them for 8 months hungry. As we talk, CRUTECH is still threatening strike action after the government asked them to go back to work before negotiations. And the two senior heads in government are all supposed to understand the plight of the academics and institutions in the country. In the meantime, the deputy governor has said NOTHING about ANYTHING since he came to office. Must he keep that office? Let him go back home to his retirement! More so, we all know that as we talk, the judiciary is still at home, not working. The courts are not working. No case is heard in Cross River all this length of time. What do you call a system that has no courts? This means what is ruling CRS is a jungle justice system at the moment. Don't you see it?

Last week at CRUTECH gate in Ekpo Abasi, a government vehicle fully
loaded with men carrying short guns were displaying there in the
presence of ordinary civilians. These didn't look like security men.
They looked like some non-government gun-runners using government vehicles? Working for government? And in this country, nobody comes up to explain anything! The common man on the street does not care. A visit that took me there, that was to last for 4 hours was cut short to 15 minutes. That is an extreme level of lawlessness and insecurity perpetrated by the State Government. Last week in Obudu, what I saw beats my imagination. A car loaded with boys on black, all strange faces with a Plateau State plate number…strange car in town. And no security outfit would stop such suspicious group for a brief check. And we are thinking we have a people-oriented government? Go across the state and see the number of police blocks on the way between the North and South, collecting money from innocent, tired civilians.
It's a terrible situation. Don't you see it?

In Marx's time, the working class worked according to the dictates of
the ruling class. The ruling class controlled the Land, Resources,
industries, money, everything and they give to the working class what
they wanted and the working class had no questions and no many options available. Is this what you are advocating for Cross River State? Seriously? Marx abhorred the theory and practice of capitalism. Only capitalism bred by the bourgeoisie creates such level of inequality that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. You mean you do not know this? Seriously?

What you are saying which you don't know you are saying and which we want the state and all other government arms to know is the fact that class consciousness creates serious bad blood and is a timely catalyst for Change. Yes, Change! Preached! Practiced! carried to the streets! Revolution! When the oppressed would rise up and prefer to die than live for nothing! When the fathers and mothers prefer to die in the
hands of the governors than watch their kids die in hunger and lack of
salary payments! School fees that cannot be paid keep them sleepless!
Naked kids roaming the streets eating from the gutters! Don't you see it on the streets of Calabar?And you sing the songs of a people-oriented governor! That's the highest form of blindness.

If, like Marx, you are calling for a revolution by the working class
as a result of the inequality being created in CRS, and if you are
doing this on behalf of the government, then, Sir, I hail you! Then, you are saying the minds of the greatest number of Cross Riverians and I hail you! Then you are representing the impoverished and I respect you!

Marx said Class Consciousness should be developed by these workers who needed to be 'conscious' that they were what they were-laborers! With that 'consciousness', they could rise up, united as one, to revolt and change their social state and societal evil of inequality and by this, stand up to their oppressors. I believe one day, it may get to this if the rulers don't change the way they look at the rest of us.

 Long Live Cross River State.

 Long Live Nigeria