The 'Ali Must Go' protest of 1978 was a watershed moment in Nigeria's history, laying the concrete foundation for confronting military rule. The uprising, led by the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS), shattered the belief that military governments were invulnerable to popular struggles. It gave birth to the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), which waged numerous struggles from 1981 to 1993, demystifying the military and developing the psychological basis for opposition to confront military despots.
June 12: A Glorious Era in the Struggle for Nigeria
Yesterday, Friday, 12 June marked the thirty-third year since General Babangida's military junta annulled Nigeria's freest, fairest, and most credible presidential election. On 23 June 1994, business mogul Chief Moshood Abiola was illegally arrested and held in solitary confinement without trial for four years by the brutish administration of General Sani Abacha. This generated popular sentiments and struggles against military rule. The struggle for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate rekindles bitter memories but remains a glorious era in the fight for democracy. June 12 has become a public holiday, and awards have been given to some who fought for the election's actualisation, with others declared 'Heroes and Heroines' of June 12.
Questions Arise Over Criteria for Heroes and Heroines
Questions arise: What criteria were used to determine the 'Heroes and Heroines'? Why did these individuals struggle for June 12? Was it truly for democracy, or because they fell out with the despots? Could it be that they wanted to replace military despotism with their own? If the government is serious about June 12, it must declassify security reports so that emancipatory forces can study and act on them.
The Roots of June 12: The Ali-Must-Go Uprising
What is indisputable is that the June 12 struggles did not start with the annulment of the election; they predated 12 June 1993. The remotest foundation was laid by the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS), which organised and led the April 1978 'Ali-Must-Go' students' uprising. This uprising initiated unprecedented historical consciousness among Nigerian students, marked a turning point in student-state relations, and was a watershed in radical, pro-people, pro-democracy, and anti-state students' unionism in post-colonial Nigeria.
First, it shattered the belief that military governments were immune to popular struggles. Second, it gave birth to NANS. Third, it changed the students' motto from 'Commendation, Condemnation & Recommendation' to 'An Injury to One is An Injury to All', 'Aluta Continua, Victoria Acerta', and 'Everything for the Struggle, Victory for All'.
The Great Anti-SAP Uprising of 1989
In 1989, NANS organised a nationwide 'Great Anti-SAP Uprising'. It was fierce. One NANS pamphlet read: 'Nigerian students cannot afford to watch any longer while their lives are being battered. We have appealed and demanded. They have refused to bugle. We have been patient enough. Everywhere the clarion call is for ACTION NOW!' The 'Ango Must Go' protests at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the nationwide uprisings that accompanied them, generated popular sentiments and disdain for military rule. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), supported by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), declared 4 June 1986 as a day of mourning, to be commemorated by peaceful protest marches. The march was aborted by a naked show of force, portraying the Babangida regime in bad light and shattering its propaganda of being a 'human rights' and 'pro-democracy' entity.
Student-Led Protests and Military Repression
On 10 April 1988, students led by NANS began a nationwide protest against a 2.5 kobo increase in petrol prices. Placards read: 'Babangida, agent of imperialism', 'Restore oil subsidy', and 'No to SAP'. Workers joined, exasperating the despots. Colonel David Mark charged: 'Students cannot go on rampage just because of 2.5 kobo increase in fuel prices. How many students own cars?' Despite the proscription of the NLC, workers seized the opportunity to protest. Students and citizens were maimed, killed, arrested, detained, and tortured. Nonetheless, the protests showed that the struggle against military authoritarianism could not be aborted.
During the 'Great Anti-SAP Uprising', protesters sang Peter Tosh songs: 'Down pressor man where you gonna run to on that day...' and 'Everyone is crying out for peace, yes, None is crying out for justice, I don't want no peace, I need equal rights and justice.' When police threatened to shoot, protesters beckoned: 'Join us or shoot us!' When police started shooting, protesters replied: 'How many can you kill?' Others sang: 'If we die today, we shall die no more.' Students and protesters were killed across the country. In some places, police abandoned their posts or tacitly supported protesters. The military was eventually brought in to suppress the uprising.
Distrust of the Military Grows
The 'Great Anti-SAP Uprising' generated huge distrust of the military. The African Concord of 17 July 1989 reported: 'There is no denying the groundswell of cynicism and distrust civilians now harbour against the military, and their mounting readiness to defy military authorities, and confronting soldiers eye-ball-to-eye ball. It appears the military uniform that used to make civilians hold soldiers in awe has lost its mystique.'
1990 Protests and the June 12 Struggles
In 1990, students began another protest against the World Bank, which wanted some courses scrapped in universities. The protests were suspended following the 22 April 1990 aborted coup of Major Gideon Orkar, which sought to excise some states. NANS posited that 'successive military regimes in Nigeria have proved to be guilty of the general malaise of power-drunk autocracy, violation of human rights, kleptomaniac corruption and unpatriotic capitulation to imperialism.'
These narratives show that the struggles for June 12 were essentially struggles against military rule, for civil rule, democracy, and development. They were the continuation and culmination of previous struggles spearheaded by students. The 'Ali-Must-Go' uprising laid the concrete foundation for confronting military rule. The formation of NANS and its struggles from 1981 to 1993 demystified the military and developed the psychological basis for opposition. Former student leaders and activists were in the forefront of the June 12 struggles, populating the print media, civil society organisations, and law firms. Most journalists illegally arrested and detained were products of the students' movement, as were those who commanded the June 12 street protests. Hence, the June 12 struggles were part of the trajectory of the war against military rule in Nigeria.
