USA Africa Dialogue Series - SAWABA DECLARATION

THE SAWABA (FREEDOM) DECLARATION

The Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU)'s Declaration in Kano, August 1948

1.    That the shocking state of social order as at present existing in Northern Nigeria is due to nothing but the family compact rule of the so-called Native Administration in their present autocratic form;

2.    That owing to the unscrupulous and vicious system of administration by the family compact rulers and which has been established  and fully supported by the British imperialist government, there is today in our society an antagonism of interest, manifesting itself as a class struggle, between the members of the vicious circle of Native Administration on the one hand and the ordinary talakawa on the other hand;

3.    That this antagonism can be abolished only by the emancipation of the talakawa from the domination of the privileged few and by the reform of the present autocratic political institutions placing their democratic control in the hands of the talakawa for whom alone they exist;

4.    That this emancipation must be the work of the talakawa themselves;

5.    That as at present, the machinery of government including the armed forces of the nation, exist only to conserve the privilege of this selfish minority group, the talakawa must organize consciously and politically for the conquest of the powers of government both nationally and locally in order that this machinery of government, including these forces, may be converted from an instrument of oppression into the agent of emancipation, and the overthrow of the bureaucracy and autocratic privilege;

6.    That all political parties are the expression of class interest and as the interest of the talakawa is diametrically opposed to the interest of all sections of the master class, both white and black, the party seeking the emancipation of the talakawa must naturally be hostile to the party oppressors;

7.    The Northern Element Progressive Union of Northern Nigeria, therefore being the only political party of the talakawa enters the field of political action determined to reduce to nonentity any party of hypocrites and the traitors to our mother country, and calls upon all the sons and daughters of Northern Nigeria to muster under its banner to the end, that a speedy termination may be wrought to this vicious system of administration which deprive them of the fruits of their labour, and that as poverty may give place to comfort, privilege to equality and political, economic and social slavery to freedom.

 

 

--
Jibrin Ibrahim PhD
Director
Centre for Democracy and Development
16 A7 Street,
CITEC Mbora Estate,
Jabi/Airport Road By-pass,
P.O.Box14345, Wuse
Abuja, Nigeria
Tel - +234 (0)9 7804476
Twitter- @jibrinibrahim17
Facebook- jibrin.ibrahim

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