By Tochukwu Ezukanma<\/p>\n
For long, we derogated Nigerian youths for their greed-laced indolence,
\ncivil indifference and political passivity. With the #EndSARS protest,
\nwhich started, almost spontaneously, in reaction against the brutality
\nand bestiality of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the youth
\nearned the respect of the generality of Nigerians. For a protest that
\nwas ostensibly leaderless, the youth demonstrated impressive
\norganization, orderliness, and peacefulness. Their speeches evinced
\nknowledge and versatility, and their stated objectives were
\nunassailable. They meticulously handled the logistics for the protest
\nand carefully tended the sites of the protest. Many us that, in the
\npast, disparaged them, for once, had reasons to doff our hats for them.<\/p>\n
I was at the converging points of the #EndSARS protest at the two Ikeja
\nUnderbridges: General Hospital and Computer Village. The two venues were
\ncrowded with protesters. They were boisterous but orderly and peaceful.
\nThe gatherings had an aura of a carnival. Music blasted from
\nloudspeakers, and was occasionally interrupted by announcements. The
\nprotesters, mostly youthful and very educated, romped to the rhythmical
\nthrobbing of songs by Nigerian artists. Some of the songs were just
\nentertaining, with romantic and platitudinous lyrics. Others, though
\nentertaining, had poignant lyrics that resonated with the protest. Their
\nlyrics brayed against official oppression, irresponsible leadership and
\nsocial injustice. These included the songs of the indefatigable
\niconoclast, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, with their coarse, solemn and prophetic
\nmessages, and Idris Abdulkarem\u2019s Nigeria jagajaga; everything scatter,
\nscatter; poor man dey suffer, suffer; etc.<\/p>\n
But what could have been wrong with such a magnificent spectacle?
\nNigerian youths fired by patriotism, yearning for a decent life and
\nlonging for social justice, and totally oblivious of tribal, religious,
\npolitical, and socio-economic divides, stood up in unionism in exercise
\nof their democratic right to peaceful protest. What was wrong with the
\nyouth \u2013 the flower and promise of Nigeria \u2013 demanding accountability
\nand respect for the rule of law from the Nigerian Police Force and the
\nruling elite?<\/p>\n
Evidently, it did not sit right with the forces of greed and
\ninsensitivity that have, for long, misruled the country, stolen and
\nsplurged her commonwealth, treated the people with horrifying scorn, and
\nunleashed their tool of intimidation, repression and extra-judicial
\nkilling (the Nigerian Police Force) on the people. These forces of evil
\n\u2013 the Nigerian ruling elite – for long, maintained its stranglehold on
\nthe country by its artful manipulation of the masses: calling white
\nblack; evil, good; and setting us against one another, along ethnic and
\nreligious lines. The protest demonstrated unity, unity that straddled
\ntribal, religious, and zonal fault lines. It evinced courage, moral
\ncourage to do what is right, irrespective of personal consequences. The
\nruling elite was disconcerted by this strategically directed unity and
\ncourage. They feared it will unravel their oligarchic grip on Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Thus, there was the need to, first, discredit the protesters, and then,
\nattack them. The hoodlums that infiltrated the protest were sponsored by
\ngovernment agents. There were footages showing them being dropped off by
\ngovernment-owned vehicles and being directed by men that cut the image
\nof State Security Service (SSS) officials. The distinction between the
\nprotesters and the hoodlums were dazzlingly obvious. The police could
\nreadily differentiate the hoodlums from the protesters and could have
\nchecked their criminal activities if they so desired. They allowed the
\nhoodlums a free hand because the ruling elite needed to cast the
\ncriminality of the hoodlums as part of the protest. To rationalize their
\nplanned attack on the protesters, they needed to tarnish their image.<\/p>\n
Finally, on Black Tuesday, the Nigerian army struck, and murdered at
\nleast twenty seven and injured more than thirty of protesters. That any
\ngovernment could attack those youths, an epitome of our best and
\nbrightest, and the cream and future of the country boggles the mind. It
\nwas an anachronism, repulsively out of sync with the time. After all,
\nNigeria is a democracy, and Nigerians have constitutionally guaranteed
\nright to self-expression and peaceful protests. Not even in the darkest
\ndays of military despotism and obscurantism did Nigerians witness such a
\nbarbaric onslaught on the innocent. Never before in the history of
\nNigeria did a government turn the guns on peaceful, flag-waving,
\nnational anthem-singing protesters. The attack was so surreal and
\nmacabre; it seemed like a scene off a horror movie.<\/p>\n
Outraged by the massacre and the shameless attempt by the federal and
\nLagos State governments to deny and dissemble the massacre, other
\nNigerian youths, less enlightened and more frenzied than the protesters
\n\u2013 \u201cthe hoodlums\u201d – took to rampaging through the streets of Lagos,
\nlooting, destroying and burning. They targeted government institutions,
\nand properties and businesses of those suspected of having encouraged,
\nor acquiesced to, the killing. Both the protest and the post-protest
\nrampage were palpable vents of anger, long-repressed anger. Nigerians
\nare angry, very angry at the status quo. They are angry at an evil
\noligarchy that, in its cruelty, cupidity, and sordid designs, misruled
\nthe country and systematically degraded her people.<\/p>\n
If not urgently assuaged, this pent-up discontent and disillusionment
\ncan become explosive. For the good of the country, the power elite must
\nrecognize and address this smoldering anger. It cannot be addressed by
\nquibbling and sophistry, denials and alibis, brutality and repression.
\nIt demands unflinching resolve and determined actions at fundamental
\nreforms that will ensure accountability, respect for the rule of law,
\nsevere curb on official corruption and theft of public funds, principled
\ndistribution of the national wealth, etc.<\/p>\n
With their protest, the youths were speaking for Nigerians. Their
\nmessage remains clear, loud, and unequivocal: we have, for so long and
\nfor so much, stomached the instomachable, tolerated the intolerable, and
\nsuffered the insufferable. Enough is enough.<\/p>\n
Tochukwu Ezukanma writes from Lagos, Nigeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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