In one’s life, there are a limited number of events that are truly transformational and can be included amongst earth-shattering events. The #EndSars protests was one of them. The same way Americans remember where they were when the Twin Towers came down or when they found out President Kennedy had been assassinated, Nigerians will remember the protests alongside the June 12 protests, the Abacha riots, the Fuel crisis protests in 2012, etc. The protests were truly been momentous and life altering. The genie got out of the bottle and there is no stuffing it back in. The following are self-evident truths from that event.
● The protests were organic: They arose from a buildup of repressed anger from the various injustices dealt out by the men of the Nigerian Police. The Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) was one of the worst and most repressive law enforcement units in the history of the country, with an ignoble ethos of going around in plain clothes, seizing young folks off the streets and extorting them on the basis of some ridiculous profiling. There were also significantly more grievous charges against SARS, of the arbitrary killing of people. In addition, word on the streets is that members of the unit were recruited from the ranks of armed robbers to get the denizens of the underworld off the streets. If we couple the recruitment of criminals off the streets with the inability to pay them a living wage, then you end up with a new super deadly illegal taxation system.
● They were widespread: Although led by youths, the protests cut across all categories of folks. Young, middle-aged and old people embraced and wholeheartedly supported the protests. I can’t count the number of mothers I spoke to over the last few weeks, who described how they constantly worried every time they sent their male and even female children out, because they could get forced into buses driven by men in SARS inscribed outfits. These folks felt directly connected to the protests and wanted it to succeed. The protest won widespread acceptance across most of the Southern parts of Nigeria because the demands were appropriate and #EndSars was an incredibly apt slogan.
● The protests were peaceful: Across all parts of Lagos, people trooped out and took time off from work, etc. to support the movement. Folks danced on the streets and it was truly joyous. People gave of their time and of their livelihoods. It also coincided with the remote working policies of various companies, which allowed people to troop to the various meeting points in Alausa, etc. And finally, the youth adopted the Japanese model of cleaning up the protest sites at the end of each day.
● The protests were leaderless: Although there were a lot of people who handled different parts of the protests, for example, the Feminist Coalition, with the finances; celebrities, deploying their star power and platforms to drive awareness and engagement; and Nigerians in diaspora, converging to protests at foreign embassies. The leaderlessness of the protest seemed to have had two distinct impacts. First, the usual tactics of divide-and-conquer by government, which had been used on labour-led protests time and again, was impossible in this instance. No one had enough authority to be seen as the representative of the whole, who could then be bribed and subverted to switch off the protest pipes. This, however, also made it difficult to drive negotiations around the five cardinal demands of the movement.
● There was a pervasive spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood: There was genuine brotherhood and sisterhood across the widest spectrum of Lagosians. While youths in the North of Nigeria did not join the protests enthusiastically, there were still significant pockets in various states that did. The protests in Lagos and Abuja were the strongest but other states chipped in different sizes of demonstrators.
● The social media activism was effective: The usage of social media in rallying the protesters was exceptional. Throughout the period, the EndSARS hashtag was dominant across all platforms. The hashtag rapidly swept the globe and a lot of celebrities across the world supported the campaign. Hilarious episodes like the harassment of Beyonce to tweet in support of the campaign brought comic relief, though its not fair to expect every single person to offer support.
● The demands were appropriate and logical: Abolish SARS. Punish law breakers. Report the policemen responsible for atrocities and punish them etc. The demands could have been much wider, for example: Punish corrupt government officials, create full employment for youths, etc. But still, the protestors were focused.
● There is need for Police reform: The Nigerian Police Force is probably the worst of all the security agencies in the country. The behaviour of the Police is abhorrent; their barracks are filthy; their uniforms and personalities are negatively complimentary. Discipline is low in the force, with significant disobedience across the rank and file. But what do we expect from an institution with strong roots in the colonial era British police force, which had historically supported the colonial administration against citizens? What did we expect from a Force which, while responsible for security (meaning the need to lay down their lives if necessary), has the lowest salary structure of all government employees. Policemen are required to buy their own uniforms, fuel their operational vehicles, and remit monies to their superiors every month. The recruitment and training process of the officers also seem incredibly flawed, with recruits sometimes not experiencing optimal firearms training, as well as significant psychological training. The baseline for reforming the police should be comprehensive reskilling and retraining, significant improvement of their remuneration, and instilling the belief that they are civil servants recruited to secure the general populace and not to torment or extort.
● The rally of the Feminist Coalition was exceptional: No organisation seized the moment as effectively as these folks. They were focused, organised and rapidly became a focal point for the protests. The equality agenda for female folks is an urgent imperative but they put that aside to give direction and support to the protests and further burnished their reputation in the process. I can only imagine their rolodex of contacts now. We should watch out because these folks will be back stronger.
● The Lekki toll gate killings was most unfortunate: There was no doubt that there were killings of peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate. Soldiers came and shot at the protesters, killing many and injuring several others. The number of deaths might be in question but there was a humongous tragedy at the toll gate on the evening of Tuesday, October 20. Protests were peaceful up to the time that the soldiers turned up. The incident is a black blot on the country, that soldiers can take the lives of the same people they are sworn to protect and serve. The killings must be thoroughly investigated and the culprits all punished. No stone must be left unturned in getting them punished. Its also important to point out that the buck stops at the president’s table and he is ultimately the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and should be held responsible for the killings.
● There was extensive misinformation and disinformation: The landscape was awash with misinformation before and during the protests. For example, there were statements like the United Nations (UN) would intervene if the protests continued for up to 30 days. Or that soldiers would not shoot if you are holding and waving the Nigerian flag. Other more insidious statements came out after the shooting. False information like attributing the ownership of Oriental Hotel to the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and that the structure had been burnt down, and also that the said former governor had fled the country were all subsequently proven to be wrong. In addition, the fact that the present governor of the State was largely blamed for the shooting at the Lekki tollgate also seemed unable to pass the muster test, simply because the governor does not have the authority to order ordinary police formations around, talk less of the military formations in the State. Once again, the president and commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic bears full responsibility for the actions of the military.
● The looting and rioting are unacceptable: What happened after the incident at the tollgate however beggared belief, as the police withdrew from the streets and hoodlums seized control over the next few days, burning vehicles and other properties belonging to the various states and attacking different estates, stores and warehouses across the country. The attack and arson against ShopRite and other stores were particularly egregious because the only motivation for this was looting. That phase significantly impacted business across states and continued, with flashpoints in Calabar, Osogbo and Ilorin.
● The future has been ignited: Still, the EndSars protests are not over. Indeed, it is clear that the protests are the present and the future. A light has been lit by the thousands of amazing youths who turned up, both physically and online, across the world. Nay all Nigerians who have shown support for the protests. They herald hope for this country. Hope that the standards of yesterday are no longer acceptable. That the Nigeria of failed political jobbers will soon be gone. That those politicians who were preparing their children to continue the unending feast on our commonwealth will be ground away into the dust of history. That Nigerians now have a voice and are not afraid to use it, loud and clear; and they are not afraid to march on the streets for the rights that their constitution and common humanity provides them. These protests are a beautiful thing and will not die!
The Next Steps
It’s a new dawn for Nigeria, but also a time to reflect. What the looting that happened after the Lekki tollgate shootings highlighted is the existing disconnect between the streets and legitimate protests. Hoodlums seized the opportunity of government withdrawing security forces from the street to unleash havoc and the general masses joined in the looting thereafter. The masses have been long suffering in this country, so imagine a man who looks through shop windows longingly for years with no ability to purchase being suddenly presented with the opportunity to take what he had craved for long. Or a woman who has been hit by the double whammy of COVID disruptions and protest but who has children to feed. Also, while a significant portion of the country is now online, a huge proportion is not getting its news from Twitter. The middle class and the masses are not aligned with regards to their core transformational objectives for the country.
There is a need to engage folks at their respective levels to reach a collective agreement on how to seize power democratically at the next elections. The English speakers need to become pidgin speakers so that their messages can be heard loud and clear. The idiom that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach rings true for the masses. A hungry man might be too angry to listen without a prompt, as such effective community engagement with channels for helping solve his problems is an absolute necessity. The next election will not be won on the streets of Twitter. It will be won by the masses trooping out to vote their interests and rejecting the N2000 per vote buying offers.
One important question to be asked is why did the core North not actively get involved? It can’t only be the “he is our son syndrome’ because the north has seen significant protests against the current administration with regards to insecurity. So why? Aren’t they as tormented by SARS and the general police? What would bring them to the table in this current conversation.
Finally, there is need for a fresh political movement, and not a political party right now. A political movement to develop a platform for the change that Nigeria needs, working aggressively over the next two years to deepen grassroot engagement across the country and use that to sell a message – that the current political structure and space is not normal. That we should expect more. And demand more, because we are owed more by our government. That it is normal for citizens not to be harassed by their protectors. That the internet is the next frontier, and not a space to discourage the youth from. Having a laptop on you doesn’t mean you are a yahoo-yahoo boy. Also, that life is sacrosanct, that government corruption is not acceptable, that full employment is a reasonable demand, that quality healthcare and education is a right and not a request and finally that we should be governed by people who can provide all the above and not tinpot despots.
*Akinfolarin, is a Lagos lawyer.
Credit: Femi Akinfolarin, PT