The ENDSARS Phenomenon 2020.
The ENDSARS protests in Nigeria is about two weeks old and its impact is already so profound that many are scratching their heads wondering how and why it all began. The spread is now so wide that what began as a spontaneous protest against the criminal shenanigans and brutish highhandedness of a police formation has morphed into a worldwide protest against mis governance, impunity, corruption and other malfeasance that have made governance in Nigeria a cruel joke over the years. Several comfortable and indulgent paradigms are being shattered and new realities established.
First of all, the traditional excuses of ‘needing to restore law and order’, used to justify the violent repression of legitimate protest and undermine public support are rendered inoperable by the largely peaceful nature of the protests, despite the antics of rented thugs, government lackeys and rent-a-crowd entrepreneurs. Nigerian youths have shown the world that it is possible to stage serious protests without looting shops, damaging cars and buildings. The threat of lethal force remains but it seems that the merchants of violence are being restrained by the near certainty of intelligent retaliation and real-life consequences including international outrage and the ability to call upon specific sanctions for named individuals, in and out of uniform. Even when, as it seems inevitable, sponsored agents and/or unruly fringe elements, cause trouble that is conveniently blamed on the protests, it will be clear that the protests have been peaceful for nearly two weeks before the inevitable infiltration that was presaged by the reported bribery attempts and repelled sponsored thugs.
Secondly, the amorphous nature of the protest movement’s leadership and the ‘Otoge’ mentality of the rank and file have made the traditional bribery of key persons, so beloved of the rulership elite, quite ineffective. This is clearly not a money-making opportunity for fly-by-night activists and roguish unionists waiting to insert their snouts in the trough of corrupt crumbs. Without it being explicitly stated, the message is being sent out that the youth are taking a long view of their country and rejecting the lure of temporary bribes, the favourite electoral weapon of our political class. This is such an uplifting scenario.
Also Read: #EndSARS: The Youth Will Become a Powerful Electoral Force: Abiola Gbemisola, Investment Analyst
The third important phenomenon is the sheer impotence of tribalism, religion and other primitive impulses in sowing and sustaining division in the ranks of the protests, despite the inevitable gaggle of discordant voices trumpeting a risible agenda of ethnic division and confusion. Several eloquent voices from all over the country have reiterated that these concerns are universal and there is no North-South or Christian-Muslim divide in the struggle. The strawman argument of this being a surreptitious and sponsored attempt to remove the Buhari administration has been comprehensively refuted by repeated proclamations to the contrary by the protest’s arrowheads. Of course, calling on the government to resign if you have lost confidence in them is a reasonable exercise of democratic rights but one can understand how this looks like treason to defenders of a prebendal political system where the materially beneficial exercise of power is more important than accountable stewardship in office.
Unhelpful cultural paradigms are being discarded too, especially the pernicious one of automatic entitlement to deference and assumption of benevolent wisdom by even the most obviously mendacious and opportunistic elders. These youths have no truck with forelock-tugging and insist that respect must be earned rather than inherited. They also insist that the manifestation of respect cannot be supine obedience, even from irresponsible ‘elders’ and they speak from the bitter experience of systemic failures over several decades of a gerontocratic political system based on these antiquated notions.
In spite of their youth, the protesters have long memories and have steadfastly refuted the attempts to climb on this bandwagon by the usual political opportunists, speaking as always from both sides of their mouths, and aiming to earn political points by the old ruse of feigning solidarity and other opportunistic expressions of progressive morality. They are not fooled by pious declarations and are acutely aware of what these politicians and public figures did, or more importantly, did not do, when they had power. They refuse to be led by the nose and insist that non-performance must be punished by loss of trust, loudly proclaimed.
Also Read: #EndSARS: It’s the Dawn of Accountable Governance: Oladoyin Taiwo, Social Media Strategy Consultant
A line has been drawn in the sand against impunity and criminal conduct in public office. The perpetrators of these heinous acts, in and out of uniform, are identifiable and will not be forgotten. The certainty of later reprimand and punishment is bound to concentrate the minds of those seemingly too drunk on power to exercise it responsibly. They will not be forgotten, and might not be forgiven.
The enduring lesson of this protest is that human rights and economic wellbeing are not gifted but wrested, and intelligent struggle, leveraging the power of social media, international solidarity and good organisation is a potent weapon in achieving the Nigeria of our dreams. A positive beacon for the future.
#EndSARS is unprecedented moment in Nigerian history. What does it mean to you? What do you want it to change? How can we ALL build on it in transforming Nigeria into a country that works for ALL of us and not only for a few of them?
Arbiterz will like to hear from you too. Send your opinion -300/400 words-to info@arbiterz.com & arbiterz.ads@gmail.com. You MAY include a picture of yourself, which may be from the #EndSARS battleline where you are helping to push the old Nigeria into the abyss.
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