Peace is gradually returning to the nation after the gales of violence which accompanied the youth-led protest against the brutal methods of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS ) of the Nigeria police. Not many people expexted the protest to degenerate to the level it did. The number of lives brutally cut down, the level of arson, wilful destruction and looting of both public and private concerns was unprecedented. Nigeria escaped descent into anarchy by whiskers.
The protest was launched by the nation’s youth. Their grievances and demands were noble and legitimate. They demanded the disbandment of SARS and the general reforms of the Nigeria police. These demands resonated with the larger populace, more so,with the peaceful means of their drive. There’s hardly any nigerian who does not have a bitter experience to share about the modus operandi of the Nigeria police. Unfortunately , the protest-drivers lacked the experience to successfully manage it and achieve the set-targets. A cursory glance at history of protests in our dear country will show that once a public protest exceeeds two or rhree days, it invariably takes a wrongful turn due to infiltration by elements with different motive. There were also cases of sponsorship of counter protests to derail the genuine ones. It happened when EndSARS was first launched in 2017. A counter protest suspected to have been sponsored by the police, emerged in Port Harcourt,Lagos and Abuja. The counter-protesters rejected the scraping of SARS, opting instead,for its reformation. There were also many cases of peaceful public protests which later turned violent after being hijacked by thugs. Those conversant with this past experience tried to sound a note of caution, But they were shouted down, abused and cursed by the protesters and their sympathisers. To worsen matters, all manners of interests invaded the protest. Interests that serve anything but that of EndSARS. The hoodlums and thugs joined to indulge in their pastime. The Biafran agitators hid under the protest to launch reprisal attack on security agencies. The celebrities’ lent their support only to swell thier social media followership. Of course,the politicians also did not keep mum for self serving reason. The inevitable eventually happened. The peaceful protest degenerated into orgy of killing, arson,and destruction never witnessed before.
Now,that the storm is over,there is need to take stock of the gains ,the losses,the lesson learned and how we can leverage on this protest and its consequence to correct the national maladies that invited the protest in the first place.
The Gains: The protest has served as a wake-up call to the government about its responsibility especially to the younger elements of the populace. With the promises made by the government to address the issues raised by the protesters which includes unemployment and general wellbeing of the citizenry, the protest may not have been in vain.
Losses: Human casualty was high. Affected were the protesters, security men and the innocent. Public utilities and infrastructure were mindlessly vandalized and destroyed, while government and private investments were mindlessly looted. This is no doubt going to cause a serious setback to the nation’s fragile economy. The attack on the police will also pose a serious security threat to the populace.
Lesson: Caution should be applied in whatever we do. And also, in embarking on protest, care should be made to ensure it wasn’t hijacked by ulterior interest. This can best be achieved by making it short and promptly respond to opportunity to dialogue. Parents and elders should show more responsibility in guiding the younger ones to avoid unnecessary loss of lives. Government on its part, needs to spare no effort to ensure safety of the citizens. Government should have moved faster to meet the demands of the protesters. This would have saved the nation and the populace the avoidable loss incurred. The security agents should exercise maximum restraints and apply high sense of professionalism and responsibility when handling public unrest. Violence is an ill wind that blows no one any good. Dialogue is the best solution. When it was offered, the youth should have embraced it and use the opportunity to press for more demands.
Way Forward: Government simply means all of the populace. Government cannot change anything except we are all ready to effect the change. What this simply means is that change must start from everyone of us. The present leaders were youth before they climbed the ladder of leadership. What have they done? They made things worse than they met them. The youth leadership in the public administration has progressively been getting worse since the first republic was toppled in a bloody coup in 1966. Honestly, I can’t see the protesting ones faring better. Our problem is inordinate greed and corruption. These twin evils are responsible for the stunted growth and development of our dear nation. These twin evils are the only tribalized thread that bind Nigerianstogether. They characterized the protests across the country. And they have always signposted the mismanagement of our nation and her resources. The change we all crave can only happen when it starts from our individual self. God bless the federal republic of Nigeria.
