From a peaceful protest to an awakening

As I fill up these blank pages on my computer screen with my thoughts on the events of the last few weeks, my mind is consumed by one question. Why wouldn’t the president acknowledge that people were killed and offer condolences to the families of the victims of the Lekki massacre and the many other places lives were wasted during the #EndSARS protest across the country?

Nigerians expected empathy from their leader. They expected assurances that concrete steps would be taken to address police brutality and bad governance, but they got none of that. Why? Was it guilt and complicity or stone-cold heartlessness on steroids?

Before I proceed with more questions, let me do something very important. Something President Muhammadu Buhari should have done with his recorded address to Nigerians following the bloodbath of October 20, 2020 when soldiers, in response to ‘orders from above’ turned on young, innocent Nigerians.

The first thing I want to do here, is acknowledge that everyone killed by the very people and institutions with the constitutional responsibility of protecting them during a lawful protest or as they go about their daily grind to eke out a living for themselves is a hero. The second thing I must do is offer up condolences and prayers to family and friends left to mourn the abrupt and painful extinction of so many bright lights – young men and women with dreams and prospects.

Since the start of the #EndSARS campaign, I have spoken to some of the young people I know. All of them are broken and confused. They are filled with doubt that Nigeria has anything good to offer them. For this reason, I would do a third thing. I would say to them not to despair. Stay focused. You didn’t lose, your voices went beyond the shores of Nigeria and its reverberation forced the guilty to flee. If you weren’t formidable, they wouldn’t have tried to stop you.

How do I know this was a victory? Because in 2023, with the same gusto and coordination, the youths can finally enthrone the kind of leadership they want for themselves and for Nigeria.

In our conversations, some young people have asked me, ‘what do we do now?’ That is a good question, and I don’t pretend to know the answer, but here’s what I think. It is okay to take a break, but don’t lose the momentum gained by the#EndSARSprotests. Don’t stop talking.

The identifiable champions of the protest should come together now and work as one. The foundation of the tower, the one dictators, corrupt politicians and oppressors fear the people would build if they come together and speak in one voice have been built.

Key figures of the protests should begin to redirect the momentum towards a massive drive to get our youths to go out and register to vote in the next general elections. Every eligible young person should be encouraged to obtain their PVC and use it wisely.

Another thing that must start almost immediately is the search for dynamic, fearless and progressive people that can occupy elective positions at all levels. I saw some great potentials in the last couple of days, but let us leave that determination to the youths. In your search and deliberations, please don’t allow any activist of convenience infiltrate your ranks. They are not allies, but wolves in sheep’s clothing. Because they have been tainted by the decadence and lawlessness of past and present governments, they are no good and should not be trusted. The only reason they speak now and act like they are with you is because they seek relevance. If they had appointments or won elections, would they be speaking for you?

Another question to consider following the happenings of the last couple of days is this – are we ready to look past ethnicity, zoning pacts, tribe, money, political structure, party affiliation, state of origin and religion and go for character, capacity and competence? Have our youths come to the realisation that they deserve more than they are getting from the ruling and opposition political parties? I think I can say the answer is yes.

No one who went through the trauma of seeing our nation’s flag stained by the blood of a fellow compatriot while our leaders stayed silent, would doubt the two main political parties in the country are of the same fluid and incestuous stock.

I have asked myself this, and I know a lot of you have harboured the same thoughts – ‘would the slain die in vain?’  Well, they don’t have to, if you make this about the next elections and ensure to vote out infamy and recircled politicians who have shown they cannot be trusted, cannot take responsibility for their actions and have refused to be accountable to the good people of Nigeria.

Will the incumbent try to militarize the next elections to favour his chosen successor? I can’t put it past him to try. Could INEC pull out an abracadabra to favour one candidate or party? Again, if precedence is anything to go by, it is a strong possibility. However, I see from the speed with which #EndSARS became a movement, that Nigerian celebrities and social media influencers have become adept at capturing the attention of the world. When that time comes, they can cultivate the support of powerful people in entertainers, sports, media and politics to fight with them. Let us not forget the voices of our brothers and sisters in diaspora as well.

A lot of young people have said that 20.10.2020 will not be forgotten and this is possible. Beyond the aesthetic graphics and messaging, 20.10.2020 will not be forgotten if our youths mobilise themselves behind the candidates they want to see run Nigeria in 2023. 2023 must be about debates, issues, ideologies and concrete plans to fix everything that is broken about our country.

This is how to immortalise the dead. This is what we owe them so their death wouldn’t have been for nothing.

Postscript: Please let the looting and destruction of property stop. It is what the bad actors would want.

Afenfia writes from Saskatoon, Canada.