“If I look back, I am lost…” — Daenerys Targaryen; A Dance with Dragons
All around the world this year, there has been civil unrest. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd’s murders were the sparks that fired up protests all around the world as people marched for equality, accountability and justice. Demonstrations occurred globally, organized by young people of every color, gender, sexual orientation, religion and any other defining characteristic that previous generations have used to divide us. Today we are seeing the same thing occur in my home nation, Nigeria.
Nigerians are raised to be very patriotic. In schools, at the primary level, we sang the national anthem and recited the pledge at every assembly. Every Nigerian youth was raised hearing that we were the “Giants of Africa” yet with every passing day in that country, we were (and still are) met with reasons to doubt that mantra. The older my generation got, the more our eyes were opened to the defective economic and political structures that have resulted in weak, ineffective systems and corrupt practices that have pervaded every nook and cranny of the country that I love. That awareness has led to the righteous anger and frustration that has resulted in the #ENDSARS movement that we are seeing take place on Nigerian soil and wherever else Nigerians congregate in the diaspora.
Nigerians have made one demand of their federal government with regards to the police. Stop killing your people. There had been almost 2 weeks of daily protesting and marching across several states in the nation since the video of SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) officers killing a civilian was released on social media. While the primary focus of the movement currently is centered around police brutality and reform, many Nigerians are able to realize that this is just the starting point. Just like the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States was able to recognize; any government that is able to terrorize and murder its own constituents without indemnity is an abysmal government and is one that requires addressing. Especially after the tragedy that has been named the Lekki Tollgate Massacre.
In order to understand how we got here, one has to be aware of the complicated, colonial history of Nigeria. Our first leaders were educated men, far from perfect, but grounded with a vision of what the newly born country could become. After the Biafran war, Nigeria found itself in the grips of military officials who were shortsighted in their vision for Nigeria. They lacked an understanding of how the world around them was evolving and they set in motion a decline that still persists today driving us ever deeper into the dregs of degeneracy.
We believed in 1999 that democracy would be our saving grace. We allowed ourselves to be deceived by conmen. Former military officials masquerading as ‘democratic leaders’ traded in their uniforms for civilian clothes. By that point in our history, the issue of corruption and incompetence was now woven into the fabric of the nation. Since the birth of our nation, Nigeria has been led by mediocre men and their cult of corruption coming in many forms and shapes but having the same detrimental effect. A deeply corrupt clique that tied in the business elite of our country turning them into patsies for foreign businesses while they lined their own personal pockets with stolen funds.
That lack of vision and the widespread selfishness proved costly for a fractured nation divided by tribal ties and religious beliefs. Chinua Achebe once said “a functioning, robust democracy requires a healthy educated, participatory followership, and an educated, morally grounded leadership”. For a nation that has only been independent for 60 years this October, there is so much work left to be done. In our history, our reluctance to assemble and protest can be attributed to the fact that Nigeria is a complicated country with over 200 ethnic groups vying for different interests. Nigerians have never stood together to fight for a common cause, barring the national football team playing or jollof rice wars — until the #EndSARS protests started on Oct. 8, 2020.
The Black Lives Matter protests that took place this summer were a sign of changing times. All across the country and in major cities around the globe, young people came out and marched for the goal of equality despite their different races, sexualities, genders, class, religious beliefs etc. Because in the grand scheme of things, those things are inconsequential when it comes to human rights. The same has been seen in the streets of Lagos, Abuja, Benin and many other states across Nigeria. We have put aside all those things with the hope that we can actually create the country that some of our parents envisioned for us. The #EndSARS protests may be focused on accountability and justice for the brutality suffered at the hands of the police, but everyone is aware that this is just the beginning. It has to be because there is still much more work to be done.
The level of mobilization and organizing that we witnessed among the young people of Nigeria over the last 2 weeks has been unprecedented. Steadfast and united in their mission, young people took to the streets and the internet to spread awareness of the human rights violations occurring in their country. They made demands of their government that the men who committed the many atrocities that we heard about over the last few days be held accountable. The Feminist Coalition organized with lightning speed and efficiency, raising over 70 million Naira in the last 2 weeks in donations for people affected by SARS, legal aid, food, medical bills etc. So many others on Twitter and social media have been the voices of the protests, directing lawyers and medical aid and supplies to those who are in need. The youth know that cleansing the rot of corruption and building a better Nigeria starts with justice and accountability. I have friends and family that have been out in the streets or at the Lekki tollgates everyday. Their courage has been revolutionary. It’s hard to watch them and not be inspired.
So where do we go from here? On October 20th, 2020, deliberately peaceful protesters were murdered at the hands of the Nigerian federal government. An impromptu curfew was put in place. The bright floodlights that illuminate the Lekki tollgates were turned off. Deliberately peaceful protestors were ambushed and mowed down by cowardly military forces under the cover of darkness. Slaughtered because they dared to ask for the right to live. Even now, there is still no consensus on how many lives were lost. I have run out of tears.
We have wept and wept for the peaceful protesters who have lost their lives in the last 13 days yet our resolve has never been stronger. Why? So again, I ask where do we go from here? We can only push forward because if not, then we disrespect those who literally gave their lives for the cause of a better Nigeria like so many have before. Forward. My heart weeps for Jimoh Isiaq, for Chijoke Iloanya, for Ifeoma Abugu, and so many others because you deserved so much more. We have to push forward because in the words of Daenerys Targaryen, “if I look back I am lost.”
Our country needs restructuring. Not just in the sense of altering our constitution and rebuilding our government; a cultural revolution is necessary. I’m not talking about just altering roles or tweaking the jobs and responsibilities of people in government. A nation where the majority of the population is below the age of 30 cannot be run by the ignorance of generations past. As I type this, MISTER Muhammadu Buhari, our so-called president has refused to address the people he is meant to serve. Things cannot continue in this direction. We demand better. The authoritarian, corrupt politics that has been passed down from colonial leaders to military leaders MUST be uprooted and set ablaze. Burn it all to the f****** ground.
