October 14th 2020, at about 4 am, it started raining in Lagos. I’m not talking about a light shower or a drizzle, I’m talking about torrential rain – there was a lot of thunder and lightning and it didn’t stop. Despite mother nature’s efforts to dampen the efforts of the peaceful protests in Lagos, people showed up. They didn’t show up empty-handed though, canopies, raincoats and umbrellas were swiftly organized to be shared, ensuring that all peaceful protesters were protected, safe and as comfortable as they could be. Rain or sun, wet or dry, peaceful protesters showed their commitment to the #EndSarsNow protests against police brutality. More importantly, they showed their commitment to each other.
Lekki toll right now. You thought the rain would deter people? That the back to back protest days would thin the crowd? No. And more are coming. #SARSMUSTEND #EndSWAT pic.twitter.com/mm6p0oYIJy
— Yagazie Emezi (@YagazieEmezi) October 14, 2020
500 raincoats on the way to Alausa and 500 to Abule Egba.
Anywhere else?
— Funmi Oyatogun (@funmioyatogun) October 14, 2020
This spirit of solidarity amongst the protesters didn’t just start today, it’s been happening since the start of the protests last week. You don’t have to look very far to see evidence of Nigerians coming together for this single cause. People have donated money, resources and their time. Private citizens have sent food packs to feed protestors, sorted out medical bills for those injured at the protests and sent lawyers to help free illegally detained protestors. Free counselling, water to drink and ambulances on stand-by – young Nigerians are contributing in whatever ways they can without restraint. In a country where the minimum wage is N30,000, it’s nothing short of impressive to see how the growing momentum of these protests are being sustained. Not bad for ‘lazy Nigerian youths’.
See ehn. What is it you want?
Good food and drinks? E dey!
Sanitation and hygiene services? E dey!
Doctor nko? E dey!
What about lawyers? Dem dey!
If e too much nko? Therapists dey!
We no get data! That one sef dey!
Rain dey fall o! Raincoat dey!Wetin come remain?#EndSWAT
— Arit Okpo (@thearitokpo) October 14, 2020
In Abuja today, armed thugs attempted to attack peaceful protesters at Berger and other locations. The result? Peaceful protesters banded together to repel them and they were warded off. Similarly in Lagos, hoodlums attempted to hijack peaceful protests in Alausa and they were unsuccessful. Why? Peaceful protesters displayed a united front and were able to scare them off. There has been a no-nonsense approach to any attempts to derail the movement. Above all, there has been a collective effort to ensure that nobody gets left behind regardless of their tribe, religion or sexuality.
It’s this same collective effort for the #EndSarsNow protests that have left people in power startled. Instead of listening to the requests from the protests, they’ve resulted in divisive tactics to suppress and confuse the movement. Unfortunately, these have been largely unsuccessful as there is no ‘leader’ that they can make a scapegoat out of. This is a flat and non-hierarchical movement: by the people, for the people.
Arguably, this moment has shown us much more about the current temperature in Nigeria: it’s hot. Young Nigerians are angry and rightfully so. We’ve been sold a ‘Nigerian Dream’ that doesn’t currently reflect our reality. The Nigerian Dream doesn’t currently even involve living in Nigeria. It’s about earning enough to get your family out of here. Our education system is poor, the roads are bad and police officers are harming us and getting away with it. There’s a lot to unpack. More importantly, it’s unearthed just how out of touch the current government are with the issues that affect young people and the average Nigerian. There is a disconnect between the laws being passed and how they are enforced and young Nigerians are tired.
The collective efforts and contributions that have helped sustain the protests will go down in history. This is a moment of reckoning for our country and it’s only the beginning.
