When we heard that President Muhammadu Buhari wanted to address the nation on the evening of the 22nd October, we all waited with bated breath to hear what he had to say. As the Commander in Chief, it was expected that his address may shed some light on why the army opened fire on unarmed protestors at the Lekki Toll Gate on the 20th, in a devastating attack that killed a still unknown number of people. Instead, the nation heard his tone-deaf and deeply insensitive silence.
We had been misguided in thinking that our Head of State would display any form of empathy. The message of the President’s 13-minute address was clear: the property lost to violence after the protests and the initiatives that the administration are allegedly using to target poverty across the nation mattered. The innocent lives lost to state enacted violence did not. Protestors and the ongoing protests were an inconvenience that would be removed at will.
For the people who had been speaking from the streets, all hope for dialogue with the Federal Government (FG) who had previously alleged that they had heard and taken onboard the 5for5 demands of the protestors disappeared. Many were left feeling demoralised and full of fear for their safety. Others asked, “where do we go from here?”
What Do We Have?
In understanding where we go next, we must take stock of the results of the protests so far. It is argued that for protests to be effective, the people’s demands must be clear and actionable – which the 5for5 demands are. We can reference these demands as an easy way to identify the areas where the government is making progress. So far the judicial panels – a response to demand #3, for an independent body to oversee the prosecution of officers – have gained the most traction.
The directive came from the FG for 37 panels (one per state and one for the FG) to be set up. 27 of these panels have been initiated to varying degrees of transparency with no clear path of accountability in many. Several questions remain unanswered; what are the terms of reference of these panels? How do we ensure that the public are able to submit complaints? Will the recordings or transcripts of the proceedings be made publicly available?
No one appears to have the answers yet but it is expected that these panels and the subsequent cases will be led by the State Attorney Generals and Ministry of Justice. This means there is no better time than now to become well-acquainted with the individual who is in office (phone numbers and email addresses are often available on Google). As we have seen from the last few weeks, increased scrutiny and pressure on our representatives *can* yield results in our favour.
Maintaining the pressure on the government through institutions like the Nigerian Bar Association who have been vocal about their support for police reforms will also be crucial. For active members of these institutions, continue to challenge their leadership to not just say but also do more. These organisations have the power and influence to pressure the FG through legal means which are fortunately much harder to deploy an army against.
What Have We Learnt?
Shortly after Buhari’s address, Twitter user @Somakudi raised the idea of a virtual town hall that would give those involved in the #ENDSARS protests an opportunity to “reflect, review and then regroup”
I feel like we need a virtual townhall session to reflect, review and then regroup. We’ve come too far to only come this far #ENDSARS
— Somachi (@SomaKudi) October 22, 2020
There has been an extraordinary amount of work that has gone into forming the strategy that pressured the government to the highest of places in a way that many protests have not succeeded previously. The efficiency of what has been established in just over two weeks cannot be undermined and the lessons to be learnt from this are many. All the initiatives will form a lasting legacy of the #ENDSARS protests and the knowledge gained in these weeks will benefit from being documented and shared more widely, we never know when we may need them again.
Any sensible governor, especially one who is looking to rebuild a relationship with his community, would be wise to engage these bright minds to understand how these initiatives can be scaled up to solve persistent state issues. But as we choose not to hold our breath pending the appearance of wisdom, there is a clear gap in our infrastructure where these initiatives can be utilised in whatever the next phase of #ENDSARS looks like. Hundreds of lawyers now have knowledge of how the police work through their efforts to release peaceful protestors. They may become a critical resource in the judicial panels as a suite of pro-bono lawyers supporting the cases of those who cannot afford representation otherwise.
We are also now more aware of the generational divide. When the protests first started, some of the older generation chose to reflect on where they could do more and offered their support to protestors through their own spheres of influence. Others remained silent. Even more shockingly, many in the older generation are feeding into the government’s narrative that there was no violence levelled against the protestors by the state, least of all a massacre. Naturally, the protection of personal interests is involved as government contracts have long silenced the voices of those who know better. Despite their reluctance to engage with the cause, it is clear that reform will take all of us working together. Although the younger population greatly outnumber the old, there are many seats of power and influence that we simply have no access to. They may not want to hear it from us so we can direct them to others from their generation, like Atedo Peterside, who are willing to sọ̀rọ̀ sókè.
Where Might We Go Next?
Social media provided unrestricted access to the #ENDSARS protests and urged many to investigate their own political activism. 2023 is on everyone’s minds and it is important that we turn these protests into political action through our voting power and REGISTER TO VOTE. Along the way, there are many smaller but still significant elections including the upcoming Lagos East Senatorial by-elections. We can use social media to continue educating ourselves and the masses on our history and civic education. We are already seeing education platforms like @ngsstudies101 share easily digestible study materials that can be discussed in the comments section. Public figures like Falz have also agreed to educate the people. In his case, through a weekly visual series on understanding our rights and the Nigerian constitution.
We must also consider how to ensure those that are not on social media understand that there are people who are listening and trying to achieve change. We have seen this in Jos, where organisers have committed to the Jehovah Witness style of spreading the message of #ENDSARS by going door to door to educate residents. Although I find Saturday morning doorstep evangelism deeply irritating, the style of information sharing is effective. It is estimated that just over half of the population are currently not internet users so there is still a sizable community offline who can be reached and will in turn, reach out to others. Educating the wider population on the politics and the systems that govern our country is one way of ensuring that we can see reform and change from the ground up. Long live democracy.
But What About Justice?
The Lagos State and Federal Government have still not publicly admitted that state forces killed protestors at the Lekki Toll Gate on 20th October. Sanwo-Olu has claimed that he will investigate what he refuses to call anything other than an ‘incident’ but many are skeptical about the possibility of this investigation yielding justice. Instead, young people are being gaslit and criticised for sharing ‘fake news’ including allegations that the videos from Lekki were doctored.
We do not know the path to justice or if in fact justice will be had. It may sound meaningless but we must continue talking about what happened in Lekki, in Mushin, in Abuja and all other parts of Nigeria. If we are silent, our governments will shield themselves from the reality that many of us witnessed. We must mourn our lost souls publicly, in our homes, in our workplaces and on social media where the world’s eyes are still on the #ENDSARS protestors. And when Sanwo-Olu launches his investigation, we will watch it closely to see who is held accountable.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
What we have seen over the last few weeks has planted seeds of a revolution in the hearts of millions of young people. We have seen the wonderful womxn of The Feminist Coalition put their names and lives on the line to support peaceful protests all across Nigeria, young people donate to funds that would further the success of #ENDSARS, the birth of new writers, new videographers, new activists and most importantly, the strength that comes from unity.
In a protest that had no leaders, individuality and our personal responsibilities in furthering the cause was birthed. Some were disappointed when the womxn of The Feminist Coalition announced that they are taking a well-deserved break to re-strategise and will no longer accepting funds for protestors, taking it as a sign that the #ENDSARS resistance had come to an end. But it does not have to stop. There are still several protests going on across Nigeria and the world – we have seen people on the streets in Calabar, others in Germany. The resistance will continue to live in every #ENDSARS tweet, every leaflet of the faces of those who have lost their lives to police brutality shared in the marketplace and every Whatsapp broadcast of truth. Our collective voices brought us this far and we must all individually pledge what we can do to keep the call for reform going for as long as it takes. For the lives that we have lost and for ourselves.
We are all our own heroes and our labour, both past and present, will never be in vain.
