The unity! that must have been what scared them, a major force that made the protest powerful, a force we did not think we possessed but sprang out of us effortlessly. The youths marched in solidarity with one common goal, to end police brutality and injustice. Tribe and religion, two forces that stirred division over the years, suddenly did not matter. The unity must have scared our oppressors and threatened (and still threatens) the very basis of their power.
They just had to do something and out of fear, more police brutality was unleashed on protesters. This was probably intended to intimidate and force people back into their shells but this only fuelled passions and intensified the protests. We all marched with one thing in mind, we wanted change.
They began to seek ways to use the divide and conquer strategy on protesters as this is the only way to destroy unity. They attacked with two weapons which they have always had an influence on Nigerians; poverty and ignorance.
Poverty
Poverty is a powerful weapon that has been used against Nigerian for a while now. It feels like “Let’s keep them poor, so they can sell their birth right when they are hungry”. So, when it is time for elections, a politician will promise money or food items, get then PVCs and make them vote for them. We cannot really blame them, no one wants to see their children hungry or be hungry themselves. The same tactic was use during the protest, they got hoodlum to infiltrate the protest, destroying lives and properties. A video which made its rounds on social media showed one of the hoodlums that were caught saying it was given 1500 naira to disrupt the protest and he conceded. It is easy condemning them but it is possible the young man had not had a good meal in days.
Another shocking event that occurred was the looting of stores. It began in Lagos and was spread across various states in the country. It is more disappointing that the people looting were not just hoodlums but young people, full grown men and women who have probably condemned the government for embezzling funds that were meant for the development of the citizens. These same people threw caution to the wind and looted stores and shops at the slightest opportunity. Only the fear of poverty will drive a person to do this as no one will loot stores when they are sure their future is secured. This disappointing act is a pointer that there are lots of vulnerable people who will do anything to meet their needs.
Ignorance
A famous saying goes “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. It is clear that we need to get everyone on board to effect the change we want to see. It must have been easy to convince the hoodlums to cause havoc to a protest because they probably had no idea of the purpose of the protest, what we were fighting for and how the change can benefit them. They were probably told a lie and they swung to action based on what they were told. It will be harder to convince an educated youth to disrupt a protest that is beneficial to both this generation and the future generations.
What should we do?
The 20-10-20 event has brought on us the realization that we want a change in leadership come 2023. But we must also pay attention to the weapons used against us during the protest. The fight against poverty is not a day’s job but we can start taking baby steps but, in the meantime, most Nigerians need a mental shift.
Education
Most Nigerians are angry, as we should be but we must not forget the vulnerable people in the society, the impoverished, the uneducated masses, market women and even the “area boy” or supposed hoodlums. They must know they are important and they can be a part of the change we are trying to see. How can we achieve these goals if the vast majority don’t know what we are talking about? We need to take responsibility to teach those who may not be accessible on social media and those around us who would be eligible to vote come 2023.
Get Involved
The average Nigerian dreams of leaving Nigeria because of how hopeless the situation feels despite this country being our father land. The actions of our leaders have shown they don’t value human lives even before the Lekki shooting, they steal funds meant to reconstruct roads hiking the chances of road accidents and also embezzling funds meant to refurbish hospital hence the shortage facilities needed to save lives.
We will have to get involved in the political space so we can drive the change we desire. It is great we have social media activist and influencers but we must also get involved and change how political parties selects their candidates. In Nigeria, a person must be at least 35 years of age to be elected President or Vice President, 35 to be a Senator, 30 to be a State Governor, and 25 to be a Representative in parliament or Member of the States’ House of Assembly. We have a teeming youth population; we must get involved.
“It will always be those that offer themselves for elections that will make up the population we elect from. Youth must lose the sense of entitlement, you need to get involved, fight and negotiate. No one will hand over power to you just like that,” said Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State in a recent press conference.
We must also continue to be stay in unity, we cannot let things us as tribe and religion separate us. Just like Timi dakolo sang, we are all we have, we must defend our land not run from it and make it a place our children will be proud to call home.
