Of Revolts, Riots and Agitations
In 1789, the youths of France went into the streets to protest the maladministration of what is today known as the Ancien Régime, little did they know what they were stepping into. They never knew that they had begun a journey that would take them a decade and would change their society – for good. They were protesting new tax laws. The events that began in Paris on the 5th of May, 1789 as mere protests snowballed into a major political turmoil that led to some executions and the replacement of the Ancien Régime with a constitutional monarchy. It was not until the 9th of November, 1799 that normalcy returned to the people. If Louis XVI had known on the 5th of May that by January of 1793 he would be guillotined, he surely would have acceded to the demands of his subjects or even abdicated the throne and gone into exile. La Bastille was raided on the 14th of July, 1789 and prisoners were set free. By the way, it is important to note, if that will comfort you, that La Bastille was a symbol of oppression and suppression. Today, the minimum security prison in Benin was invaded and inmates set free. The armoury has been looted and the proceeds will be used to prospect for more arms and ammunition. The future is indeed terrifying. The maximum-security prison in same Benin is under a sustained and well-coordinated attack. All of these things are happening because SARS has become a symbol of oppression, suppression, intimidation, state-organized violence and corruption in a 21st century Nigeria. SARS has come to be a tool used freely to perpetuate a culture of violence and corruption in a seemingly democratic Nigeria. This explains why some people see #EndSARS as a metaphor, while others see it as a euphemism. At the moment, it is not important how you describe it. With time, it will describe itself and name itself.
Today, Nigerian youths are angry. They are angry at all the ambiguities they are facing as a people. They are angry with the superstructure called Nigeria. They are angry with inept politicians who have been pillaging the commonwealth of Nigeria for so long without pity. They are of course angry with the reign of terror visited on them by SARS. They are angry with maladministration, injustice, widespread corruption, extrajudicial killings, bad roads, incessant power supply, lack of access to medical facilities, joblessness and what have you. They are angry because they have no hope in tomorrow. They are angry because they know the people who are making them hopeless.
It seems however that most of the so-called youths are oblivious of their past. I have heard a number of them argue that their fathers were cowards. For the records, know that when your fathers were like you; they also protested and rioted against the ills of their time. Major General Mohammadu Buhari was a youth (41-years old) who could no longer tolerate the ‘corrupt’ and ‘inept’ administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari in the second republic – hence he led a military putsch that truncated the second republic. General Ibrahim Babangida (44-years old) was a youth in 1985 who could no longer tolerate the high handedness of Buhari’s regime. He overthrew Buhari and liberated the country from the draconian decrees of Buhari. Omoleye Sowore was a youth in 1989 when he protested against the military government’s ‘romance’ with the IMF. He was equally involved in 1992 protests against the government of the day and he took an active part in an attempt to actualize the June 12 mandate. All these protests claimed many lives. So my dear youths, protest is not a new invention. The Aba women did it in 1929 against the British colonialists.
In all of these, the proponents were labelled differently as it pleased those in the corridors of power: rioters, protesters, hoodlums, disgruntled elements, mischief-makers, thugs, subversive elements, miscreants etc. Sometimes, they would be arrested and charged with treasonable. Then after a while, the charges would be dropped in exchange for them to denounce their demands. We are about to replay the same music. The dance patterns may not be any different. That is why I fear this movement with no obviously known leader. Yes, the protest has been largely successful because of the no leader factor but that singular advantage might be its greatest undoing in the long run. Recently, someone (or some people) floated a virtual radio station to propagate the ideals of the protests. Some people have been collecting money for the protests. So if there is no leader, then who collects the money? Who sponsors the radio station? How do we know that the movement has not already been hijacked?
Revolts and insurrections are often a product of dissatisfaction. When people feel marginalized or alienated from the leaders it is normal that they should complain. It is proper that leaders should listen to the voices of those who elected them. It is an aberration for an elected representative to enslave the very people who placed him in a position of authority. Accountability and transparency are a given and that is all the youths of today are asking for. They are not asking for the proscription of SARS which has already been done five times in the past. They are asking for the complete reformation of the Nigeria Police. They are asking for a well-trained, equipped and civil police force. They are asking for the improved welfare of the police. They are asking for a detribalized and incorruptible police force that is accountable and transparent. They are asking that the police uphold the dignity of man.
Whichever way the campaign ends, it is for the good of every Nigerian: rich or poor, educated or uneducated, Christian or Muslim, employed or unemployed. Let us all see the good in the campaign to #EndPoliceBrutality. As dreadful as the prospects of full-blown anarchy might be, chances are that we will unwittingly slide into a political turmoil if what happened today in Benin is replicated elsewhere in the country.
Ike Ngwoke
19th October 2020