As a Toastmaster, three subjects we are taught to avoid as the plague are: Religion, Politics, and Sex.
These subjects are very contentious.
When a religious fanatic declares fatwa on someone else because the victim has “blasphemed” his religion, and the society looks askance, what do you do?
When an elected official steals public funds in the name of politics and the society applauds, what do you do?
When a “man of God” takes sexual advantage over a woman because she’s looking for the “fruit of the womb”, and the society does nothing, what do you do?
When the president of a country who rode to power on the back of the people waving an “anti-corruption” flag turns round and forms an ethnic government and its party applauds him, what do you do?
When the funds meant for equipping the army is shared amongst party faithfuls and a once proud armed forces is reduced to a rag-tag ethnic mad dogs, what do you do?
When a country authorizes its police and sundry forces to terrorize its people and extort money from them across the length and breadth of the country, what do you do?
When a seemingly religious people go around burning down churches and the powers that be, including governors, emirs, sultans and sundry “traditional” rulers see nothing wrong with such barbarity, what do you do?
When a country has more churches and mosques than business enterprises and sin, crime, lawlessness, criminality pervades the entire society, what do you do?
When a country actively exports its youth, in particular women, to other countries for prostitution and the villages and communities where they come from see nothing wrong in the aberration, what do you do?
When elected representatives from one of the poorest countries in the world on a per capita income basis sit down and fix their salary and emoluments at a level that is criminally insane and no one can do anything about it, what do you do?
When a political party that muscled itself into power on the “vow to right the wrongs of the past” and turns around to install criminals in all echelons of government across the country and continue to win elections for doing nothing, what do you do?
When you have a country whose people take polar positions in everything under the sun because there is no unity of purpose, no common vision, no unifying philosophy and ideology and the politicians fan the embers of ethnicity, religion, regionalism, to maintain the status quo ante, what do you do?
When you have a country where there is a minority “aryan race” and majority hewers of wood and fetchers of water, groping in the dark and genuflecting before the “masters” for crumbs from the masters’ table on the floor, what do you do?
When you have a country which cannot boast of one modern rail line, where all its roads are death traps, where its schools are laughing stocks, its hospitals worse than animal farms, its youth leaderless, aimless and directionless, its political class vision-less, its elite corrupt, shameless and Godless, what do you do?
When you have a country that has been independent for more than 60 years, sits atop one of the largest gas reserves in the world, has sold oil to the tune of over $1trillion dollars since 1999, but has nothing to show for it, what do you do?
When you have a country that harbors the two deadliest insurgent groups in the world, its police men and women are the least paid in the world, its armed fighting men and women are deeply demoralized, what do you do?
Should I continue? Will it serve any purpose?
A wise reverend father once said, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask, why has the poor no food, they call me a communist.”
It’s with utter sadness therefore that I break my Toastmaster’s Promise, to dabble into politics.
The #EndSARS “protest” is a tip of the iceberg. Brace up for the people’s pent-up anger and frustration in the days and months to come.
I was shocked at the scale of damage I witnessed when I ventured out for the first time today since curfew was declared on Tuesday, 20th October.
What I saw pales into insignificance compared to the damage inflicted on properties at Lagos Island, Surulere and other parts of Lagos, Uyo and Jos.
Sadly the worst is yet to come as the genie has been let out of the bottle.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s terse 12-minute read speech did more harm than good.
He failed to acknowledge the killings (massacre, bloodbath, pogrom – you choose your language) at the Lekki Toll Plaza.
As Dele Giwa once wrote, “One person killed in a protest is as gruesome as one million killed in a pogrom.”
If it is true the government used paid hoodlums to disrupt the peaceful demonstrations of the youth, someone MUST account for that action sooner than later.
Below is the statement from BNI (Better Nigeria Initiative):
Following the nationwide address from President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, October 22, we are more resolved to press not just for justice but for a new and better Nigeria where all citizens are safe and can thrive.
Lagos State, where the hotbed of resistance began has been under state-wide curfew imposed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Prior to that, Soldiers attacked peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate and unleashed carnage. We have watched with horror, the ensuing acts of violence, murder, looting, razing and vandalization of homes, businesses and organizations in Lagos State, and we will like to state emphatically that these are not protesters. We completely condemn any form of violence or looting.
For the sake of the wellbeing of our comrades and ordinary citizens being adversely affected by this, we will deprioritize the physical protests, for now. But, for the sake of those who died, before the protests, during the protests, and at the hands of Soldiers at the Lekki Toll Gate – people who the government has largely refused to acknowledge, THE STRUGGLE MUST CONTINUE.
Here are our objectives in the next few days:
1. Clean Up
During our protests, we made a conscious effort to clean up the venues and keep our environment safe for everyone. Following the condemnable vandalizations that took place since the curfews began, we are volunteering efforts towards the clean-up and rebuilding of the state.
2. Online Protest
We will continue to intensify online publicity and protest of the issues and demands made. We will be hosting conversations, sharing articles and amplifying voices of thought leaders in that direction.
3. Offline Community Engagement
We will continue grassroot mobilization and civic education of the masses, providing tools for education to enable them to understand the scale and scope of what is at stake.
4. Timelines
We are putting a timeline together to track actions taken to meet our demands. This way, we know what has been done, what is being done, and what can be ticked off our list. This way, we know if and when the government defaults, and we can decide if a return to the streets is necessary.
5. Strategy:
We are building short, medium- and long-term strategies to sustain this momentum and keep this fire that has been ignited by the actions of young people across Nigeria burning. The strategies are pillared on and geared towards Education, Voter Registration, Political Consciousness and Representation for Young People in government.
6. Structure:
We will create a structure to strategically consolidate demands, formalize the coalition, galvanize the continued online protest, develop standards for monitoring and evaluation, and continue the mobilization and education of the citizens.
7. Representation:
The leaderless nature of this protest but consistent oneness in demands have been part of our unique strengths. As we move towards consolidation and negotiation, it is now pertinent we put forward a diverse group to represent the different coalitions; from celebrities to activists, legal minds to strategists, journalists to entrepreneurs, etc. We consulted far and wide, to come up with these names, and while this may not be exhaustive, it offers us an interim basis to begin the negotiation and consolidation.
The nominees will meet with different protest leaders/blocs across the country/states, and consolidate on a vehicle for continuous demands. They will also track actions of the Government, represent our demands and provide feedback to us regularly.
They are:
Names of Nominees at the Federal level:
Click to Vote: https://forms.gle/6jNg5npm4UpbxcGJ7
Names of Nominees at the State level: (Lagos)
Click to Vote: https://forms.gle/btKtvJitkJNKq7eK8
Advisory:
Due to the decentralized nature of this movement across the country, we nominate a team with experience in leadership and diplomacy, to assist in advisory and other support. This team will be consulted from time to time within the process. The criteria are people with integrity, people who have a vast experience in national issues, and who have a track record of being pro-young people.
Nominees for Advisory Board
Click to Vote: https://forms.gle/kJbAm7Ukp2j9ATMZ7
All nominations are provisional. If there are people you think should be on the list, people who have been critical in the success of these protests and can work towards the actualization of our demands, and the ultimate mission — a better government/future for Nigeria, please nominate.
In conclusion, these protests have never been politically motivated. It is not about ethnicity or tribalism. The young people across the country are demanding justice, good governance, accountability and reforms. These protests have no sponsor nor agenda other than what we have stated repeatedly; better governance, accountability and an end to brutality.
To everyone who has lost someone or something, we stand in solidarity with you.
To all our heroes that died before and during these struggles, we say Rest in Power! Your deaths will not be in vain.
It is NOT finished!
On behalf of the Coalition.
Please Share this with a friend. SHARE THE WORD!!!
The statement from BNI shows that this struggle has barely begun.
If you’re a student of history, you’ll readily recall that there was a similar episode in Muscovite Russia, circa 1708.
The equivalent of SARS in Muscovite Russia was the Streltsy.
The key to power in Russia was the Streltsy.
As Robert K.Massie wrote in his Peter the Great, “They guarded the Kremlin and were sworn to protect “the government” in a crises but often had difficulty deciding where the legitimate government lay”
The Streltsy became power unto themselves.
At the height of their power, they numbered 22,000.
They started revolting against the government in 1682 under the young Tsar Fedor.
They were feared and resented.
However, in 1708, under Peter The Great, the entire Streltsy regiment was disbanded.
Of the 2000 Streltsy that revolted, 1200 were executed.
As things are, the Muhammadu Buhari presidency has been irretrievably tainted. Nothing can redeem the government.
President Muhammadu will remain a lame duck waiting to be consigned to the dung heap of history in 2023.
All men of goodwill have persuaded Buhari to tinker with his government, but he has trampled on the constitution that he swore to uphold by preferring an ethnic government.
While in opposition, he swore several times to make the country ungovernable if elections were rig. Mention one free and fair election that has conducted since he ascended the throne?
The struggle will continue but where it will lead no one can say for sure but Nigeria will never be the same again.