Yes, #ENDSARS protesters have lost this fight but at least their eyes have been opened.
Perhaps, hubris, fatigue and a sheer lack of experience are the reasons why no protester saw coming, the attack by soldiers at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, on Tuesday night. This may stir up some useless debate and virtue signaling but in hindsight, many of the protesters had begun to revel in the idea of actual change and lost sight of the rigors involved. Also, no one can fault the resultant fatigue from blocking the streets without any really discernable plan. This congregation/protest, was stripped of an alertness that should be peculiar to a time like this and sadly, the atrocities of the government-backed soldiers on Tuesday night, are just a culmination of a series of acts designed to stifle whatever the peaceful protesters thought they had going on. regardless of what is in the air right now, it may take less time than expected for the true nature of whatever is happening in the country to fully unravel.
It doesn’t take much to notice the sinister scheming and execution during this period of protests by this authoritarian government (in all except name): the sudden pro-SARS sentiment all over; the bouts of violence against peaceful protesters; the sudden ban on large gatherings( because of supposed Covid restrictions) and the very convenient imposition of a curfew without notice in a usually very gridlocked Lagos. These are all signs of a chess game in play, albeit by a not so skillful player and this government, even though they often come across as inept and foolish, this semblance of coordinated thought to suppress the rights of citizens is something anyone should have been and still be genuinely worried about.
Resorting to shooting protesters this openly may seem like a power move, but it masks an inherent weakness in this ruling class that has basically been recycled since independence. The fear of losing their grip on power has led to a stumble in their usually aloof approach to doing — and getting away with things, and nowhere in any power play-book will one find this sort of tactic.
Everything happening right now has a state-backed undertone to it- especially the populist rhetoric on social media promoting religious and ethnic divisions. The normal advice would be to not fight fire with fire but generally, fire with fire usually works, and it is what is going to play out. The lives of those lost at the toll gate carry a spirit and that spirit-of justice, will have to be appeased in some manner, hence the destruction of property, looting, targeted killings of people connected with the ruling class, and a general rancor since obviously, the government can’t kill everybody.
On a positive note, these protests and the aftermath are documentary-esque in the way they spot-light the many things wrong with the country. One glaring way is in the failure of primary systems all over, exacerbated by the efficiency of the independent systems developed by the protesters themselves: The timeliness of emergency healthcare, the rapid bailouts of arrested protesters and even the hiring of private security to quell the attacks on protesters. What all these actions by the youth point to, even though characterized by wishful thinking, is the new dawn; innovation and general know-how of how to run systems if the majorly youthful population take charge of their own affairs.
Despite the grim narratives and graphic reposts of bloodied victims and grieving parents, what is in the air should be a source of strength for Nigerians to tap from. How? The citizens can now finally realize that whatever relationship existed with the ruling class is now irreparable and a major upheaval is what is needed.
2023 may seem like a long time before Nigerians get to vote again, but that time will provide space for some clarity, purpose and a strategy for what kind of future Nigeria’s teeming youth population want for themselves, because these protests do not only signal the end of this ruling class or any subservience to it, but it also signals the beginning of something else-which should take Nigeria where it ought to be.
