REMEMBERING THE ENDSARS PROTESTER'S

As long as governments around the world fails to do the needful, revolutionary pressures will continue to surface (Emordi, Promise Jude).

The advent of COVID-19 in Nigeria has brought untold hardship for many, if not all Nigerians. This is because the majority of citizens depend on the informal sector in order to make a daily living. Thus, the government's shilly-shally decision to implement the stay at home public policy against the further spread of COVID-19 is likened to a suicidal adventure to the poor masses.

Recall that even the global economy slipped into a series of recessions and gradually went into a state of life support. This was also the case of the Nigerian economy, which experienced job losses, inflation, food insecurity, worsening living conditions, and an increasing crime rate. 

Recall that before the popular revolutionary march by the ENDSARS protesters on 20-10-2020, many Nigerian youths experienced a series of police brutalities from the Special Anti Robbery Squad unit, popularly known as (SARS). Although officers of this unit have argued that they are after Nigerian youths who are fully engaged in cyber crimes, popularly known as Yahoo and Yahoo plus.

To the oppressed and suppressed youth, the story is far beyond chasing cyber frausters. The way and manner in which SARS practitioners brutalise and subject Nigerian youths to dehumanising treatment is against their fundamental human rights. Some of the brutalities youths have to endure include slaps, kicks, and blows, as well as the use of harmful objects to cut dreadlocks, among others.

What are some of the contributing factors to the ENDSARS Protest 

1. Constant strike actions at Nigerian federal universities.

2. The Burden of Youth Unemployment

3. The never-ending police brutality in the name of combating and preventing the spread of cyber fraud among youth.

4. Worsening living conditions:

5. The failed state nature of the Nigerian State in terms of protecting the lives and properties of Nigerians is a breach of the social contract.

6. Corruption, policy inconsistency, and a leadership crisis in Nigeria

What lessons did the ENDSARS protesters leave for the world at large to see?

Before answering this question, let's take a look at Bob Marley's quote in his classic Magnum opus song titled "(pass it on)." In this song, Bob Marley remarked that '' we are not here to judge what is good or bad but to do the things that are right."

Bob Marley further queried why are governments around the world against the youth from taking marriguana? In affirmation, he noted that the government is scared that it will make the youth rebel or revolt. He further asked, "If the government is living up to their expectations, why would the youths want to rebel or revolt against the government?"

The ENDSARS protesters were able to expose how Nigerian leaders prefer their selfish interests as regards maintaining the power status quo that is highly characterised by the exploitation of the masses through accumulation by dispossession. Many food items were discovered in some strategic warehouses, whereas many Nigerian families had nothing to eat during the many months of observation of the stay at home policy.  

Some died of hunger-related ill health, while our leaders continued to wallow in affluence, overfeeding, and waste of food during the lockdown period.

The government at all levels is yet to satisfactorily defend their budgets of what they received and what was spent fighting the COVID-19 pandemic during and after the lockdown period.

From the above, it is obvious that having a proactive, accountable, and responsible government matters. Why would the youths want to revolt if the Nigerian government provided security, social amenities, job creation, and the dollar-to-naira exchange rate was parity?

The above questions bring to the timeline some of the revolutionary pressures that, if not urgently addressed, will pave the way for a bloody revolution in Nigeria. 

They include:

1. Food Insecurity 2. Corruption. 3. Unemployment. 4. Continuous execution of anti-poor policies and programmes. 5. Weak Political Institutions.

As we mark the two years anniversary of the epic protests against human rights violations in terms of police brutality, among others, it is unfortunate that the protesters behind the ENDSARs protest are still in prison without due trials and subsequent court judgement in order to prove there innocency or otherwise.

May we continue to pray for them, their families, while log on to http://change.org to sign up petition and get the governmeny to do the needful!