Of Angels, Doves and Hawks — A weekend of Accommodation in the #EndSars Protest
It is important to start this opinion piece by saluting the incredible spirit of patriotism and purpose that has fuelled the protest to end policy brutality and bad governance in Nigeria. There are so many high points and it has been a redefinition of what it means to be a Nigerian. Well done to everyone that are recognisable and have put in their effort and those that are unrecognisable but have made the protest possible, it is a victory to everyone that young people have executed a popular protest that is online, on the street and environmentally friendly. It is also important to acknowledge the dead, that have been unjustly killed, may all their souls rest in peace. Those who died wrongly during the protest and those who were killed by police brutality before the protest. It is equally important to acknowledge the injured and the maimed and those whose property have been destroyed, the Nigerian Police should be ashamed of how they have acted and continue to act in the face of peaceful protest.
With acknowledgements covered, I think the protest is at a critical juncture and a dangerous moment for both sides. The Angels are all the protesters, who against insurmountable obstacles still continue to chant Endsars and bring justice. The Doves are the people in government at all levels trying to work out an amicable resolution of the issues at stake. The Hawks are the people in government that are regularly advising on and proposing hard measures to punish the protesters. In my opinion, there is a real tussle between the Doves and the Hawks and the Angels cannot afford to be unaware or unconcerned about it. This tussle played out in Lagos state, when thugs carrying machetes conveyed by an official bus were sent to disrupt the protesters, a day after the governor of Lagos had joined the protesters and assured them of safety. It is voiced by people who believe that the mere fact that the President addressed the nation is such a big occurrence; the youth should therefore immediately develop amnesia and godly reverence and quit the protest. As I write, I would assume, they are those compiling hard measures including DSS arrest, militarisation of the streets, curfews, targeting business and careers and insisting that the government follow through on these measures.
The truth is simple and jarring. The government can end this protest with bloodshed on the streets, and it is very Nigerian to do so, as the student protesters of the 80’s and early 90’s can attest to. But the government would, if they did this, pay a price for it, and after Sudan, it is not inconceivable that people in government would end up with indictments at the International Criminal Court! However such outcome, although severe would not be a victory for the Angels. The real victory is for this protest to end on a high note, with demands met, a better, humane and more effective police service and everyone returning home with their lives to pursue their various careers and to come back again on other issues and to wrestle power in 2023.
To achieve this positive outcome, this weekend is an important weekend of accommodation. Where state governors have been forthcoming with solutions like the Lagos state government have, the Angels must engage actively with such solutions to make it better. Look through and respond directly to what the state has offered. Understand the limitations on the power of the state and work to achieve all the goals the state can achieve. I urge the governor of Lagos state to be flexible, willing to listen to the protesters and to see that he improves his solution until a settlement is reached.
The best outcome for the country is if Lagos state can provide a template that meets the demands of the protesters and then in a sad spectacle of lazy governance, other states can ‘copy and paste’ these solutions. In this regard, setting up a panel made of old government hands and a recently controversial human rights activist, with an average panel age of 50 years old is tone deaf. Reconstitute that panel, make it at least 60% compromised of youths that the youths on the streets can believe understand their plight, go to each of the major venues of protest and pick the ordinary protester that would join those that are recognisable in the panel. An active back and forth, online and at the protest venues, undertaken transparently by the Lagos state government, should bring the protest in Lagos to a close this weekend. The governor must be willing to go the extra length, see to it that his ministry of justice prosecutes the police that have maimed and tortured people in Lagos, see to it that the thugs that attacked the protesters are arrested. See to it that those picked up at the dead of the night by the police are released and that the police unit indentified and prosecuted.
The Angels must engage with the Lagos state government and also be willing to bring the protest in the state to a happy ending. In this regard, it is not achievable (or useful) to insist that the IG of Police should resign, the problem is the system not the individual. It is not achievable at this moment to win on the many other social ills and social justice issues in Nigeria. It is achievable and realistic to bring a real end to Sars and to improve the police service. It is realistic to expect Lagos state to be safe and poor police practices across the state to end. Ending the protest after an amicable solution in Lagos state is not the end of the protest nationwide. As we have seen in Anambra state, there are local issues of Sars brutality that must be dealt with uniquely. Ending the protest in Lagos state, does not also mean the end of the protest in Abuja. In fact, an amicable solution in Lagos state, will enhance and embolden the Doves in the federal government. The youths could also then turn all their energies and creativity into a massive protest in Abuja, I believe that even before such protest holds, the Doves in the Federal government would have used the template in Lagos state to reach an accommodation that sees better police structures nationwide.
This is a vital weekend. Someone said online; let’s not make the mistakes of our fathers, this is important, especially in not allowing divisions and fault lines. I would also add, do not make the mistake of your peers. In Egypt, a popular youth uprising eventually ushered in an Islamic fundamentalist party and then a do over military person, without the youth really tasting the sweat victory of complete and heart-warming change. In Hong Kong, by over playing their protest power, the Hawks in mainland China, have used the protest as an excuse to end the one nation, two system experiment. This is the weekend we rewrite the script and win in Nigeria, Doves and Angels, please work together in Lagos and other forthcoming states.