For twelve days, we have marched. For twelve days, we have stood side-by-side, hand-in-hand, in various locations across the country. For twelve days, we have given ourselves glimpses of the future that is possible; a working system in which legal response is just five minutes away. For the first time in a while, probably the first time since our nation’s founding fathers fought the colonialists, we have spoken and sung in one voice, and the song on our lips has not varied, has not changed lyrics. The words have remained the same: END SARS.
For most of us, we have never experienced this – this feeling of pride in our nation and its people – this hope that was a little question mark in our hearts on day 1, and is now a booming exclamation mark. We have protested, not to join the crowd or to ‘feel among’ but because we believe. We believe that our voices matter, we believe that the destiny of our nation is in our hand.
Read: The #EndSARS Protests Have Shown That A New Nigeria is on the Horizon
The Coconut Head generation, The Pressing Phone generation; the ones who will not be silenced- we have never known a working country but we will be damned if that is our legacy to our children! On protest grounds around the country, we are breathing the wind of change. It is in our hair and is carrying our banners and flags and it has filtered slowly into houses, and mosques, and churches.
We have been quiet too long, and they have insulted us with stories of snakes swallowing money, they have killed us with assault rifles and torture techniques and dumped our bodies in the river, they have raped us and maimed us, they have put our families in suspended states of uncertainty, simultaneously looking for closure while hoping that we were alive. But we were not alive, not until now. And now that our voices are loud and unanimous, the government has done everything but listen to the demands. On day 1, they laughed and said we would go home. Now, after seeing their plans have failed, they are trying to sow seeds of discord amongst our ranks; gender, religion, ethnicity and now, sexual orientation.
Omo, wait. What are they hiding? Why have they decided to risk international sanctions and scrutiny because of ONE unit in the police force? What is SARS doing for them? Why have the killings continued with impunity? Why? Why are our lives not important to them? Why do we have to beg and grovel for a morsel of God-given rights?
They think they are used to us. They believe that if we see a little discomfort, we will back down. But here’s the catch: they have given us discomfort all our lives and there is only so much a person can take. Now they are burning down their own police stations and ‘freeing’ prisoners to attack our credibility. Abi they think say we no get sense? How can unarmed protesters break into a prison and overpower the guards with placards and mobile phones? What kind of prisoner is wearing the latest premier league jersey when he has supposedly been in the can for 3 years? What kind of prisoner has a suitcase packed and ready for an impromptu jailbreak? We have been taken for idiots too many times, but not any more.
Like Eleanor Roosevelt said: “Pit race against race, religion against religion, prejudice against prejudice. Divide and Conquer! We must not let that happen here.”
Are you tired? We definitely cannot be, not yet. We must go again and again till we get the change we seek.
