#ENDSARS 2020: Awakening The Final Frontier of Nigerian Endurance
On the 4th of October 2020, the news of the shooting and death of a man in Ughelli, Delta broke.
A video of a high speed chase surfaced on social media. Two men in a car are in pursuit of a white Lexus Sport Utility vehicle. In the vehicle ahead of them are operatives of Nigeria’s Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) who had allegedly opened fire on a young man at the Wetland Hotel in Ughelli a few minutes earlier.
One of the SARS officers had gotten into the victim's car, in an attempt to drive it away, leaving the dead body exposed to elements. The recorded chase, unprecedented in a country where SARS usually does the chasing, was the stilted start of riots in Delta state led by bloodthirsty youths seeking to punish the officers.
Nigerian youths have been raging ever since.
In one of the viral clips from the ongoing #EndSARS protests in front of the Lagos State’s legislative House of Assembly, protesters are huddled around in a rowdy dance circle, bouncing in sync to Ice Prince's "Super Star". It looks like a concert mosh pit at first glance. This is the energy of the #EndSARS protests. You can hear the entire grounds leading into the Lagos State assembly pulsing as though Wizkid just climbed on stage. But this exuberance actually comes from rising tensions and a lot of frustration following months of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Over the last two weeks, young Nigerians have taken the streets, figuratively online and literally offline, to protest against police brutality in Nigeria. And this is not the first time. Since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, local defence authorities have always been criticised for humanitarian abuses. The country's history of a civil war, followed by post-colonial military rule, and subsequent years of institutional socio-economic repressions, also means many middle-aged and older Nigerians are very aware of the limits of their civil liberties. No older Nigerian will tell you protests are illegal, but they will tell you, that until #EndSARS, the expression of democracy to the scale of civil unrest, has been theoretical at best.
Ask Nigerian pop-singer, 2baba, who back in February of 2017, called off a planned "anti-government" protest via Instagram, citing "security challenges". Between August 2015 and August 2016, Amnesty International reports, the Nigerian military led an even more brazen attack that saw over 150 peaceful pro-Biafra protesters killed across southeastern cities, Onitsha and Aba. By the end of the Occupy Naija protests of January 2012, 16 people had been fatally shot and killed, all by officers of the Nigerian police force. In the aftermath of the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre, where operatives of the Nigerian Armed forces unleash mayhem by shooting at peaceful protesters, these incidence patterns are only more aggravating.
It has always been silent public knowledge that taking any bold anti-government stance, comes bundled with putting your life at risk. Amnesty International and many media outlets report over ten people were confirmed dead at the Lekki Massacre. Even more mortifying, state authorities responded to legitimate civic agitations about the crime with veiled threats and knuckled-headed scare tactics. This is why the #EndSARS protests have sustained as a pivotal moment for Nigeria's democratic awakening. Because, with the events of the last two weeks, a renewed urgency that something needs to immediately, radically shift, has begun to dawn on even the most politically-apathetic Nigerians.
The government's tactics of systematic repression are becoming more obvious. In the days following the events in Ughelli, online protests led to the Inspector General of Police announcing through the agency’s twitter handle that SARS was banned from engaging lower level police work including stop and search, patrols and checkpoints. The only problem was, the SARS patrols didn’t disappear from the streets that day or the next.
After 72 hours of inaction, Nigerian youths decided enough was enough, and rallied under the #EndSARS banner, they took to the street in the 3rd round of physical protests against the rogue unit in three years. By the time, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), was announced to replace SARS, it was clear from the strength of youths who continued to mobilise online and offline across the country, that authorities would require a different approach.
Two notable tools beyond state control that have been instrumental to the success of the peaceful protests are social media and music. Through them, youth leaders have been able to socially engineer problem solving and open dialogues in real-time. Feminist Co, an umbrella women’s rights organisation—led by Feyikemi Abudu, Yewande Akomolafe-Kalu, Jola Ayeye, Adetomi Aladekomo, Christine Obubu Otigba and Moe Odele—has used social media to raise funding to mobilise protesters, engage government on the release of illegally arrested protesters and pressure the appropriate authorities to move in response to the demands of protesters. Nigerian Afropop stars, Wizkid Davido, Falz, RunTown, Burna Boy and more have also taken diverse approaches to joining pro-EndSARS campaigns across the country; from online activism to street marches and meeting with stakeholders.
This youth-driven decentralised approach has many advantages in a country where state censorship and suppression is often the undiscussed elephant in the room. For example when rumours started to circle around that Nigeria's central bank was shutting down FeministCo bank accounts and instructing its payment partners to deactivate donation links, the platform quickly pivoted to channelling its donations using Bitcoin.
It's noteworthy that since Fela — and perhaps, Charly Boy — Nigeria only began to really see increased celebrity involvement in civic engagement less than 8 years ago, with Occupy Naija. Subsequent election seasons saw candidates like singer Bankole 'Banky W' Wellington, Nollywood actor, Desmond Elliot and Afrobeat artist, 9ice running for political office. Since the 2020 #EndSARS protests began, Nigerian-American, singer Davido has been instrumental in presenting the Inspector General of Police, with police reform demands.
The escalation of peaceful gatherings by unidentified troublemakers, has always been a common strategic play to disrupt protests. In 2017, when 2baba canceled his planned protest, Premium Times reported, authorities had "credible intelligence” that other groups were planning counter protests, and a looming clash could turn violent. As witnessed in the reported cases of men armed with weapons disrupting protests in Alausa, Surulere and Yaba areas of Lagos, and subsequent lootings of federal government buildings, shops and stores (after the Tuesday curfew was announced in Lagos), that propaganda playbook hasn't changed.
For the 2020 #EndSARS protests, FeministCo provided additional private security, to tackle security breaches at protest venues by troublemakers. But it remains unclear if these so-called "thugs"and "hoodlums" merely went out of their way to break #EndSARS protests, or if they had been contracted by unscrupulous Nigerian 'big men' to give the protests a bad face as purported by Burna Boy on SkyNews, and activist, Gani Adams, Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland on ARISEtv.
The #EndSARS movement has also gained the attention of Twitter's Jack Dorsey, Rihanna, Kanye West, other international public figures and foreign media, without any discernible leaders. This is by far, the greatest achievement of #EndSARS as a postmodern Nigerian civil rights movement, because it has been significantly harder for local authorities to defuse the #EndSARS protests or silo interest groups with arrests, threats and bribes.
As a single mission, the goal of #EndSARS is ultimately the demand for better. And as youth uprisings continue to spring up in different states across the country, those demands are now being underbellied by a general disgruntledness with the cyclical state of the country's problems. While taking to the streets is an efficient show of resistance, structural approaches are just as important for long lasting solutions. What we're beginning to see in real-time, are the dimensions the #EndSARS movement will take in popular culture as the struggle for police reforms and equitable wealth distribution endures.
In Arts and Culture
Perhaps one of the unprecedented surprises of the 2020 #EndSARS protests, was Davido's "FEM" becoming a protest anthem . Before the Afropop star began marching along with other protesters in Abuja, his September single, "FEM", was already turning protest grounds into raves. In a recent clip of Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu trying to calm a mob of protesters, the protesters can be heard chanting "Small boy, you don dey talk too much" (Small man, you’re talking out of pocket), in response to the state governor. While "FEM" was released as an unapologetic side-eye to haters, it's a befitting anthem to the ineffectual leadership of Nigerian politicians and their recycled failed promises.
The growing popularity of "FEM", coincides with Davido coming to the light as an activist and youth leader. Though skeptics have suggested Davido is merely laying foundations for a longer term play as a Nigerian statesman, there's a spatial difference between what is usually expected of Nigerian celebrities in the realm of public issues, in comparison with what the Afropopstar and his peers have achieved with their involvement with the #EndSARS protests, online and offline.
The use of Afropop as a galvanising sound at protest hotspots, mirrors a similar trend that saw jazz music etch its way in history by soundtracking the American civil rights movement of the 60s. As a derivative of Fela's socially-charged Afrobeat, Afropop's global crossover already placed the sound within ranks of indicators for a long-lasting African renaissance. Becoming the theme sound of a cultural revolution, seals the timely relevance of the sound. Nams, a protest organiser at Ojodu Berger says, “Music didn’t inspire the protest, but it contributed to the mood and momentum. When we started marching, it brought people together and created a singular, united mood. It was bond and solidarity. The music was the regular stuff; African China, FEM, Burna Boy songs. We had a saxophone guy who was loud and vocal. He was on the hood of the car playing these songs,”.
In News Media and Corporate Consumer Engagement
In the early days of the #EndSARS protests, local Nigerian news outlets came under fire for not providing adequate coverage. Public dissatisfaction with traditional legacy Nigerian media outlets like Channels TV, NTA and TVC News, quickly became a campaign for the support and amplification of new media platforms like Zikoko, TechCabal, The NATIVE, ARISEtv and more. It may be too early to call it the rise of new Nigerian media vanguards, but these younger platforms have been more actively involved in providing real-time updates from the protest frontlines.
The same trend is noticeable in the call-outs of businesses and corporations that either shut out protesters or remained silent on the issue since the movements began. In their stead, fast-food chains like Chicken Republic, fintech start-ups such as Kuda, CowryWise, PiggyVest and Flutterwave and many other small businesses, have gained increased visibility for providing additional logistics and support for the protests. Nigeria has a market segmentation largely driven by class economics, but we are also witnessing a younger generation united in their distrust of big corporations that ignore the humanitarian crisis at the heart of #EndSARS, to the point of deeming them instruments of the oppressor.
At the moment, many #EndSARS tweets, also include a list of brands to support, and new-generation media platforms to bypass false propaganda and fake news.
In Governance and Public Administration
In previous years, the announcement of a “ban” of SARS, was often a temporary way to assuage tensions rising from reports of extortion, torture, rape or other forms of assault committed by the rogue police unit. But it was clear from the swiftness of Nigerian youths to point out how ineffective previous bans and dissolutions of SARS in 2017, 2018, and 2019, have been, that such propagandist manoeuvres would never work. This time around, all the announcements to redress SARS as SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), was fuel anger about the government's insensitivity.
And rightfully so too. For context, the first #EndSARS protests happened less than a decade after the unit was first formed in 1992. As one of 14 specialised units in the Nigerian Police Force, the SARS unit was created specifically to counter armed robbery attempts and other criminal activities where heavy weaponry is employed. Till date, the SARS unit operates on many illegal premises in the Nigerian constitution and the recently approved 2004 Police Act passed by the senate back in July, has long-proposed that the constitutional provisions for SARS be investigated and amended with immediate effect.
For the #ENDSARS movement to have lasting impact, there is clearly a need for combined tactics that will match the agitation of the protest grounds, with dialogues between youth leaders and Nigerian stakeholders. But even if the momentum of protests online and offline thin out over the coming weeks, increased inquiry and scrutiny of public officials, especially in light of the government's lackadaisical response to Lekki Massacre or the corruption that makes the Nigerian police force so poorly-funded, will continue ahead of 2023 elections. For now, demand for accountability from public office holders, and the rising trend of private citizens leading civic mobilisation and crowdfunding community solutions, will be the persisting face of the #ENDSARS resistance.
"Everyday My People dey inside bus
Them go pack themselves in like sardine
Everyday na the same thing
Archbishop dey for London
Pope dey for Rome
Imam dey for Mecca
My brother wetin you say/my sister wetin you go hear?
Zombie goes as follows;
Zombie no go think unless you tell am to think
No break, no job no sense”
Fela, "Shuffering and Shmiling”, Phonogram. Inc 1977
Forty-three years ago, Fela released this snicker of a song that kind of pokes fun at some of the agitations of today's Nigerian civil rights movements. Fela, a master composer and man of the people, doesn't outrightly blame the suffering as a consequence of wide-spread national docility. But the dark-humoured songwriting on the 1977 classic, also paints a pretty vivid image of the hellish reality that will continue to earmark the days of our lives, if no work is done to improve Nigeria’s democratic process.
Less than a decade ago, a story by the Guardian named Nigeria as the happiest place on earth. The article, by British-Nigerian journalist and playwright, Bim Adewunmi, describes a unique brand of infectious Nigerian 'joie de vivre', that keeps people going, even in the face of deep inequality, insecurity and other forms of untold hardships. Her assertion was based on "a 53-country Gallup poll, Nigerians were rated at 70 points for optimism". In January of this year, a green-palleted cover of American news magazine, NewsWeek, described Nigeria as "The World's Next Superpower". Though the cover story retained anachronistic facts about the problems that currently limit Nigeria from being Africa's first true global player, it also concluded Nigeria's limitless potential would be heralded by her ebullient and urbanising population.
In many parts of the world, this same Nigerian optimism, is often misunderstood for loudness or rambunctiousness. Today, the achievements of #EndSARS movements in just a little over two weeks, makes a case for why Nigerians are often praised for their endurance. But it also adds a layer of heroism, selflessness and social responsibility to how one may view what it means to be a spirited Nigerian in 2020.
With the decentralisation of information thanks to the internet, Nigeria is currently witnessing a revolution of ideals. Middle class, upwardly mobile millennial Nigerians who have come of age amidst deep-cut tragedies like the Boko Haram insurgency, multiple economic recessions and large-scale corruption, are now combining resources with younger Gen-Z Nigerians, the country's largest online population, some of whom have no memory of Nigeria's repressive military era.
For young voting age Nigerians who need to remain angry and motivated towards demanding changes and accountability from their elected officials over the next three years, three big mysteries still remained unsolved from the 2020 #EndSARS protests; Why have previous bans on SARS been ineffective over the past three years? How did thugs start to systematically disrupt protests around Lagos? And who ordered the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre of October 20, 2020?
Whether on the streets, online, in boardrooms or courtrooms, the demands of the #EndSARS protests will endure, because citizens shouldn't have to shuffer and shmile through corrupt leadership, maddening economic inequality or the inhumanity of state security forces. From now until structural changes are instituted to rid Nigeria of pre-existing corrupt and repressive social norms, the #EndSARS protests of 2020 will stand as a defining new frontier for Nigerian endurance. After 60 years of independence, and 60 years of being on the cusp of a breakthrough, all roads points to giving Nigeria’s youth a fighting chance at survival. And we can start by ending SARS now.
Credits:
Collages by photographer and artist, Morenike Ajayi, visit her website for more
Additional context provided by Ruth Zakari and Edwin Okolo.
