In a month where most Nigerians began with a sense of national pride; now is filled with not only pain but also anguish and a huge blanket of loss; after an otherwise peaceful End Sars protest in Lekki took a bloody and regrettable turn.
Why are Nigerians calling out for the Government to End Sars?
SARS stands for Nigeria’s Special Armed Forces Squad; which implies they are tasked with curbing the destructive influence of armed robbers in the country. However; it has sadly; become the bane of the everyday person; with many reports of the unit themselves committing crimes against the very people they were asked to protect.
This led to a few peaceful protests by the citizens who clearly felt speaking in a unified voice would spark a much-needed change. Unfortunately; this is where things soured. From my viewpoint based on a highly charged Twitter timeline; it became evident that the Nigerian government was not only trying to ignore but with time, also suppress the efforts of the fast-growing movement. (Click here for a more detailed breakdown)
Then it announced the disbanding of SARS; while announcing in the same breadth it would be replaced by SWAT (no idea what it should stand for yet). And then came arguably the saddest day in recent Nigerian memory… as innocent protesters were fired at savagely while at a toll booth in Lekki by their nation’s own armed forces; with an undisclosed amount of both fatalities and injuries being reported across social media (for inexplicable reasons, most Nigerian media outlets have been asked to not “embarrass” the government).
Despite the End Sars losses… how best can Nigerians and their fellow Africans continue to apply pressure on their leaders? Jamie says…
Nigerians should not, and would not relent in their quest. After all; their government is supposed to be accountable to them. These shameful acts by those suits in power must be widely condemned. And Africa must learn to fight for its people; rather than fight against us! This, coupled with the atrocities occurring in Congo due to the presence and also exploitation of the precious mineral Coltan shows that our leaders will do anything to gain favor from more powerful nations or corporations; even at their own citizens’ expense!
We must rise up; and also continue to let our voices be heard as we fight for change! Continue to support the ever-growing #endsars movement, and as always; keep supporting and interacting with The Brew Show! Thank you for your time, and have a great end to October!