The #ENDSARS protest rocking Nigeria as a result of the incessant brutalities perpetrated by officers of the Nigerian police force (especially by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)) has thrown up a lot of reasons to be hopeful for the future of Nigeria. The battle for a better Nigeria is not yet won though, but the happenings during these dark days have shown that there exists a major ideological shift from the mentality of previous generations.
Environmental consciousness
There have already been many instances of protesters cleaning up the environment, sweeping and picking up trash at the protest sites. This is not insignificant, because understanding that in 1984, the military government headed by the current president, Mohammadu Buhari had to institute the ‘War Against Indiscipline’; and the Lagos State government was forced to enact the ‘Kick Against Indiscipline’ in 2003, both geared towards stemming the tide of gross apathy towards the environment; having young protesters maintain their obligations to keeping the environment clean speaks volumes.
Fighting the good fight
Also, on the 12th of October 2020, another day of unwarranted deaths and chaos due to the brutal clampdown by the men of the Nigerian Police on peaceful protesters, a video went viral of young protesters protecting a police officer who got separated from his team from being assaulted. This is simply astonishing because these same protesters who spread their arms wide to ensure no harm befell the police officer knew full well that their own comrades were being shot at with live ammunition, hot water cannon, and tear-gassed by members of the Nigerian police. This was an act of great restraint and the discouragement of primitive and mob justice; behaviours
consistently exhibited by police officers which the protesters are demanding becomes a thing of the past in the interaction between the police force and the Nigerian populace.
Seeking for better police welfare
Furthermore, when the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu announced the dissolution of SARS on the 11th of October 2020, the Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba released a statement containing 5 key points from the IGP’s announcement. The protesters did not buy into this though as recent history shows that SARS has been disbanded (to varying degrees) in 2017, 2018, and 2019 only to resurface after a short while to continue their nefarious activities. In response, the protesters came up with their own 5 key points dubbed #5for5, and importantly, one key demand was for concrete steps to be taken to address the abysmal remuneration of the officers in the Nigerian police force. This indeed is stunning because as I elucidated above, while they are marching peacefully to make the welfare of the police officers better, they are met with live ammunition.
2020 has been a year of upheavals beyond count, but when history rolls the tape, it will also show that 2020 was the year that Nigeria’s golden generation decided to take charge of not just their future, but also the present.
A Golden Generation
A Golden Generation
A Golden Generation
The #ENDSARS protest rocking Nigeria as a result of the incessant brutalities perpetrated by officers of the Nigerian police force (especially by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)) has thrown up a lot of reasons to be hopeful for the future of Nigeria. The battle for a better Nigeria is not yet won though, but the happenings during these dark days have shown that there exists a major ideological shift from the mentality of previous generations.
Environmental consciousness
There have already been many instances of protesters cleaning up the environment, sweeping and picking up trash at the protest sites. This is not insignificant, because understanding that in 1984, the military government headed by the current president, Mohammadu Buhari had to institute the ‘War Against Indiscipline’; and the Lagos State government was forced to enact the ‘Kick Against Indiscipline’ in 2003, both geared towards stemming the tide of gross apathy towards the environment; having young protesters maintain their obligations to keeping the environment clean speaks volumes.
Fighting the good fight
Also, on the 12th of October 2020, another day of unwarranted deaths and chaos due to the brutal clampdown by the men of the Nigerian Police on peaceful protesters, a video went viral of young protesters protecting a police officer who got separated from his team from being assaulted. This is simply astonishing because these same protesters who spread their arms wide to ensure no harm befell the police officer knew full well that their own comrades were being shot at with live ammunition, hot water cannon, and tear-gassed by members of the Nigerian police. This was an act of great restraint and the discouragement of primitive and mob justice; behaviours
consistently exhibited by police officers which the protesters are demanding becomes a thing of the past in the interaction between the police force and the Nigerian populace.
Seeking for better police welfare
Furthermore, when the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu announced the dissolution of SARS on the 11th of October 2020, the Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba released a statement containing 5 key points from the IGP’s announcement. The protesters did not buy into this though as recent history shows that SARS has been disbanded (to varying degrees) in 2017, 2018, and 2019 only to resurface after a short while to continue their nefarious activities. In response, the protesters came up with their own 5 key points dubbed #5for5, and importantly, one key demand was for concrete steps to be taken to address the abysmal remuneration of the officers in the Nigerian police force. This indeed is stunning because as I elucidated above, while they are marching peacefully to make the welfare of the police officers better, they are met with live ammunition.
2020 has been a year of upheavals beyond count, but when history rolls the tape, it will also show that 2020 was the year that Nigeria’s golden generation decided to take charge of not just their future, but also the present.