“And if death is the last appointment, then we’re all just sitting in the waiting room”
- Fall Out Boy
A sitting deputy governor was asked to name one of the people killed by SARS and his response was “...let’s not get into semantics.” People’s children, human beings whose lives were cut short are being referred to as semantics. Today is October 13th 2020 and at least 16 people have been killed by SARS, and by proxy, the entire Nigerian Police Force, since the protests started on the 8th. The media, police and evidently the government are trying to change the narrative, even with video evidence. It’s social media keeping these cogs running.
All our hard earned money that was crowdsourced for the protesters is suddenly deemed suspicious. Return our money please. All I see is jealousy and fear. Fear of the fact that we can fend for our own and don’t need to depend on their handouts that come with a thick noose around the neck. Fear of this selflessness among us. These older people are afraid. And more than anything else, they are cowards. They don’t understand how we are determined to fight for this country and her progress. They don’t understand how the apathy they tried to instill in us failed to take hold. They don’t understand how tired we are of the bullshit. They don’t understand it because they are ashamed of the fact that they brought us here. They sowed these bitter seeds with their greed and plundering like the pirates they are, and suddenly complain about the bitter apples they eat. The chickens have come home to roost.
Not once did I ever think that I’d be quoting fall out boy in a conversation about Nigeria and the Nigerian youth experience. But I guess we’ve come to terms with the possibility of dying in this fight. We only have one life and one death, and frankly I’d rather spend my life fighting to retain our rights than to bring children into a world where they die before they can stand on their own two feet. I’m mostly writing so my daughters and sons will know that their mother wasn’t silent in the face of injustice. Their grandparents, however, probably were. They even turned a blind eye while occasionally absolving their generation of any responsibility for how things have turned out (very on brand for their generation ). UT Etim is sha not silent.
And that's what has kept me fighting. Those tweets that begin with "Say his name: Jimoh Isiaq." "REMEMBER HER NAME:. IFEOMA ABUGU". WELDONE!
I had to come and stan this right after you published it. It's powerful!