Almost exactly 37 years ago, a group of young Nigerian Army officers got fed up with the social, political and economic conditions of the country and decided to do something about it. They ousted the government of President Shehu Shagari in a bloodless coup. In the national broadcast that followed, the officers cited corruption, ineptitude, insensitivity and economic decline as reasons for their action. Nigerians rose as one to support their action. That group of officers was led by a certain Major General Muhammad Buhari. He was 41 years old.
Today, 37 years after, millions of young Nigerians at home and abroad have risen in an unprecedented protest. They are marching daily, peacefully, on the streets under the banner of #ENDSARS. They are protesting against negative police profiling of young people, rampant police brutality, extra judicial killings and other acts of impunity closely associated with the now defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS). They say the hated police unit is emblematic of a dysfunctional and poorly led country which must now be fundamentally re-engineered. They say the Nigerian state is no longer a force for the common good of all citizens but a tool for the pleasure of a handful of office holders. They have refused to stop the protest and go home even after government officially announced it had agreed to their demands and needs time to process and implement reforms. They say they have no faith in the capacity of this government to self-correct or keep their promises, reason why they want proof of real change. These young men and women are laying their petitions at the feet of President Muhammadu Buhari.
It is the same Muhammadu Buhari who in the prime of youth almost 4 decades ago, moved against a rudderless administration and brought it down. He is now 78 years old and back in the saddle. But the tables have turned. The youth of this generation accuse him of the very sins he once accused Shagari. American essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson, warned about this when he wrote that “Every hero becomes a bore at last.”
The next few days and weeks will be crucial in determining Nigeria’s fate. Will Africa’s most populous country progress towards a Glorious Revolution? Will Nigeria regress towards anarchy and bloodshed? Will this be a false start, like the Decembrist Revolt of 1825 in Russia, from which the forces of retrogression will rebound and regroup? Only time will tell. A lot will depend on how the retired Army General from Daura responds to this newest challenge. His much-anticipated address to the nation on Thursday, October 22, turned out to be an anti-climax. The president showed neither insight nor empathy for the frustrations of the youth. Some say he even came across as threatening and snobbish.
The President could choose to believe that his adversaries are at work, stirring the youths to unsettle him. This perspective is already being canvassed by some of his handlers. Some say “opposition politicians” and “hoodlums” have hijacked the protests. Others say “foreign interests” are secretly financing and organizing the demonstrators. They point to generous food and beverage supplies flowing to the protesters as well as their flawless coordination across the country as evidence of covert enemy operations. I consider this view point to be of very little value. Did opposition politicians, hoodlums and foreign interests also lead the country to a cul-de-sac? Even the blind can see that Nigeria is terribly adrift. If it takes some sort of conspiracy to steer this country to safety, then so be it.
If the president buys into the conspiracy narrative, he could react in one of many ways. Already, there is evidence of counterinsurgency action underway. Several online videos suggest thugs were hired, armed and transported to several demonstration scenes to attempt to confront and disperse the protesters. Some of these interventions have resulted in violence, injuries and death. On Tuesday night, October 22, a contingent of soldiers approached a major centre of the peaceful protests in Lekki area of Lagos and allegedly began shooting. The dust is yet to settle on the mayhem that followed, with claims and counterclaims of casualty numbers. In the interval, some have tried to play the regional, ethnic and religious cards to try to split the ranks of demonstrators.
There is a tantalizing alternative plot which almost no one is paying attention to at the moment: The President could key into the spirit of the movement, adopt its key demands and power through an unprecedented and much needed reform of Nigeria’s grand norm. If the president’s ego does not get in his way, he would realize that his agenda for the 2015 presidential bid is in perfect alignment with what the youths are asking for today. He would recognize that #ENDSARS is actually a synonym for #EndCorruption, #EndImpunity and #EndInsecurity. It was under these slogans that this administration came to power only 5 years ago. So, in essence, the president is “ideologically” with the protesters. Sadly, it looks like the president and his men have forgotten where they are coming from, distracted obviously by the bright lights of office and the sweet sounds of their own voices.
The president should be glad that the youths are giving him a fresh, potent weapon to right the many wrongs of Nigeria and do what he solemnly swore he would do in the first place. With an open mandate such as this, neither the treacherous National Assembly nor the cunning civil servants can stand in the way of a holistic system overhaul by a visionary leader. But to do this, the president must be a genuine reformer and change agent himself, not a pretender or political opportunist. Not part of the problem.
This is where the matter comes to a head. Sadly, I cannot vouch for this president’s transformational credentials. I find his perspective on the challenges facing Nigeria to be arcane. His record these past 5 years in office does him no favors. He cuts the image of a man who insists on flying a modern jetliner with the skill set of a cab driver.
This is the time when those in his cabinet who claim to love the president must step up and save him. He is a proud soldier with no known skills in negotiation and de-escalation. In over 10 years, the national security system has failed to subdue Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and inter-communal clashes. Opening up another front with our youths is an option that should not be contemplated.
Before the soldiers opened fire, the protesting youths were much more peaceful, respectful and cultured than at any other time past. They had not taken laws into their hands. They had openly rejected the path of violence and unruly conduct. They were gathering with remarkable civility and dignity, carrying placards, making speeches, holding prayer vigils and articulating their demands with intellectual clarity. They were cleaning up their own mess the morning after. They were appealing to our good conscience to do what we know is right. They had stepped into the void left by labor unions and civil society organizations who sold out during the recent petrol and electricity price hikes.
Our children clearly did not learn this from us; they had surpassed us. In our time as students back in the 80s and 90s, protest marches were perfect excuses for security forces to unleash blood baths. When other opportunities for national rebirth beckoned, most of our people chose to stay home and mind their petty interests. But our children chose a better path from the goodness of their hearts. For a moment it appeared that the “Wasted Generation” had miraculously sired a “Wiser Generation.” For that we have reason to be immensely proud even in our shame and unease.
Victor Anazonwu, a journalist and historian, is author of the book, The 8 Habits of Highly Ineffective People (Amazon.com, 2019). He writes from Lagos and can be reached on victor.elipses@gmail.com
