In the last two weeks, the delegation from the Federal Government, or what was termed as the Presidential team, met with leaders of different parts of the country, an aftermath of the #EndSARS protests and growing anger in the land against government.
The delegation, led by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, at different times and places, met with northern leaders, the south east leaders and the South West leaders.
At each of the meetings, the Federal Government representatives heard from the people some of their grouses. The groups made demands which the presidential team promised to relay to the President.
If you listen to some of the revelations by some victims of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) brutality at the panels set up by some state governments, you will hear reasons beyond the protests.
Beyond the #EndSARS agitation and the call for better remuneration for police personnel, there are deep-seated anger and animosity across the land over the unfortunate state of affairs.
But while the panels are still at work, many concerned Nigerians fear that their efforts, like in some judicial panels of inquiry in the past, may be in futility going by the comments and action of the government.
Recently, governors of the northern states of the country said that the #EndSARS protests were aimed at toppling the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
According to observers, the protests witnessed the participation of Nigerian youths with no ethnic, religion or social status biases. Moreover, those killed, especially at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos were also from different ethnic, and religious backgrounds, and now divergent voices are bringing divisive elements, the observers lamented.
But while the permutations on the reasons the protests held go on, and panel of judicial inquiry commences investigations, it seems the Nigerian government and leaders are missing the salient point again.
The government, which should be making efforts at addressing the reasons for the protests and the growing discontent in the country, seems to believe in the theory of pull-him-down, and that the protesters were sponsored by the enemies of democracy to pull the present administration down.
Sadly again, the Federal Government has been moving around to meet with the leaders and people of different blocs of the country to assuage their anger after the protests, yet the recent action of the Central Bank of Nigeria negates the gains of such peace meetings.
“Why is the government victimising the sponsors of the protests with the recent freezing of their accounts by the Central Bank of Nigeria? This is another brutality in disguise”, Kennedy Okwor, a public affairs analyst, decried.
According to Okwor, government has always made it difficult for the masses to believe in whatever it says because a thoughtful government cannot be calling for peace after the protests and at the same time, freezing accounts of the alleged sponsors.
“For me, the action is tantamount to speaking out of both sides of the mouth and it is a betrayal of the confidence of the youths in government’s sincerity and ability to address the SARS brutality issues,” Okwor said.
Aderimi Olubi, a lawyer and youth counselor, regrets that the gains of the protests are likely going to be wasted if government continues with the victimisation of the sponsors of the protests.
“All over the world, the power of the people is stronger than the people in power. The people of Nigeria, through the youths have said no to police brutality and it is expected that a government with listening ears should declare the matter a national emergency and address it with all seriousness. Shying away from the reality of the protests and pursing shadow in the name of cracking down on the sponsors is also encouraging brutality as the police will be emboldened to do worst things if they are not called to order now,” Olubi said.
Joseph Ojo, the presiding Archbishop of Calvary Kingdom Church (CKC), Lagos, said: “I think the Presidency or the Federal Government, or whoever is advising the President is not wise. This was a good time for the president to come out with policy that will make people – even those that have turned their heart against him to stand-up for him. Many at this trying period had said maybe the president was not aware that people are acting without his counsel, but if he gives in to this now it will make people to realise that definitely he deliberately says things when he needed to say them. I think it is wrong advisers that are causing the problem.”
Emmanuel Okenye, an entrepreneur, who lost assets and staff during the recent protests, lamented that the issues that needed to be addressed are police brutality and the rising rate of unemployment.
“Yes, the peace meetings are good, but government should rather save the money spent on traveling to meet with the people as grant for youths with bankable ideas and projects. If you lift a youth today, he will lift five of his folks, but if you brutalise one today, you will brutalise or event kill 10 tomorrow because unemployment is pushing them out to the streets,” Okenye said.
In line with Okenye, Olubi noted the government should address the needs of the youths, and stop seeing enemies working behind the youths because the youths are truly unemployed, with no money, no security, and no hope, while the children of politicians (all abroad) are groomed to take over from their parents to rule the same youths. “Let’s leave politics for once and address the brutalisation and unemployment issues. The two are key to ensuring justice, saving innocent lives and positively engaging the youths,” Olubi said.
Some of the actions to be taken by government to ensure lasting solution, according to the lawyer, are bringing the culprits to justice, reforming the Police and offering good compensations to the victims and their families; in the case of dead victims.
Okwor also thinks that government should probe expenditure on youth empowerment funds and projects because there seems to be little or no impact from the projects so far.
“They have severally mentioned the many jobs they created in campaigns, but their children who return from abroad are the ones getting the jobs. The average youth is still hopeless on getting job because the system no longer favours merit and that is why the youths are pushed to the walls and are fighting back through protests”, Okwor said.
As a traditional ruler requested at one of the peace meetings with the federal government representatives, what applies to people in one part of the country should apply to people in other parts of the country for peace and a sense of belonging.
The royal father observed that the level of police brutality in some parts of the country is more and unheard of in some other parts, and as well that government needs to address the lopsided appointments, which is questioning the sense of belonging of others not seen as good enough for national appointments.
Moreover, some concerned citizens think that the stance of Northern governors on national issues often does not project national interests and queries the unity of the country.
While the panel of judicial inquiry is still at work, and government keeps travel with its peace sermon, Nigerians urge the federal government to address the root cause of the protests and not to play the usual politics with it.
Some analysts also believe that there was no need for the visit of the Presidential team to the various parts of the country, since they knew the real cause(s) of people’s anger against the government.
“There is nobody in Nigeria that can claim ignorance of the style of leadership of the present administration that has nearly torn the country apart. Everything is wrong about the style of governance, and it raises question as to whether other parts of the country really belong to this nation. So, why going to listen to people talk about what is annoying them when you are the one causing them pain? Does it make sense,” a 36-year old trained engineer said, craving anonymity.
But Tanko Yakassai, a 95-year-old northern politician, believes that Nigeria is more united today than at any other period in the history of Nigeria. In an interview with our correspondent, Yakassai said: “If you say that Nigeria is more divided now than before, I will not agree with you, because I have been in Nigeria before you. When young people are protesting, does that mean Nigeria is divided? Come to Kano and go round, you will see shops owned by different Nigerians particularly from the eastern part of the country. Go to the south you will see houses of people from the north in the South East, South West and South-South. They were not like that before. Nigerians are more united now than before because the majority of Nigerians were born after independence, they know no other country except Nigeria.”
