Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The worst casualties of the recent bloody EndSARS protests across the country may not necessarily be the innocent Nigerians that paid dearly with their lives. It may not also be the destructions, of monumental proportion, the public and private establishments or even the gallant security personnel brutally murdered and some injured.
The casualties of the protests, which came with apprehension, tension, condemnations and endorsements, may perhaps be the political elite that got a resounding vote of no confidence and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) currently facing a precarious future in retaining power beyond 2023 general elections.
Many Nigerians seem to be unanimous in the thought that the protest was a show of failure of the APC-led government and perhaps a confirmation of administrative incapacity of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to manage crises.
It may have undoubtedly started as a mass movement by the Nigerian youths targeted at ending the use of brute force by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police over the years, but it snowballed to anger, against the present government with the protesters cataloguing the failures and maladministration of the APC-led Federal Government.
The protests, in the perception of many, also confirmed the depth of the unpopularity of the present administration and by extension the rejection of the political elite, spreading to the state governments, over their failure to deliver the dividends of democracy promised during their electoral campaigns.
For the protesting youths, President Buhari, failed the country despite the massive confidence reposed in him in 2015 when they opted for him against the incumbent president of the PDP, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
The protest was also a validation of the level of frustration by many Nigerians over the failure of the APC-led Federal Government to redirect the ship of the country sliding menacingly into political, economic and administrative doldrums.
While passing their vote of no confidence, the exasperated protesting youths had explicitly demanded that having failed to find solutions to the sinking economy, taming the monstrous rising insecurity engulfing the country, and showing incapacity in finding solution to the menace of the alarming unemployment rate in the country, President Buhari should resign honourably.
Also, the protesters and the ordinary Nigerians also felt that the political elite had helplessly watched as things went from bad to worse despite the promises by the current APC government since the assumption of office. For them, instead of the APC government finding solutions, it has been one form of blame game or the other against the opposition.
The deterioration and degeneration of the protest into destructive extent of vandalism, looting of property and killing of both innocent Nigerians, burning of the offices of the several law enforcement agents and the later deployment of brute force on the defenceless protesters was the height of incompetence and failure of the APC government.
The protest was perhaps a bold statement from the youths that they don’t trust the political elite any longer and that they have generally failed the country at large.
The evil effects of the widespread protests across the country and beyond was a display of transferred aggression, the reality perhaps remains that, for the fact that most APC states were the flashpoints and theatres of war could mean disapproval of the leadership style of the party.
Speculated to have been perfectly planned to discredit, dismantle, checkmate and whittle down the powers of certain persons and forces building structure for the 2023 presidential election, the targeted destruction of certain private property could lay credence to such.
To give more weight to the political colouration of the revolutionary protests, was the vandalising, looting and even burning of the homes of some serving and former National Assembly members. Apparently, apart from being the worst hit, the targeted attacks on the economic empire and concerns of the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, raises more questions than answers.
In counting the losses, the national leadership of the APC admitted that the protest did not only disrupt political activities but also fractured its reconciliation efforts planned to herald the much-awaited national convention to elect its national leadership.
Spokesperson of the ruling party, Yekini Nabena, told Daily Sun, that the party is among the casualties of the protests as it affected both the reconciliation efforts and the possibility of organising a national convention to hand over to the elected leaders within the stipulated time frame.
According to Nabena: “There is no gainsaying that the protest disrupted many political activities. It is not only a big setback to political activities but also socio-economic activities. It specifically affected the target we set especially our reconciliatory efforts.”
He added: “I am not particularly concerned about the speculated extension of the tenure of the Caretaker Committee, but the extent of reconciliatory efforts among aggrieved party members we can achieve. If there is genuine reconciliation, it won’t take anything to organise convention. What shall it profit us to rush into convention that will tear the party further apart when litigations start to rear ugly heads after the convention?”
The former spokesperson of the party and former Minister of Youth and Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, was blunt in blaming the APC-led government for not managing the situation better, even as he argued that the protest was not only a vote of no confidence on the party but also on all the Nigerian political elite.
“The protest was a clear vote of no confidence on the political elite and a warning that it is better we watch it before it is too late. If you listen to what the youths were saying, they talked as if the political elite have generally failed them. They did not make reference to the political parties.
“One thing very clear is that it is also an opportunity for us, the political elite, to reinvent ourselves because it is clear that there is high level of distrust. The youths don’t trust us anymore that we can deliver on their expectations. So, the protest was an opportunity for us to reinvent ourselves before we become irrelevant.
“I also think that the management of the crisis by the APC-led government would have been better. The protest was very good in terms of mainstreaming the issue and catching the attention of the authorities. Protest is not a strategy but a tactics. They would have also involved a more robust strategy that will anticipate different scenarios but I don’t think that happened,” he quipped in a chat with Daily Sun.
While opposing his predecessor’s line of thought on the vote of no confidence, Nabena had argued that the APC should rather be commended in the way it managed the protest, emphasising: “It is not true that the protest was a vote of no confidence on the APC-led government by the Nigerian youths. In the contrary, the ruling party should be applauded as a democrat in allowing the protest to go on without use of any force on the people.
“APC deserves commendations for allowing Nigerians such latitude of freedom to ventilate their grievances particularly about the long history of police brutality before they allowed the hoodlums to hijack it. The APC-led government only made bold move when the hoodlums took over.
“It is also wrong to claim that the APC-led government did not manage the situation very well especially considering the fact that the protesters are faceless and without any clear leader. So, it was not lack of administrative capacity but the problem of no leader to talk to. Don’t forget that they presented five-point demand as their grievances which government accepted to address but they continued without any leader to dialogue with,” he argued.
Apart from other colourations the protest took, the most controversial may be the conspiracy theory of the 2023 presidential election. Many have pandered on that devil’s advocate that it was opportunity for certain political figures to align and realign in a desperate scheme to outsmart one another.
Little wonder the theory of alleged alignment between some Southwest political heavyweights and their Northern counterparts on one side, and the fierce contest by the governors battling for the soul of the party, conspiring to whittle down the political and economic structure of the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ahead of the intense jostle for the 2023 presidential ticket.
On whether he subscribed to the political colouration of the protest having anything to do with 2023 presidential election, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi argued: “That is a conspiracy theory and I don’t deal with such because there is no evidence. However, regardless of the colouration it took, we cannot deny the fact that the youths that came out to protest have genuine grievances.
“The youths also wanted their voice to be heard on issues that matter to them most. So, if there are political opportunists that wanted to take advantage of what the youths are doing, it does not detract from the genuineness of the grievances of the youths.”
Also dismissing the claims that the EndSARS protests were a confirmation of failure of the APC-led Federal Government and 2023 interests, the national coordinator of the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), Niyi Akinsuyi said: “It is definitely not a failure of the APC-led government. In the contrary, the texture of the relationship with the protesters defines the kind of government we have in place now.
“Government accommodated and tolerated the protest. It is unfortunate that the activities of SARS operatives were triggered in the lives of this administration, but it was actually an accumulation of grievances that have been happening before now.”
Defending the government further, Akinsuyi said: “I am not surprised if adverse elements and people interpreted political dimension to it. We are in a country where Nigerian politicians, being what they are, try to position themselves for elections that will take place 10 years from now.
“Political interest was certainly one of the interests that hijacked the protests. We also have the separatist movement and other people trying to position themselves for leadership. The protesters also tried to position themselves for political gains. Political colouration is expected in such movement.
“What triggered the protest is the disreputable wickedness of SARS operatives as claimed by some Nigerians. Any other claims after the commencement of the protest, was an afterthought of certain interests latching on to it to bring other claims.
“However, if you are talking about failure on the economy, I will dismiss such thought. There are even facts and figures to substantiate it. If we look at the economy in the COVID-19 era, it will be very unfair to claim that the economy has failed especially with a government that has been able to stabilise the impact of the pandemic. We can also compare the performance of the GDP with even other years.”
Warning against the effects of the protest, the governor of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi had noted that: “What started as an innocuous online protest over police brutality snowballed before our very eyes into a mass movement that assumed more frightening dimensions.
“From the demand to #EndSARS, we have seen vigorous demands for greater accountability, and greater efficiency in government. What I understand the youths to be saying is that we the older generation have failed them by our inability to create a system that supports their dreams and accommodate their aspirations.
“From the language of their protests, we can see clearly that our youths feel pushed to the margins of our nation’s socio-political and economic structures. It is incumbent on us to listen to what they are saying and a lot more that they are probably not saying yet.
“For over a decade, several analysts have noted that our massive youth population could be a major demographic advantage to our country if it is properly nurtured. Failure to make the right investments to support this population is turning it to a major disruptive force and a time bomb. I am afraid that the bomb has started to tick and we must act fast.
“In responding to the challenges that this moment imposes on us, we must recognise that a business-as-usual approach will no longer be sufficient. What we need is a fundamental re-engineering of our governance system in a way that will make our country work better for everyone. I understand the recent protest as a discursive signal that encapsulates the frustration of our young people at multiple levels. We must therefore engage it as such and try to focus on the opportunities that the situation presents.”
Amplifying the warning, former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, had cautioned the political elite to stop provoking the youths with their intimidating lifestyles.
While commenting on the protest, Okorocha said: “I feel sad over the ugly situation we found ourselves as a nation within that past few weeks arising from the #EndSARS protests that degenerated into violence, anarchy and civil unrest with many people losing their lives.
“The truth is that our lifestyles provoke the youths. We must call on leaders, the legislatures and executives, to change our lifestyle as a mark of sacrifice. The situation now calls for national sacrifice from the leadership of this country.
“The protest was a wakeup call by the youths of this country to the leaders of this nation. It is a pointer that we the elite have been selfish in handling the affairs of this country. There has been a track record of unfair leadership for a long time. The #EndSARS protest is not just targeted at police but it was an expression of disappointment over economic issues in a nation where the youths are facing joblessness and poverty. We must also act quickly under this present situation to prepare for the future.”
On whether such protest would translate into making bold statement during the 2023 election, Mallam Abdullahi said: “One thing very possible is that the youths can translate this energy into making a bold statement during election.
“But they have to do lots of work. They have to build the right kind of alliance and network beyond their generation with the necessary coalition. This will determine how far they can go. They should not just presume that they are the one people that want Nigeria to get better.
“Lack of leadership also undermined the struggle without prejudice to the justification about why they did not have clear leadership. There must be leadership in every struggle and a think-tank that takes responsibility. Everybody’s responsibility is nobody’s responsibility. It was a very important moment.”
With the return of calm, it therefore remains to be seen how the effects of the protest can translate into reorienting the political elite especially in involving the younger generations.