#EndSARS Protests; A Fundamental Lesson In Democratic Governance

*Advises Govt to Donate Lekki toll gate revenues to victims
of shooting

By Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

I heavily grieve for those who have lost their lives or been
injured during the period of these protests. My deepest sympathies
go to their families and loved ones for none should have been made
to pay such a dear price. My career as an active politician spans
nearly three decades. In that time, I have seen many things as
Nigeria has struggled, sometimes against itself, to undertake the
often painful yet inexorable push toward democratic government
accountable to, and protective of, the people.

Though this journey, I have traversed the landscape of human
experience. Having been as a political prisoner during our struggle
for democracy but also having the singular honour of serving this
state and its people as governor, I have known highs and lows, seen
both the good and the bad of things.

But the events of the past few days have been extraordinary in a
most dire sense. Only time will tell if we have the collective
wisdom and requisite compassion to learn the proper lessons from
these events that we may yet steer toward a better, more just
Nigeria. Despite the tumult we now see, I believe with all my heart
that we will meet the current challenge.

Here, let me directly address the sharp point aimed against me.
I have been falsely accused of ordering the reported deployment of
soldiers against peaceful protesters that took place at Lekki on 20
October 2020. This allegation is a complete and terrible lie. I did
not order this or any assault against anybody. I would never want
such a vile thing to happen nor did I have any prior knowledge
about this sad event. It is my firm belief that no one should be
harassed, injured or possibly killed for doing what they have the
constitutional right to do in making their contribution to a
better, more equitable society.

As a political figure, I am accustomed to people attributing to
me all manner of indiscretions of which I have no knowledge and in
which I played no role. I have usually ignored such falsities as
the cost of being in the public eye.

This time, it is different. The allegation now levied against me
is that I called on soldiers to kill my own people. This allegation
is the foulest of lies.

The use of strong force against any peaceful protesters is
indefensible, completely outside the norms of a democratic society
and progressive political culture to which I aspire and have
devoted my public life. That people were angered by the reports of
violence and death is acutely understandable.

Understandably outraged, people sought to hold someone
accountable. For various reasons, I became the most available
scapegoat. Some people don’t like me because they believe the false
rumours uttered about me over the years. Some maligned my name
because they hide ulterior motives and harbour unrequited political
scores they intend to settle.

A week ago, such people tried to bring enmity between me and the
state and federal governments by contending I was sponsoring the
protests. When that did not work, they then sought to sow enmity
between me and the people by saying I ordered soldiers to quash the
very same protests they first accused me of organising.

My opponents have every right to oppose me politically but let
them have the courage to do so in the open, above board and to
employ facts not evil fiction in their efforts against me. They
have no right to slander and defame anyone with the terrible and
vile fabrications now cast at my feet.

Those who have decided to hate me will hate me regardless of the
truth. Again, they have the right to think as they may and I am not
troubled by their unfounded animus. Today, I speak not to them. I
leave them to the workings of their own conscience.

Today, I speak to those who believe in the importance of, and
want to know, the truth.

The slander aimed at me is based on the untruth that I own the
toll gate concession. The hate mongers prevaricate that I ordered
the Lekki assault because the protests had caused me to lose money
due to the interruption of toll gate activity.

Minus this alleged ownership, the slander employed against me
falls to the ground as a heavy untruth. I ask people to thoroughly
investigate the matter of my alleged ownership of the toll gate. By
seeking facts, instead of being swayed by gossip, you will find I
have no ownership interest or involvement in the toll gate. Having
no business interests in the operation, my income remains unchanged
whether one or 100,000 vehicles pass through that gate.

At bottom, the toll gate is a public asset. Given what has
happened, I would like to propose to government that the toll gate
be left closed for an indefinite period. If it is reopened,
revenues should be donated to the confirmed victims of the Lekki
attack as well as to other identifiable victims of police brutality
in Lagos. Let government use the money to compensate and take care
of those who have lost life or limb in the struggle for all
citizens to go about the quiet, peaceful enjoyment of life without
fear of undue harassment at this or that checkpoint.

On the other hand, I am, indeed, a promoter and financial
investor in the Nation newspaper and TVC. It was widely known and
circulated through social media that certain malevolent elements
were going to take advantage of the situation to attack the Nation
newspaper facilities and TVC in Lagos.

The attackers came. Both facilities were significantly damaged.
Although equipped with prior notice of the imminent trespass, I did
not call any one to seek or request for the army or police to
deploy let alone attack, kill, or injure those who razed and
vandalized these properties. I did not want any bloodshed. These
elements, mostly hirelings of my political opponents, wreaked their
havoc and destroyed those buildings and facilities and I thank God
that the employees of these two media institutions managed to
escape largely unharmed.

There is a deeper truth involved here. Burned buildings and
damaged equipment can be rebuilt or replaced. There is no adequate
substitute for the loss of even a single human life. I am not one
to encourage violence. I abhor it. Thus I did nothing that might
endanger lives, even the lives of those who destroyed my
properties.

Now, those who claim I ordered violence in Lekki must face the
sheer illogic of their assertions. There is no rationale that can
adequately explain why I would order soldiers to repel peaceful
protesters from the toll gate where I have no financial interest,
yet, choose to do nothing to protect my investments in the Nation
and TVC.

Why would I be so moved as to instigate the army to attack
peaceful, law-abiding people at the toll gate where I have no
pecuniary stake, yet lift not a single finger to stop hired
miscreants bent on setting fire to these important media
investments?

The allegations against me make no sense because they are
untrue. They are parented by those seeking to stoke and manipulate
the people’s anger in order to advance political objectives that
have nothing to do with the subject matter of the protests.

The good and creative people of Lagos have worked hard over the
years to build it into the dynamic economic and cultural focal
point it has become. Lagos has enjoyed over two decades of
sustained, uninterrupted growth. No other place in Nigeria can
stake that claim. Some people are unhappy with this. They seek to
tear down what we have worked hard to build that they may reshape
Lagos to fit their own more destructive image. Such people have
taken advantage of the current situation and of the public’s
passions to set in motion a plan the people would never support if
they only knew what the destructive schemers actually had in
mind.

Not only lives have been lost in Lagos and throughout Nigeria,
but livelihoods have also been impaired. I have seen the
destruction to businesses, shops and homes.

I empathise with those who have lost their businesses and
residences through no fault of their own but because hurtful,
destructive misanthropes took it upon themselves to use this moment
to disguise their efforts to destroy and upend the prosperity and
hope so many of us took so many years to build. This is not what
the genuine protesters wanted and no one should blame them for this
destruction. In this tense situation, we must be careful not to
rush to conclusions and to make sure we ascertain the true facts
that we not be deceived toward rash action that may prove to be
against our own interests.

This is particularly true regarding the Lekki incident. Various
players will promulgate different casualty numbers. At this moment,
no conclusive figure has been ascertained. Although an
investigation has been launched by the governor, a totally accurate
picture of the events may never be known. I for one refuse to
engage in futile speculation regarding the possible number of
casualties for such talk misses the vital point that we all must
recognize.

We strive for a more compassionate, progressive society. Thus,
we must do more than measure injustice by the number of dead or
wounded. Injustice is injustice regardless of the number of victims
from whom blood is drawn.

Based on the facts that come out of a thorough investigation,
government may need to amend the terms of engagement for deployment
of military forces in instances of mostly peaceful civil
disobedience and protests. Although one of our nation’s most
respected institutions, the military is not adequately equipped and
trained to deal with such situations. It is placing a burden on the
military they are ill-suited to carry.

Moreover, the time has come to take the necessary legal actions
to allow for the creation of state police and the recruitment and
training of many more police officers. Such state-created forces
should be based on the modern tenets of community policing and
optimal relations and cooperation with local communities.

Measures such as these are needed to cure present gaps in how
military and law enforcement treat the general public. These
proposals are important and they do not hamstring proper law
enforcement and security operations. We know there are criminal
elements in society primed to harm people and seize property. We
expect this of criminals. What is not expected is that people will
be brutalized and scarred by those commissioned to protect and
serve them. This anomaly must end.

Given all that has happened, I must stress the great theme that
underlies this entire situation so that it is not obscured and its
proper societal impact lost. The right to protest is more than
integral to the democratic setting; It transcends any form of
government. The following thought may seem incongruous – but the
right to protest exists only where orderly society exists.

Because of my strong belief in the right to protest and my
adherence to democratic ideals, I was among those who actively
protested the annulment of the June 12 election. I eagerly joined
and sometimes led multitudes who took to the streets to protest the
singular injustice of that historic moment. We demanded the
establishment of a new democracy in Nigeria. Those protests are a
part of the reason we have democracy in Nigeria today. They laid
the foundation for the youth today to protest and to call to the
fore their grievances whenever our social or political institutions
fail them in a material way.

Thus, I cannot not wax nostalgic about pro-democracy protests of
the 1990s yet castigate those who today protest against any form of
institutionalized brutality.

No democratically minded person can fault those who protests in
this regard. No society, even the most democratic, is perfect. All
nations suffer lapses that cause even their most respected
institutions to fall short of their better ideals. However, our
imperfection does not preclude improvement or reform. We must
constantly put our institutions and government to the test that we
may reshape ourselves into a better nation constantly improving the
manner in which it treats its citizens. If we do not commit
ourselves in this way, democracy may not long be ours. We must be
frank in recognizing our societal ills as well as resolute in
curing them. Sometimes progress comes one election at a time.
Sometimes, one protest at a time.

It must stand as a maxim for any compassionate, sane society
that innocent people should not die or be injured at the hands of
law enforcement. Enough blood has been spilled; enough pain has
been felt.

Yes, some in the police have lost their way by distorting their
helpful mission into its opposite. This gross malpractice by a
tainted minority must stop so that the bulk of good police officers
may do their job properly, with the support and thanks of a
grateful community. This cooperative, productive embrace between
the people and their genuine police protectors cannot occur as long
as some in uniform continue to serially abuse fellow Nigerians.

In this regard, I must say that the steps thus far taken by the
government are constructive. SARS has been ended and further reform
has been promised with tangible steps taken in that direction.
However, much more needs to be done for there is valid evidence of
recurrent brutality and violence. Indeed, this is why the protests
began in the first instance.

We are in a complex situation where almost every step has
political overtones. Among the protesters, there are many people
who do not politically support either the state or federal
governments. However, this should not be a determinative factor in
how one views the protests. We must not allow subjective politics
to taint our view of what is right when it comes to the exercise of
the fundamental civil liberties that we should all hold dear.
Partisan narrowness cannot be allowed to redefine our core precepts
of justice and human rights. This matter transcends daily politics.
It goes to the of our constitutional arrangement and love of the
people. While others may play politics with this issue, those who
care about the nation dare not.

Young Nigerians across the country have peacefully stated their
case. The president has pledge reform and should be given
reasonable time to achieve them. The protests have accomplished
their primary objective. There is no question that more needs to
done. To achieve further progress, however, will require greater
dialogue between government and protest leaders. As has been the
case with almost every successful protest in every nation, there
comes the decisive moment where a protest movement must shift gears
to from demonstrations in the streets to negotiations with
government. The protests against brutality are nearing this new
stage or perhaps have already entered it.

Protest leaders and their genuine companions must now be
careful. If the protests become too protracted, those genuinely
interested in combating police brutality stand in danger of losing
control of the protests. The risk is that the protests degenerate
into something starkly inferior to the noble cause initially
pursued. If so, the protests may then become associated in the
public mind with localized disruptions and serious inconveniences.
Through no fault of their own, except not having adequately planned
their strategic endgame, protesters might lose the moral high
ground they now occupy.

Here, government must also be exceptionally restrained. The
protesters have remained peaceful. What has happened is that petty
criminals and political miscreants sponsored by those who seek to
stir mayhem are misbehaving and sparking trouble on the outer
fringes of the protests.

Police and law enforcement have an overriding responsibility to
differentiate between protesters and criminal elements. No doubt,
they must stop the criminals. However, it would be morally wrong
and politically counterproductive to use the existence of this
fringe criminal element as a pretext to checkmate genuine protests.
While some may think this is a cunning way to short-circuit the
protests, such misguided cleverness will only worsen matters,
rendering discussions towards a satisfactory settlement more
difficult.

The present situation clearly does nothing to profit me
politically or otherwise. It has complicated matters for me because
many people now wrongfully blame me for a violent incident in which
I played no part. Still, I stand strongly behind the people of
Nigeria and affirm their right to protest peacefully. Along with
all well-meaning, patriotic Nigerians, I want to see an end to all
forms of institutionalised brutality and I shall do my utmost to
see that this humane objective is realised.

For, if these protests can generate meaningful reform, our youth
will have achieved a compound national success. First, they would
have ended the terrible matter of institutionalized police
brutality. Second, Nigeria would have made an important accretion
to our political culture whereby government listened to and acted
on the recommendations of ordinary people protesting against the
wrongs done them.

This would establish a healthy precedent. Yet such durable
progress can be made only if government respects the protesters and
protesters actively negotiate with government. No steps should be
taken by government to curtail protest activity as the people have
chosen this vehicle as their preferred way to interface with
government on this issue.

Yes, protest leaders too must appreciate the concrete realities
of this situation. Street protests cannot last indefinitely without
degenerating into other serious problems that no one wants. You
have gotten government’s ear and attention, use this moment to
press your case.

The right to protest should be pacifically exercised and never
abused; neither should it be feared or unduly curtailed. It is
essential because it lends greater depth to the relationship
between government and the governed. If we are to attain parity
with older, more established democracies, we must accept protests
as part of our national development. It is important that Nigeria
get this situation right. The direction and pace of our democratic
progress weighs in the balance as the entire world watches to see
how we manage ourselves at this delicate moment.

*Advises Govt to Donate Lekki toll gate revenues to victims
of shooting

By Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

I heavily grieve for those who have lost their lives or been
injured during the period of these protests. My deepest sympathies
go to their families and loved ones for none should have been made
to pay such a dear price. My career as an active politician spans
nearly three decades. In that time, I have seen many things as
Nigeria has struggled, sometimes against itself, to undertake the
often painful yet inexorable push toward democratic government
accountable to, and protective of, the people.

Though this journey, I have traversed the landscape of human
experience. Having been as a political prisoner during our struggle
for democracy but also having the singular honour of serving this
state and its people as governor, I have known highs and lows, seen
both the good and the bad of things.

But the events of the past few days have been extraordinary in a
most dire sense. Only time will tell if we have the collective
wisdom and requisite compassion to learn the proper lessons from
these events that we may yet steer toward a better, more just
Nigeria. Despite the tumult we now see, I believe with all my heart
that we will meet the current challenge.

Here, let me directly address the sharp point aimed against me.
I have been falsely accused of ordering the reported deployment of
soldiers against peaceful protesters that took place at Lekki on 20
October 2020. This allegation is a complete and terrible lie. I did
not order this or any assault against anybody. I would never want
such a vile thing to happen nor did I have any prior knowledge
about this sad event. It is my firm belief that no one should be
harassed, injured or possibly killed for doing what they have the
constitutional right to do in making their contribution to a
better, more equitable society.

As a political figure, I am accustomed to people attributing to
me all manner of indiscretions of which I have no knowledge and in
which I played no role. I have usually ignored such falsities as
the cost of being in the public eye.

This time, it is different. The allegation now levied against me
is that I called on soldiers to kill my own people. This allegation
is the foulest of lies.

The use of strong force against any peaceful protesters is
indefensible, completely outside the norms of a democratic society
and progressive political culture to which I aspire and have
devoted my public life. That people were angered by the reports of
violence and death is acutely understandable.

Understandably outraged, people sought to hold someone
accountable. For various reasons, I became the most available
scapegoat. Some people don’t like me because they believe the false
rumours uttered about me over the years. Some maligned my name
because they hide ulterior motives and harbour unrequited political
scores they intend to settle.

A week ago, such people tried to bring enmity between me and the
state and federal governments by contending I was sponsoring the
protests. When that did not work, they then sought to sow enmity
between me and the people by saying I ordered soldiers to quash the
very same protests they first accused me of organising.

My opponents have every right to oppose me politically but let
them have the courage to do so in the open, above board and to
employ facts not evil fiction in their efforts against me. They
have no right to slander and defame anyone with the terrible and
vile fabrications now cast at my feet.

Those who have decided to hate me will hate me regardless of the
truth. Again, they have the right to think as they may and I am not
troubled by their unfounded animus. Today, I speak not to them. I
leave them to the workings of their own conscience.

Today, I speak to those who believe in the importance of, and
want to know, the truth.

The slander aimed at me is based on the untruth that I own the
toll gate concession. The hate mongers prevaricate that I ordered
the Lekki assault because the protests had caused me to lose money
due to the interruption of toll gate activity.

Minus this alleged ownership, the slander employed against me
falls to the ground as a heavy untruth. I ask people to thoroughly
investigate the matter of my alleged ownership of the toll gate. By
seeking facts, instead of being swayed by gossip, you will find I
have no ownership interest or involvement in the toll gate. Having
no business interests in the operation, my income remains unchanged
whether one or 100,000 vehicles pass through that gate.

At bottom, the toll gate is a public asset. Given what has
happened, I would like to propose to government that the toll gate
be left closed for an indefinite period. If it is reopened,
revenues should be donated to the confirmed victims of the Lekki
attack as well as to other identifiable victims of police brutality
in Lagos. Let government use the money to compensate and take care
of those who have lost life or limb in the struggle for all
citizens to go about the quiet, peaceful enjoyment of life without
fear of undue harassment at this or that checkpoint.

On the other hand, I am, indeed, a promoter and financial
investor in the Nation newspaper and TVC. It was widely known and
circulated through social media that certain malevolent elements
were going to take advantage of the situation to attack the Nation
newspaper facilities and TVC in Lagos.

The attackers came. Both facilities were significantly damaged.
Although equipped with prior notice of the imminent trespass, I did
not call any one to seek or request for the army or police to
deploy let alone attack, kill, or injure those who razed and
vandalized these properties. I did not want any bloodshed. These
elements, mostly hirelings of my political opponents, wreaked their
havoc and destroyed those buildings and facilities and I thank God
that the employees of these two media institutions managed to
escape largely unharmed.

There is a deeper truth involved here. Burned buildings and
damaged equipment can be rebuilt or replaced. There is no adequate
substitute for the loss of even a single human life. I am not one
to encourage violence. I abhor it. Thus I did nothing that might
endanger lives, even the lives of those who destroyed my
properties.

Now, those who claim I ordered violence in Lekki must face the
sheer illogic of their assertions. There is no rationale that can
adequately explain why I would order soldiers to repel peaceful
protesters from the toll gate where I have no financial interest,
yet, choose to do nothing to protect my investments in the Nation
and TVC.

Why would I be so moved as to instigate the army to attack
peaceful, law-abiding people at the toll gate where I have no
pecuniary stake, yet lift not a single finger to stop hired
miscreants bent on setting fire to these important media
investments?

The allegations against me make no sense because they are
untrue. They are parented by those seeking to stoke and manipulate
the people’s anger in order to advance political objectives that
have nothing to do with the subject matter of the protests.

The good and creative people of Lagos have worked hard over the
years to build it into the dynamic economic and cultural focal
point it has become. Lagos has enjoyed over two decades of
sustained, uninterrupted growth. No other place in Nigeria can
stake that claim. Some people are unhappy with this. They seek to
tear down what we have worked hard to build that they may reshape
Lagos to fit their own more destructive image. Such people have
taken advantage of the current situation and of the public’s
passions to set in motion a plan the people would never support if
they only knew what the destructive schemers actually had in
mind.

Not only lives have been lost in Lagos and throughout Nigeria,
but livelihoods have also been impaired. I have seen the
destruction to businesses, shops and homes.

I empathise with those who have lost their businesses and
residences through no fault of their own but because hurtful,
destructive misanthropes took it upon themselves to use this moment
to disguise their efforts to destroy and upend the prosperity and
hope so many of us took so many years to build. This is not what
the genuine protesters wanted and no one should blame them for this
destruction. In this tense situation, we must be careful not to
rush to conclusions and to make sure we ascertain the true facts
that we not be deceived toward rash action that may prove to be
against our own interests.

This is particularly true regarding the Lekki incident. Various
players will promulgate different casualty numbers. At this moment,
no conclusive figure has been ascertained. Although an
investigation has been launched by the governor, a totally accurate
picture of the events may never be known. I for one refuse to
engage in futile speculation regarding the possible number of
casualties for such talk misses the vital point that we all must
recognize.

We strive for a more compassionate, progressive society. Thus,
we must do more than measure injustice by the number of dead or
wounded. Injustice is injustice regardless of the number of victims
from whom blood is drawn.

Based on the facts that come out of a thorough investigation,
government may need to amend the terms of engagement for deployment
of military forces in instances of mostly peaceful civil
disobedience and protests. Although one of our nation’s most
respected institutions, the military is not adequately equipped and
trained to deal with such situations. It is placing a burden on the
military they are ill-suited to carry.

Moreover, the time has come to take the necessary legal actions
to allow for the creation of state police and the recruitment and
training of many more police officers. Such state-created forces
should be based on the modern tenets of community policing and
optimal relations and cooperation with local communities.

Measures such as these are needed to cure present gaps in how
military and law enforcement treat the general public. These
proposals are important and they do not hamstring proper law
enforcement and security operations. We know there are criminal
elements in society primed to harm people and seize property. We
expect this of criminals. What is not expected is that people will
be brutalized and scarred by those commissioned to protect and
serve them. This anomaly must end.

Given all that has happened, I must stress the great theme that
underlies this entire situation so that it is not obscured and its
proper societal impact lost. The right to protest is more than
integral to the democratic setting; It transcends any form of
government. The following thought may seem incongruous – but the
right to protest exists only where orderly society exists.

Because of my strong belief in the right to protest and my
adherence to democratic ideals, I was among those who actively
protested the annulment of the June 12 election. I eagerly joined
and sometimes led multitudes who took to the streets to protest the
singular injustice of that historic moment. We demanded the
establishment of a new democracy in Nigeria. Those protests are a
part of the reason we have democracy in Nigeria today. They laid
the foundation for the youth today to protest and to call to the
fore their grievances whenever our social or political institutions
fail them in a material way.

Thus, I cannot not wax nostalgic about pro-democracy protests of
the 1990s yet castigate those who today protest against any form of
institutionalized brutality.

No democratically minded person can fault those who protests in
this regard. No society, even the most democratic, is perfect. All
nations suffer lapses that cause even their most respected
institutions to fall short of their better ideals. However, our
imperfection does not preclude improvement or reform. We must
constantly put our institutions and government to the test that we
may reshape ourselves into a better nation constantly improving the
manner in which it treats its citizens. If we do not commit
ourselves in this way, democracy may not long be ours. We must be
frank in recognizing our societal ills as well as resolute in
curing them. Sometimes progress comes one election at a time.
Sometimes, one protest at a time.

It must stand as a maxim for any compassionate, sane society
that innocent people should not die or be injured at the hands of
law enforcement. Enough blood has been spilled; enough pain has
been felt.

Yes, some in the police have lost their way by distorting their
helpful mission into its opposite. This gross malpractice by a
tainted minority must stop so that the bulk of good police officers
may do their job properly, with the support and thanks of a
grateful community. This cooperative, productive embrace between
the people and their genuine police protectors cannot occur as long
as some in uniform continue to serially abuse fellow Nigerians.

In this regard, I must say that the steps thus far taken by the
government are constructive. SARS has been ended and further reform
has been promised with tangible steps taken in that direction.
However, much more needs to be done for there is valid evidence of
recurrent brutality and violence. Indeed, this is why the protests
began in the first instance.

We are in a complex situation where almost every step has
political overtones. Among the protesters, there are many people
who do not politically support either the state or federal
governments. However, this should not be a determinative factor in
how one views the protests. We must not allow subjective politics
to taint our view of what is right when it comes to the exercise of
the fundamental civil liberties that we should all hold dear.
Partisan narrowness cannot be allowed to redefine our core precepts
of justice and human rights. This matter transcends daily politics.
It goes to the of our constitutional arrangement and love of the
people. While others may play politics with this issue, those who
care about the nation dare not.

Young Nigerians across the country have peacefully stated their
case. The president has pledge reform and should be given
reasonable time to achieve them. The protests have accomplished
their primary objective. There is no question that more needs to
done. To achieve further progress, however, will require greater
dialogue between government and protest leaders. As has been the
case with almost every successful protest in every nation, there
comes the decisive moment where a protest movement must shift gears
to from demonstrations in the streets to negotiations with
government. The protests against brutality are nearing this new
stage or perhaps have already entered it.

Protest leaders and their genuine companions must now be
careful. If the protests become too protracted, those genuinely
interested in combating police brutality stand in danger of losing
control of the protests. The risk is that the protests degenerate
into something starkly inferior to the noble cause initially
pursued. If so, the protests may then become associated in the
public mind with localized disruptions and serious inconveniences.
Through no fault of their own, except not having adequately planned
their strategic endgame, protesters might lose the moral high
ground they now occupy.

Here, government must also be exceptionally restrained. The
protesters have remained peaceful. What has happened is that petty
criminals and political miscreants sponsored by those who seek to
stir mayhem are misbehaving and sparking trouble on the outer
fringes of the protests.

Police and law enforcement have an overriding responsibility to
differentiate between protesters and criminal elements. No doubt,
they must stop the criminals. However, it would be morally wrong
and politically counterproductive to use the existence of this
fringe criminal element as a pretext to checkmate genuine protests.
While some may think this is a cunning way to short-circuit the
protests, such misguided cleverness will only worsen matters,
rendering discussions towards a satisfactory settlement more
difficult.

The present situation clearly does nothing to profit me
politically or otherwise. It has complicated matters for me because
many people now wrongfully blame me for a violent incident in which
I played no part. Still, I stand strongly behind the people of
Nigeria and affirm their right to protest peacefully. Along with
all well-meaning, patriotic Nigerians, I want to see an end to all
forms of institutionalised brutality and I shall do my utmost to
see that this humane objective is realised.

For, if these protests can generate meaningful reform, our youth
will have achieved a compound national success. First, they would
have ended the terrible matter of institutionalized police
brutality. Second, Nigeria would have made an important accretion
to our political culture whereby government listened to and acted
on the recommendations of ordinary people protesting against the
wrongs done them.

This would establish a healthy precedent. Yet such durable
progress can be made only if government respects the protesters and
protesters actively negotiate with government. No steps should be
taken by government to curtail protest activity as the people have
chosen this vehicle as their preferred way to interface with
government on this issue.

Yes, protest leaders too must appreciate the concrete realities
of this situation. Street protests cannot last indefinitely without
degenerating into other serious problems that no one wants. You
have gotten government’s ear and attention, use this moment to
press your case.

The right to protest should be pacifically exercised and never
abused; neither should it be feared or unduly curtailed. It is
essential because it lends greater depth to the relationship
between government and the governed. If we are to attain parity
with older, more established democracies, we must accept protests
as part of our national development. It is important that Nigeria
get this situation right. The direction and pace of our democratic
progress weighs in the balance as the entire world watches to see
how we manage ourselves at this delicate moment.