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In a flash, I saw a stone flying towards me from an irate youth I believed to be a thug. It missed my windscreen by a few inches. Then another stone flew right at my window, but I heard the thud at the rear of the vehicle.
Although I narrowly escaped being stoned like my Biblical ancestor, that split-second incident told me all I needed to know about the nationwide protest that began on August 1. It had been hijacked too early, at least in my location.
As I approached Abuja’s Central Business District, I expected to see only placards, banners, leaves, the Nigerian flag and megaphone-wielding youths. I did for a while until I spotted a strange mob wielding stones and machetes.
“These ones are not protesting; they came to cause trouble,” I muttered, pumping the accelerator to get away. Nigerian youths embarked on a peaceful protest tagged #EndBagGovernanceInNigeria to vent their frustration over the rising cost of living.
However, what started as a peaceful demonstration in several states quickly degenerated into chaos from day one after hoodlums took over the scene. Footages emerged from various states showing business owners screaming as their shops were looted.
Government facilities were torched and looted as security personnel clashed with mobs on the streets of Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Niger and Katsina, among others, killing no fewer than 15 people. Some states have since imposed curfews.
A video that remains fresh in my mind is that of a young man who climbed the top of the metal pole of a traffic light like a palm wine tapper and kept striking at it with a cutlass. He hopes to sell that piece of metal as scrap. It’ll earn him a few bucks. But with the traffic light gone, many people may die from needless road accidents, if not replaced.
Internet connectivity also took a hit due to vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure, such as internet cables, says the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.
Although the protests have remained largely peaceful in many southern states, no one can tell if they will remain so as the “days of rage” continue. Besides, the hijack from day one now puts even peaceful protesters in danger. This is why the President must not repeat the mistake of his predecessor who remained in his sanctuary during the #EndSars protest and waited too long to speak to the people.
When he eventually did, young Nigerians only heard the musings of an absentee father who was lightyears apart from the day-to-day of his children. They heard, “See? I’ve done so much for you, you ungrateful kids.” And they thought, “What has Trader-Moni got to do with this.”
The Founder of Stanbic IBTC and Chairman of ANAP Foundation, Atedo Peterside, described it this way, “The president’s speech has one problem and it’s a problem of those who speak only once in a long time because they know they won’t speak again for some time, so there’s the temptation to throw in many things in the speech.
Generally, when you go to console someone over the loss of people, you cannot in the same breath be discussing trader-moni and other things like that, those can come later.” As expected, the speech forced “Japa” to the top of the Twitter (now X) trend table that evening as many skilled Nigerians found their final sign to leave the country.
So, when President Tinubu speaks, as I hope he does soon, he must do so knowing that his address should have a bigger purpose than dousing a 10-day protest. His speech must not simply enumerate all his social investment programmes in the past 14 months. That’ll be like trying to teach a sinking man how to swim.
He must show empathy and mean it. He must assure youths that he is ready to deal with middlemen who, reports say, are sabotaging his efforts at the centre. He must also explain why his long-awaited CNG vehicles have not left the factory for months. In any case, he must show young Nigerians that talking to them is not below him. They elected him into office, and they will remain his primary constituency as he leads Africa’s youngest nation (in terms of youth demography).
On Thursday and Friday, the Presidential Villa remained eerily quiet. Thursday saw only the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, visiting President Bola Tinubu at his office. At 04:00 pm that day, Wike was spotted alighting from an SUV and was ushered into the President’s Office. Though the topic of their discussion was not made public, the protests were most likely on the front burner.
Outside of the Villa, the FCT minister said the Federal Government was open to talks with the protesters.
“I want you to continue with that peace[ful] process because he who makes peace will, at the end of the day, enjoy the dividends of peace. I want to commend you and urge you to still talk to our people, that we are still ready to talk to them, have a dialogue with them and iron out the grey areas. We’ll also brief them on certain things they do not know so that they will be well informed to make informed decisions,” Wike told four newly coronated Chiefs as he assumed the posture of a Nelson Mandela. We can only hope that the protests remain peaceful and the Nigerians are appeased enough to return to improved conditions.
An ode to Onyeka Onwenu
Last Tuesday, Nigeria lost her Queen of Songs, Ms Onyeka Onwenu. My fondest memory of the late singer was her part in the 1999 movie, Conspiracy, where she repeatedly sang ‘You and I.’
Onwenu lived her life doing what she loved the most. When she exited the earth, she did so after giving joy to many guests at the birthday party of the CEO of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Mrs Stella Okoli, where she performed on Tuesday night.
In mourning her, the President condoled with the entertainment industry, the Imo State Government, and her numerous fans. He prayed for the repose of Onwenu’s soul and that “she finds a place yonder where the music never fades and where there is ‘Dancing in the Sun.”
She will live on in her immortal masterpieces.
