Are you wondering: why are the protests in Nigeria still ongoing? They are ongoing because the youths are deeply aggressed- they feel victimized, marginalized, and trampled on.. they are very hurt and are not backing down.
End Special Anti-Robbery Squad (End SARS) or #EndSARS is a movement in Nigeria that was started on Twitter and kicked off a few days after Nigeria’s 60th year independence anniversary on October 1 2020. The aim of the movement is a call to end the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police Force, which has promoted police oppression and brutality in Nigeria. According to Wikipedia, within the past weekend, October 9-11, 2020, the movement #EndSARS has garnered over 28 million tweets and support across the country and the world, including religious organizations and celebrities, who have posted the hashtag as a clarion call to end the injustice (unlawful arrests, torture, killings etc) that has primarily been experienced by Nigerian youths, who are a growing group (ages 18-35) in the approximately 200 million people population.
You may not have personally experienced police brutality but you can empathize with them or can appreciate their pain; you join in solidarity because you have heard their stories; this resulting event is a familiar narrative that mirrors the sad and deploring decadence of the various facets of Nigeria’s economy, our public educational system and governance. These protests have encouraged more people to speak up about their dissatisfaction with the continued scarcity, unavailability, or inaffordability of the basic human needs (food, water, shelter and even clothing) by the masses in Nigeria and the ‘laid back’ or ‘back seat’ approach of our current government to improving the citizens and residents’ living conditions. The anti-SARS movement is a starting point and sparks an inflection point in Nigeria’s history.
May our prayers of many decades (oh yes, my parents, my generation, and the youths of today are still on our knees praying for Nigeria’s rise from its lowly state) and the protests of this 60th anniversary month eventually birth the ‘New and Better’ Nigeria that we desperately seek.
