As I march with many young Nigerians at protests I keep encountering funny but sad conflicts. Multiple fights are separated at some points, heavy smoke from marijuana rents the air in some quarters, the disgraceful scream of “Cash App wa o!” pierced my ears in some areas. I am careful in the use of my words to show that the above scenarios are just a fragment of the protests and do not in any way reflect the collective conscience of the Nigerians who have sacrificed their time and energy for a positive cause. Let us take note that the EndSars movement is not a cause to validate Cyber crimes as some Yahoo boys think or an avenue to party by drinking to stupor and smoking till your lungs ache.
We cannot afford to lose focus, even I have had to suppress the urge to keep collecting numbers of the beauty queens in sneakers on the streets during protests as hard as this might seem for a beau like me, I realise I can’t afford to lose the zeal and reason for being at the protest. The unifying force which binds us is what has drawn us out in the first place. The distractions would only aid the forces we are against who believe we would get tired tear our placards and return home. ASUU strike is in the brink of being called off to break the protest numbers, NYSC mobilisation was finalised to ensure Corps members move to their respective states.
Another occurrence that infuriates me is the clash of Segalinkwith the Feminist Coalition, where the former accused the latter of trying to impose homosexual activism into the Endsars narrative. Again, this is not the time to lose focus and bring agendas to the picture. The fight is still on, there is time to align ideologies and listen to views and gradually move to the society we all want. It is pathetic that we are fighting against profiling and brutality, but we take swipes at individuals who have joined hands with us to fight against police brutality by stigmatising based on sexuality, it’s equally uncalled for to bring sensitive matters in the mix when the current state has not been settled. The focus of our strength should be channelled to the struggle for a better Nigeria.
As we raise our clenched fists, let us keep our head straight to the destination we foresee. No one is saying music should not be played in fact, good revolutionary sounds remind us of why we need to remain resilient, however we must not be caught in a frenzy shaking our heads vigorously till we have amnesia losing reason as to why we are protesting. It is pertinent to point out that the hoodlums who participate in vandalism are not one of us. A peaceful protest is backed by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 as amended, as such the full expression of this rights must stake place without wreaking havoc and having fun with such a presing matter. Don’t lose focus and sọ̀rọ̀ sókè!
- AYỌ̀MÍDÉ YEKEEN