We will not forget!

Yesterday makes it two years. Two years that can never be wiped out of history/ herstory of Nigeria. Though hard they tried to make it like it never happened. The Government of the day thought they could sweep it under a very dirty carpet. Every attempt to cover it up exposed their evil acts.

It was blood bath at Lekki. Popularly called the Lekki Massacre.  Wasn't it ironical that it happened at Lekki tollgate. A place every one knows is  as a source of great revenue for the government and the "god fathers".  Lekki is a place where the rich and mighty live. Known for its beauty and affluence that is in Stark contrast to the state of many Nigerians. The rich live in grand houses sorrounded by high walls of security while the poor live in poverty and insecurities.

Perhaps the drivers of the EndSARS movement wanted to make a statement by choosing that venue to converge and demand for what I term their rights to live.

With the many happenings in Nigeria, many who had the means have left for greener pastures to other countries. Those who  have no choice are left at the mercy of bad governance, insecurities and corruption. The Government was not accountable to any one. Though called democracy, the governance did not favor the common man.

Until two years ago when the young people who have suffered harassment from the Special Anti Robert Squad ( SARS) who have become treacherous and corrupt , decided to speak against their activities.  It started with a few voices sharing stories of the horrors they suffered from their experiences with SARS. Then it grew, more voices spoke up, more people joined, young people first, then the old, then the diaspora. It became a force. What was thought to be a " a passing thing" refused to pass away and without a structural leadership. People just followed their hearts to do what they could do in their capacity to aid the cause.

Youths took to the streets, unafraid of the security personnel that were manned to stop them. Those who couldn't go out gave from their scarce resources. 

I remember taxi drivers who commuted protesters to designated places for free. Food sellers dashed out food to tired protesters. Water , facemasks, and drinks handed out to exhausted protesters.

Some paid for canopies, some stood by waiting to charge phone batteries for the whose batteries ran down. It was incredible the things that happened during the protests. Some took it to become prayer walks.  Christians stood on guard for Muslim protesters to pray front the protests.

Lost items were returned to owners. It was out of this world for lost items to be returned in Nigeria, but it happened during the EndSARS protest. 

I still am in awe of how organized the protesters were. So  coordinated and orderly in all the protests, even when thugs were paid to infiltrate and sabotage the protests.

I remember how courageous the protesters were on the night of the Massacre. They had started by demanding for the anti robbery squad to be dismantled and overhauled. Then it grew to demanding for an end to bad governance, corruption etc. Then the Government  changed the name of the squad. A cosmetic approach just like giving out sweets to a child crying for hunger. Business as usual, thinking it would quieten the protesting youths. Instead it fueled the zeal of the protesters. They wanted nothing less than being free to live their lives and dreams. After all it is not a crime to be young and Nigerian. They wanted opportunities to thrive as citizens of a country that belonged to them.  Bad governance was a threat to their survival.

They challenged the status quo. The Government was threatened and decided to end it. That faithful night as the protesters stood in vigil at the toll gate, military men were sent to disband them.

They opened fire on unarmed protesters .I still remember seeing clips of videos of the protesters singing the national anthem of a country that had failed them. They waved flags of a country that did not care to kill it's young while they were shot at.

To the ordinary eye, EndSARS seems a failure but the blood of those who gave themselves as midwives to birth a new Nigeria ,stirs in us hope of what can be and what should be. 

Little wonder the young people are ready more than ever before to take back Nigeria.

I hope the government has learnt that it can not silence it's citizens. I also hope they will reconcile with history/ herstory by allowing a free and a fair election come 2023.

If you are a Nigerian, let's reclaim back our dear country by voting wisely.