The #EndSARS Protests Show That A New Nigeria is on the Horizon
‘Thanks to social media, the youth have created an organised ecosystem with helplines to respond to the needs of the youth at the frontlines of the #EndSARS protests’
In the last twelve days, the ongoing #EndSARS peaceful protests have spread globally, transcending the country’s borders and extending to foreign soils. Both home and abroad, Nigerians have marched in solidarity with a unified demand: an end to the years of unbridled violence imposed on citizens by the Nigerian Police Force - particularly from members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a now defunct unit. In just over a week and a collection of #EndSARS hashtags later, we are witnessing history unfold.
Uprisings of this sort are not new in Nigeria. Back in 2012, the social media driven #OccupyNigeria protests erupted across the country as citizens took to the streets, outraged at the president’s announcement of a sudden spike in fuel prices due to the overnight removal of the fuel subsidy. History will also recall the ‘Enough is Enough’ protests back in 2010, as the then youth gathered en masse in a display of public anger over issues ranging from infrastructure failings, fuel shortages and power blackouts, while clamouring for a resignation of the then ailing president. The common denominator between these two timestamps in Nigerian history and the #EndSARS protests, is the undeniable presence of the youth at the forefront. In all instances, the youth’s collective antipathy towards the bodies in power enabled them to lead the charge and demand for tangible change.
But there is something very different about 2020’s #EndSARS protests.
Social media, for one, has been employed as a fierce tool to fight oppression in a way like never before. Thanks to its ease of access and widespread reach, news of the protests is circulated in a matter of seconds, with updates spreading as quickly as they occur. Social media has given the movement the amplification needed to rally advocates from far and wide. For Rume, a vehement online protester, this is her first time being actively involved in a resistance of this sort. “A lot of the times when people rise up against the government, a lot of people usually get left out,” she tells me. “This time we’re all in the loop. We’re sending broadcasts on Whatsapp and people are compelled to listen, and as they do, they’re realizing they have something to share as well. Our goal is to spread and it’s spreading fast.”
A gaping hole in Nigerian history is the lack of proper documentation of sporadic moments like this. Where traditional media have failed to aptly record the uprisings in real-time, and chosen instead to fuel harmful propaganda and false narratives, this time around, new age digital media publications like Zikoko, Stears Business, Native Magazine and More Branches have risen to the occasion to document the lived experiences of the youth. In addition, young people have built archives like endsars.com, creating outlets for people to share their experiences with police brutality and to ensure such experiences aren’t erased from our history.
The #EndSARS protests is a decentralised one, with no official leaders, figureheads or representatives in place. Taking a page out of the yearold Hong Kong protesters’ book, it is a moment that has been created for the people, by the people. This new generation of Nigerian youth have demonstrated that they have learnt from the mistakes of the generation before them. History has shown that leaders are easily susceptible to compromise, as integrity and commitment to a cause is often traded for a seat at the table. Hence, the #EndSARS protests have taken on a faceless form, with pockets of unofficial coordinators being formed all over the nation, bound by the sense of shared responsibility to reform the country.
Thanks to social media, the youth have created an organised ecosystem with helplines to respond to the needs of the youth at the frontlines of the #EndSARS protests. Collectives like Feminist Coalition, a week old organisation of feminists, have served as distribution hubs for protests across the country, raising funds and granting access to any and everything from food to medical and legal aid. Everyone is more focused on playing their part and less interested in being spotlighted, and that’s why the protests have been so seamless, as Onyema, an online protester tells me. “The beautiful cooperation amongst the youths and supporters of the protest is what’s so different this time,” he remarks.