Looking back to every event that unfolded in October 2020, from the #EndSARS protests to the #LekkiShooting, it is safe to assume that this period will go down in Nigeria’s history books as a turning point in the nation’s evolution.

For a good number of the protesters, most of which are the Nigerian youth, the silence and sudden halt of activities for #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance is not them giving up per se, but an attempt to regroup and figure out how best to continue to tackle the very many problems Nigeria is facing.

This idea of regrouping and re-strategising is understandable, seeing as the world has a large sample size of countries who attempted a revolution and are now in a far worse predicament. With angry Nigerians turning the peaceful protests violent and using it as a platform to vandalise and rob public and private properties, it seemed reasonable that the youth took a step back to avoid letting the actions of these criminals turn Nigeria into another hostile country.

However, there are some people who have taken a different approach to the #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance movements, and their ideology is to keep fanning the flames of change.

With the pent up emotions that arose from the #EndSARS protest and an unyielding desire for change, now, more than ever, young Nigerians must keep pushing until the desired result is achieved, lest the passion dies down and people move on, thereby subjecting the Nigerian masses to more socio-economic problems, and victimisation by a grossly incompetent and irresponsible government.

Leading the pack of those who harbour this philosophy is human rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore. While most people are taking a break, Sowore continues to relentlessly call for an end to SARS, as he marches on the streets every other day, and uses his social media platforms to call out the government.

Even as recently as yesterday, he led some young people, albeit few of them, in Abuja to continue protesting police brutality.

His actions are so daring, it has caught the attention of law enforcement agents and the army, and they are attempting to get him off the streets. Yesterday, during one of the protests, the Nigerian police dispersed the protest by shooting at Sowore and the protesters.

This sort of action by the Nigerian police depicts just how unwilling the government still is to dialogue. Force is still their primary weapon, and they will rather shoot at protesters than listen to their grievances. Actions like these do nothing but justify Sowore’s decision to keep pushing.

This event has caught the attention of Nigerians online, and they are torn between commending and condemning his actions. For some, they would rather he gives it a rest for now, till everyone is ready to march again, while others can’t help but admire the man’s courage.

If anything, his consistency and resilience to the cause is honestly unprecedented. Hardly have we seen any Nigerian this insistent on taking down a government that’s not accountable to the people. His actions are Fela-esk, and he may be making a case for most patriotic political candidate come 2023.

Sowore’s determination to oust corrupt governance began before the #EndSARS protest and is continuing even as it seems the protest is down. Hopefully, he has a plan for a better Nigeria.