The #EndSARSprotests could just be the beginning of the end to bad governance in Nigeria

The youth are the driving force of change in every society. Ironically, they are the most neglected group of society often stripped of their rights and denied the opportunity to effect meaningful change in society.

The Nigerian youth have had a fair share of this treatment but it appears that change, at last, is underway. For the longest time, Nigerian youths were divided along ethnic lines, religious and political affiliations. If you like, united only by foreign football clubs and local reality TV shows and this has in some way, done more harm than good to the nation. 

However, the recent agitation for good governance occasioned by the common suffering and oppression of the masses in the hands of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), appears to be the bond that will make Nigerian youths bury their hatchets and fight for a common purpose in brotherliness.

The determination of the youth to unite, fight for their rights and demand for good governance in the face of stiff opposition is quite commendable and it brings to mind Nigeria’s first youth-led nationalist movement with the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Professor Eyo Ita, Samuel Akisanya, Dr. Kofo Abayomi, Ernest Ikoli etc., who all contributed to the fight against the British oppressive rule to secure Nigeria’s independence.

History might just be repeating itself in Nigeria today as the youth, led by celebrities take to the streets to protest against tyranny. In the video below, popular comedian Debo Adebayo, popularly known as Mr. Macaroni, is seen among fellow protesters in front of the Lagos House of Assembly, Alausa, Ikeja, engaging with government officials and demanding to see the Lagos Governor; to tell him how aggrieved the masses are over the incessant and reckless extra-judicial killings of Nigerians by FSARS operatives.

Several other celebrities, including Runtown, Falz, Toke Makinwa, Tiwa Savage and Tacha, had earlier taken the lead in the protest against police brutality while many of the late night protesters slept outside the Lagos House of Assembly to get their voices heard. 

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Similarly, the musician, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, popularly known as Ruggedman, called for yet another protest against wastage of the nation’s resources by our leaders, occasioned by the ‘unjustifiable’ huge sum of money allocated to the National Assembly (NASS) in the 2021 budget. 

He said, ‘Dear Nigerians, we will fix Nigeria’s problems one after the other. When we are done with police brutality, we need to face “the national assembly”.’

The seriousness with which Nigerian youths are demanding for good governance in the nation should not be taken for granted by our leaders because this may well be the beginning of the change Nigerians have been waiting for. 

When the people are willing to give their all to fight for their rights and leave the comfort of their homes to camp all night in the open, demanding for their voices to be heard in the face of stiff opposition, it can only mean that the imminent end of tyranny and bad leadership is here.

The Nigerian youth have taken their destiny in their hands. At this rate, there is a possibility that power is about to change hands, but only if they continue to unite to fight for their rights with a common goal to overturn bad leadership for good in Nigeria and pave way for visionary youths to lead this nation to greatness. 

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