BY STAFF WRITER,
FEBRUARY 24, 2023.
This line "Under Pressure Nigeria Under Pressure" from the song Under pressure by the famous Ras Kimono is as symbolic today as it was in 1981. In a matter of weeks since the beginning of 2023, we have seen the Nigerian federal government issue monetary policies intended to 'combat' corruption and to 'create' a base for free, fair and credible elections, riots from unhappy parties, hunger, strife and agitation in the land. Interestingly, we have also witnessed an awakening of the Nigerian people to politics, demanding a no-nonsense, fail proof system of government.
Perhaps this need to be served and treated right from the people didn't just start today where there is as there have been in the history of Nigeria fuel scarcity, abject poverty and double the corruption amongst and against commercial traders and the ordinary people. It could have started years ago when Fela Kuti would chant his song Vagabond In Power which people who sang it in the years that followed bought into, or maybe it began when many unsuspecting protesters who hit the street in 2020 not only got their demands 'denied' but some paid with their lives too. Maybe the happenings of today is the final ingredient in the potion 'Awake Nigeria'!
Now, in a country were politics are left to the politicians and better living to prayers and hope, we cannot deny that electrifying change has come!
For Agada Peace Elaipo, a student of the University Of Nigeria, a philanthropist and article writer, and a protester of the 2020 endsars movement, her moment of epiphany was this same event. "Endsars gave me the mindset to be more involved in politics, especially in exercising my rights as a Nigerian and knowing who to vote for as the next president of Nigeria" she tells The Revel Magazine. To her, though it was a sad day with what she refers to as deliberate acts of destruction against the youths, the movement was still the right thing to do.
For TRM's debut piece, Peace discussed her endsars experience and her support for a new Nigeria.
TRM: You have been vocal about your experience with pro-sars guys and the trauma that it brought you. Can you also share your story with us in details?
A.P.E: The endsars protest was a great experience for me. I believe it's one thing to sit at home and think about protesting and lending your voice and it's another thing to participate in the action and what was going on. I joined the protest on the 18th and 19th of October.
On the 18th, I went out with my friends to the mosques, JAIZ bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria to protest. it was a whole experience because we felt like we were fighting for our Rights.
In the city of Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria, the protests were going on as peacefully and calmly as possible from the beginning until the end. However, the 19th of October was completely different. We went out again because the government was still in the process of meeting our demands. We were at AYA when we saw a truck filled with guys known as Hausa Almajiris but we didn't make anything of it because these were people we see almost everyday in Abuja. They are people that migrate from some parts of northern Nigeria to Abuja the FCT to survive.
However, something was unusual about these guys and as we kept on shouting "endsars" they all jumped down from the truck and started to chase us with clubs and cutlasses, and we all ran helter skelter for our lives. I think I even lost my shoes. It was crazy. We ran for a while until we found a vehicle that conveyed us to our various homes. Later in the evening, we started hearing of the vandalism and all round harm they caused. This was not easy at all. We were emotionally distraught. This was a whole level 100 from 0 that was the peaceful protest.
TRM: 20th October 2020 is what we can consider a memorable day and not for anything merry as lives were lost and no form of punishment has been executed or perpetrators found. We know that emotions were on the high that day. What was yours?
A.P.E: 20-10-20 is one of the saddest days of my life. Ah! The fact that the youths of Nigeria were participating in the protest which by every count was peaceful and giving it our all to see that police brutality is brought to an end, the fact that we all wanted to see plausible results but instead had our dreams and hopes dashed in such a cruel way was really disheartening. Lives were lost! The whole movement was turned upside down!
I was still nursing blisters on my leg and caring for my injuries from my experience with the pro-sars guys on the 19th when we started hearing news that caused me to develop high fever. I started shivering immediately because I didn't see it coming! No one did. These were actions taken by the Nigerian military –because we can't hide it anymore. This is more than just a speculation, this is a real thing. We saw bloodshed, we saw a lot of young people murdered, we watched the Instagram live. It is not one of my favourite days at all. Honestly, I don't see their deaths as a sacrifice. This is like a careless mistake–actually it's a deliberate action by the government to silence us as youth and as citizens of the country.
TRM: In what ways has the event on the ill fated day influenced any part of your life?
A.P.E: it's tilted me towards the direction of wanting to get more involved, especially when it comes to exercising my franchise as a citizen and in choosing a leader that would benefit all of us. Yes, it has changed my life. Everyone should be involved in politics because we can't be in the sidelines and keep waiting for change to happen. Yes, 20-10-20 was a sad day and a lot of people feel like the movement didn't serve it's purpose. I mean today, police brutality is still ongoing and much more worse than it used to be. However, we cannot keep folding our arms and allow evil to be swept under the rug.
The lekki tollgate massacre goes down in history as one of the many tragedies and atrocities committed against the Nigerian people. The activism by the people could as well have been the pinnacle of greatness in this country as it is almost unheard of for the people of Nigeria to come together irrespective of ethnicity, religion and biases for a common goal which is to stop the anti criminal squad 'pro-sars' from harassing, molesting and killing innocent individuals. A task near impossible in this part of the world.
We asked Peace what she makes of this to which she replied "I can answer this question in 2 ways. There is both togetherness and the lack thereof. This togetherness and sense of community amongst the youth is a beautiful thing to behold. I'm sure to you must have noticed how everyone cooperated during the endsars protest because we had one purpose in mind. This connection produces growth and progress and of course no one wants to be the enemy of growth".
"That being said, the lack thereof is due to the fact that there has been no significant change in Nigeria for a long time which is not motivating. And as such, people feel reluctant to exercise their civil rights. This is sincerely not how it should. We shouldn't be nonchalant about something as important as this. If we deal strictly with facts and not with feelings, then truly we will begin to see things as they are without the filter of our emotions".
TRM: what about those who do not agree? What do you have to say to people who continue to cause harm all in the name of supporting the candidates of their choice?
A.P.E: Firstly, I'm highly disappointed in the fact that they deliberately choose to be blinded to facts and truth. I don't care about their reasons which I know will not be justifiable enough.
We will all experience what it feels like if the country is better or worse. But I'd like them to remember something "we are all humans before we became anything else" and therefore we should think and behave compassionately towards one and other before anything else.
TRM: do you believe Nigeria is a failed country?
A.P.E: I do not believe Nigeria is a failed country. I choose to be optimistic even in the midst of odds that are obviously against us. I still believe in Nigeria. I still believe something can be done! I still believe Nigeria can be improved upon.
TRM: on a lighter note, do you consider yourself a politician or someone vast in that area?
A.P.E: Nope! not in any sense.
To close out our over-the-phone interview, Agada concluded with "I believe in good and doing good. I also believe in standing by what's right irrespective of the wrongs".
Feature photo from autojosh.com