Buhari’s speech: Another testament of oblivion

FOR two weeks, Nigerian youths took to the streets in the form of peaceful protests to advocate against excesses  of the police force, precisely the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS). 

The youths, who took to various locations across the country and social media, advocated safety in the land and the pursuit for good governance with the hashtag #EndSARS, to which they later added, # EndBadGovernance.

They presented a 5-point demand which was sent formally to President Muhammadu Buhari through Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. The demands, captured as 5-on-5, stated that the Federal Governemt should:

• Desist from using the force against peaceful protesters
• Release arrested citizens who are part of the peaceful #EndSARS protests
• Provide justice for victims of police brutality
• Implement a comprehensive psychological evaluation of policemen
• Increase the salaries and other remunerations in the police force

After several protest actions, adjudged to have been peaceful and held  mostly in capital cities around the country, President Buhari, on October 12, addressed the nation, promising reform in the police force. He also addressed the key issue in the protesters’ demands by announcing the disbandment of the SARS.

But the president did not make any tangible statement on the strategic and pragmatic plans to fulfil the demands of the protesters. In spite of the address, however, which the protesters may have considered deceptive and manipulative, the protests continued.

The day after the president’s speech,  the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu announced the establishment of a new force named, Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT), and pledged to work on the reforms as directed by the president.

On Tuesday October 20, what has been variously described as a “massacre” and a “genocide” occurred at the Lekki Toll-Gate, which had become the epicentre of the #EndSARS  protests in Lagos. Peaceful protesters who held nothing but the Nigerian flag and placards in their hands and singing the Nigerian anthem, were killed by unknown gunmen in militaryfatigue.

Some lives were reportedly lost while some sustained severe injuries. The Nigerian Army, whose men were alleged to have fired volleys of gun shots at unarmed protesters, has since debied reports, claiming it was “Fake News.” The Lagos State government has also denied that people were killed, although it admitted that several people with gun shots were being treated for various injuries in some hospitals in Lagos.

Apart from the Lagos incident, several occurrences of police brutality ensued in other parts of Lagos and other states of the federation.. The country sank into chaos as incidents of jailbreak, riots and killings became widespread.

Even with the violent incidents recorded across the country,  especially in the southern part, the president did not address the nation until well over 48 hours after the events. And this was despite sporadic nudges promptings from some eminent citizens and youth leaders on the social media space.

On Thursday October 22, however, the president held meetings with his security chiefs, and thereafter, the National Security Adviser, Bagana Monguno hinted that President Buhari would address the nation. There was high expectation that at last the president would  speak to his people and give them cause to remain hopeful and calm in the face of the tension that had gripped the nation since #EndSARS protests began.

The president delivered his speech, at 7.00pm on Thursday October 22. It lasted for about 11 minutes and although addressed the key issues at stake, the expectation was that he would have empathised with families of victims arising from the ill-fated Lekki Toll Gate Shooting. The president was roundly criticised by a cross section of Nigerians for being silent on the dead and wounded protesters.

It is however necessary to review the speech in order to identify its coherence with the current state of the country, and especially to check on the federal government’s response to the demands of the protesters.

First, the president, whose address which was delivered came about 48 hours after the violent turn of events in Lagos, spurred further unrests in other parts of the country, did not express any iota or sense of regret for the delay in addressing the nation. Instead, the president issued veiled threats to the protesters to stop their actions or face clampdown.

“I must warn those who have hijacked and misdirected the initial, genuine and well-intended protest… the spreading of falsehood and misinformation through the social media in particular, that this government is oblivious of the pains and plight of the citizens is a ploy to mislead the unwary… into unfair judgment and disruptive behaviour.”

The above statement proved the fact that the president is oblivious of the concerns of the youths, but sees these events more from a purely political perspective, precisely as a plot against his government. Of course, the protests were hijacked by hoodlums, but that was merely an effect of the failure of security operatives to provide protection for the peaceful protesters, especially in the wake of reported attacks by supposedly sponsored thugs.

The government’s insensitivity, as evidenced in the president’s speech, may explain why the president did not address the Lekki Toll-Gate killings and brutality perpetrated by armed men in military uniforms. The refusal to mention the issue of the killings is an indication of the government’s oblivious attitude, whether deliberate or otherwise, to the concerns of Nigerians.

The essence of President Buhari’s speech, therefore, is that the protesters must discontinue the peaceful protests and go back home, otherwise, their actions could attract consequences.

He said, “I would like to appeal to protesters to note and take advantage of the various well-thought-out initiatives of this administration designed to make their lives better and more meaningful, and resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy.

“For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security and the law and order situation. Under no circumstances will this be tolerated.

“ I, therefore, call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions. Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.”

This statement, in my view, is entirely undemocratic. The demands of the protesters should be the primary focus; and to the best of my knowledge, there are no tangible measures put in place to assure the citizens that the government would address their concerns about insecurity, impunity, corruption and bad governance which have held the country down for so long. For the avoidance of doubt, these are the central issues agitating the minds of #EndSARS protesters.

The federal government has a duty to protect the lives of protesters. By positioning, security personnel at protest locations would further help the government to monitor and identify the miscreants that hijacked the peaceful protests. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Shockingly, the president pays tribute alone to “officers of the Nigerian Police Force who have tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.”

At the same time, he yet, again, ignores the reality of the Toll-Gate killings. Instead, the president listed government initiatives such as trader moni and farmer moni amongst, urging youths to take advantage of these initiatives, while conveniently ignoring the lack of structure and strategic implementation processes.

The president insinuated that Nigerian youths should desist from the struggles for better security in Nigeria and focus on poverty alleviation, which, according to him, is the reason for the protests.  

The president’s speech should, at best, pass for political propaganda; it was clearly not a response to the chaos that emanated from what were peaceful protests by the youths on the need to end bad governance in all its ramifications in the country.

Wright is a doctoral student and member of Naija Times Editorial Advisory Board