Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has said he is
unsettled about reports that another round of #EndSARS protests are
brewing across the country.
The Governor expressed his worry during a Sunday broadcast.
He noted that any future protest is likely to run into a
still-enraged police force and can be hijacked by unscrupulous
elements.
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The Governor appealed to young people to embrace the #EndSARS
panels being held across the country as a form of progress and
engage actively with the political process.
“I deem another round of #EndSARS protests to be premature and
counter-productive at this time,” Bello said. “Apart from the
higher likelihood of conflict with the police earlier canvassed, we
must also admit that the security situation in the country is very
precarious at the moment.
“All patriots must therefore make conscious efforts not to
degrade a parlous security situation further.”
READ THE GOVERNOR’S FULL ADDRESS:
I am unsettled by credible intel indicating that another round
of the #EndSARS protests are brewing in select cities across the
country, likely to commence this week, and possibly as early as
Monday the 7th of December. In other words, tomorrow morning.Every Nigerian should be worried by the spectre of another
nationwide protest for any reason at all at this time. Not only is
it true that the whole nation is still scarified and much
traumatised by the violent aftermath of the last round of protests,
but Ground Zero has changed drastically, and the rules of
engagement this time around will no longer be the same.The last round of protests benefited from a police force subdued
by embarrassment at the misdeeds of few of their colleagues and
simultaneously held in check by official directives, even from self
defence.Any future protest is likely to run into a police force still
enraged by the vicious attacks visited upon her last time.Nigerians are aware of the gruesome slaughter, and even
cannibalism, of at least 22 police officers during the violence
that erupted alongside the #EndSARS protests. This is aside from
the scores who were injured or maimed, in addition to the
deliberate targeting and destruction of dozens of police stations
and other police facilities as well as the looting of high calibre
guns and ammunition from armouries. These 22 police officers were
our brothers, sons and husbands. Ultimately, they are
Nigerians.While it is true that law enforcement should do her job
professionally irrespective of circumstances, it is even truer that
official uniform armed men and women who were universally hunted
and killed across the country by hoodlums can be unpredictable,
even paranoid. In the face of all this and as the first sitting
Governor who publicly upheld the rights of our youths to protest
against Police Brutality, I cannot in all good conscience agree
that the time is ripe for another round of #EndSARS protests.Moreover, it seems to me that this is the time to consolidate on
the gains of the last protests by participating fully in the
various Panels and bodies set up by the Federal and state
Governments to look into police brutality, identify perpetrators
and compensate victims.From what I can see so far, progress is being made at the
various Panels. Not only are we seeing emboldened citizens coming
forward with their stories of officer-involved in human rights
abuses, but such erring officers are being identified. No doubt,
established offenders will be punished, just like the scores of the
defunct SARS officers who have since been dismissed from the force,
and who may be further sanctioned.Youths have seats on these Panels and have acquitted themselves
with commendable humility and maturity. I therefore call on them to
persevere in this process despite any perceived shortcomings. It is
only an unwise hunter who does not make time to roast or otherwise
prepare what he took in hunting for consumption or commerce.I deem another round of #EndSARS protests to be premature and
counter-productive at this time. Apart from the higher likelihood
of conflict with the police earlier canvassed, we must also admit
that the security situation in the country is very precarious at
the moment. All patriots must therefore make conscious efforts not
to degrade a parlous security situation further.Nationwide protests at this time will only overburden the
load-bearing capabilities of our security architecture increasing
the likelihood of total collapse. No matter the narrative, I doubt
that out-of-control anarchy is an objective of the #EndSARS
protests.It is also true that we live in an economy that is bleeding
badly right now. Traditional responses to Covid-19 has hurt, not
just Nigeria, but all other countries of the world. Many have
fallen into recession. To worsen matters, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) predicted 3 days ago that the pandemic
could push the number of people living in extreme poverty to over 1
billion by 2030. Thank God they are owning up to my earlier
prediction, warning and caution.Nigeria’s earning and foreign exchange situation is too fragile
as we speak to resist sustained shocks. Another nationwide protest
will worsen the multidimensional poverty indices all over our
country and work greater hardship on the ordinary Nigerians we
claim to be advocating for.There are also sociocultural implications. Nigerians tend to
travel a lot during the Christmas holidays. Statistics show that
travel during this period is not only for pleasure as widely
supposed. For many of our people, this is the only time in the year
when they can attend to pressing life responsibilities like
marriages, hospital appointments, funerals of loved ones and even
community improvement events.As a Governor, I am aware hundreds of such events will happen in
towns big and small in my state and beyond. Many have been fixed
for months or even years in advance with much expense already gone
into planning. All of this will be disrupted by nationwide protests
at this time and I appeal to the great Nigerian youths not to be
the harbingers of so much pain and loss to their compatriots –
individuals, families and communities alike.Then of course we have sociopolitical reasons to thread
carefully. We have the example of countries which have gone the
path of chaotic social change only to collapse as proof that action
and caution are siamese twins in the journey of all successful
revolutions.Social justice is always going to be within a social context. In
other words, we need to have a country to even protest for a better
one at all. Social Change, like fire, must never be allowed to get
out of control or it will consume the very building it was ignited
to warm in the first place, along with the occupants.In public protests, no variable is 100% guaranteed. Every
protest can be hijacked. Like the #EndSARS protests, recent Black
Lives Matter (BLW) protests against systemic racism and police
brutality in the United State were largely peaceful, yet it was
infiltrated by violent elements. This forced the leaders to
frequently recalibrate their strategy in order to keep travelling
towards their objectives. For instance, they have ceased fire since
November 4th, no doubt to give the electoral process a chance.I must also stress that when all is said and done, the fastest
route to desired social change in a democracy is via the political
process. The guarantee of periodic elections and change of guard in
government is one reason never to burn it all down at once. Perhaps
the most impressive thing about the US protesters is how much they
have utilised the ballot box in 2020.In 2016, about 135 million Americans voted in the Presidential
Elections. In 2020, they are on course to overtake the 180 million
mark. Majority of the new voters are youthful protesters, and
mobilisation is the key. Currently, Black Lives Matter (BLM) is
actively participating and setting agenda in the Joe Biden
transition programme because their roles in his support cannot be
denied. #EndSARS can do likewise or even better.Pressure groups take political power when their pressure has
built up to the point they can no longer be refused or ignored. My
administration has recently capitulated to the growing power and
participation of women in our state politics by ceding all the 21
Deputy Chairmanship positions in all of our local government
councils to them along with the 21 Council speakership positions.
Nothing stops #EndSARS from achieving similar accommodation with
our political parties.The good thing about a democracy is that if leaders push
citizens to the brink through a consistent pattern of substandard
governance, citizens can always wait for them at the next
elections. I can testify from my personal experience that a
political system can only be comprehensively overhauled from within
and you can only do that when you take control of it as a
legitimate and legal participant. It does not matter how much
protesters ground the nation, they can never produce even a
Councillor outside the ballot box which will be acceptable to the
people.Thus, anger at social imbalances or poor governance manifested
only through protests, whether peaceful or violent, will only
achieve piecemeal objectives. Our #EndSARS protesters must
therefore start looking and organising towards the 2023 General
Elections now, either by adopting an existing party platform or
setting up one of their own.Contrary to perceptions, 2023 General Elections are not far at
all. If God keeps our lives, we are only about 800 days away from
February, 2023 when all of this youthful energy can be harnessed
and channeled properly for a true revolution via the ballot box.
Till then, there is more than enough work before the #EndSARS
group.I therefore appeal to the Nigerian Youth, especially the
#EndSARS protesters, to rethink all plans for protests at this
time, and indeed before the Panels have rounded off their
assignments. Such would be premature, dangerous and above all,
counter-productive to our stated aims and objectives. Men are still
mourning the man bitten to death by the lizard (with his small
teeth). The leopard should not take money to go and sharpen his
fangs please.I wish all Nigerians the very best of this season, a Merry
Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous and healthy 2021. Thank you
and God bless. YAHAYA BELLO Governor of Kogi State December 6,
2020.