There was a deafening demand that president Muhammadu Buhari needed to address the nation as matter of urgency in relation to the ENDSARS protest; the permutation was that addressing the nation’s youths who have been on the street protesting for disbandment of the notorious special Anti- Robbery Squad unit of the Nigerian Police would help to douse tension and flashpoints created by the ENDSARS protest.
Don’t forget, the ENDSARS was a leeway, and a key meant to unlock and tackle Pandora boxes made up of impunity, overt corruption, bad governance, epileptic power supply, bad roads, police brutality and extortion, unjustifiable gargantuan salaries being received by the members of the NASS, porous educational systems across the country, etc ,etc, etc. All these problems are traceable to all previous and the present government.
Finally, he yielded to the clarion call after a whole two weeks. As usual, what we got was a pre recorded speech of zero worth! Many of us who know the president were not startled because we know who he is; a leopard. Does a leopard change its spot? Capital No!
In the long anticipated speech, he never made mention of how he would address the genuine demands made by the teeming Nigerian youths. In lieu, he reeled off poverty alleviation programs put together by his government to alleviate the sufferings of the Nigerian youths. That was sickening for a presidential remark meant to address a protest, such as the ENDSARS’ movement.
That the gory and gruesome killings of unarmed protesters at the Lekki tollgate was left unaddressed further confirms his stance on human sanctity. There’s no such word as inviolability of human sanctity in his dictionary. Sad!
That’s President Muhammadu Buhari for you; an unrepentant, callous,and innate dictator sold to us as a democrat. I called him innate dictator to debunk the impression that all soldiers are unrepentantly wicked and menacingly cruel. I had a stint in the nation Military so, you can take that to the bank that not all soldiers are wicked and cruel.
The speech has been made and all doubts are now cleared. From the speech, it’s clear that Mr. president didn’t regret the killings of unarmed Nigerian youths by the security forces.
Premise on this, it follows as the night the day, as rainy season, the dry season, that Mr. president Muhammadu Buhari will not regret killings of Nigerian youths if it reoccurs.
We, the youths should take this: you don’t fight a man whose hand is on trigger; worse still, without “safety catch” except if you’re ready for a full blown battle. As youths are we ready to fight the government blow by blow, terror for terror, tit for tat in a bid to attain a new Nigeria of our dreams?
Possession of power is interim and ephemeral. Before PMB, there was GEJ and OBJ. Where are they today? PMB and his bootlickers are enjoying the comforts of the presidential Villa today, it’s not perpetual. There’s time for everything so says the Bible.
Youths, jettison the ENDSARS protest, and leverage on its gained traction by taking active participation in electioneering. As youths, we must shun politicians’ crump passed for empowerment and dividend of democracy. Shun thuggery and its manifestations. If thuggery is good, how come children of the rich are not hankering for it? In all of these, we have learnt our learns; and we must move on.
Rest in peace to all youths who lost their lives on the march for a new Nigeria where the children of nobody can become somebody without knowing somebody ( long live Yeshu).
*** Musa Isa Nesta is a 300 level law student at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State.
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