The Battle For Societal Change Amid Injustices, Will Never End~ Prince Eze Ugochukwu
~ Prince Eze Ugochukwu
Against the backdrop of the ongoing protests around Nigeria to end police brutality, history has shown that citizens resistance have become a defining feature of contemporary political
conflicts.
The demostrations which has lasted for six days across major state capitals and cities has emancipated the mental and physical dormancy of the citizens against the political establishment. It will never be the same again.
Nigerians are known for their capacity for adaptation and innovation. This is exactly what has happened following the Black Life Matters civil disobedience in the USA.
The practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests , civil disobedience , economic or political non-cooperation as witnessed with the anti-sars protests will gain momentum as time goes on in different variants.
Nigerians hardly let go of any trend, and this is one of those trends that has come to stay. Nigerians will remodify it and even globalize it. Those in government must now sit up and listen to the people or have their names shoved into the Nigeria hall of shame and dustbin of history.
The desires of individuals and groups towards change and improvement can no longer be subjugated and undermined by greedy state operators and power holders. Enough is enough, and Nigerians now have their eyes wide open. It is now for the political elites to take note that times have changed.
Despite government pronouncements on disbanding SARS, the protesters understood from the beginning that changing the rules and implementing them are far more important than mere dissolving of the police units. So they kept to the streets with renewed vigor and vengeance.
Gradually, the protests which were driven primarily by specific policy concern, namely, police brutality, is currently witnessing remarkably widespread protests motivated by uncompromising political demands for socio-economic reforms and justice. The appetite for change kept increasing on a daily basis.
It is critically important for our rulers and policy-makers to return quickly to the question of political reform in Nigeria. Indeed, it has become a necessity if we are to avoid future protests.
Nigeria's leadership should be encouraged to enact political reforms in order to avoid serious political uprisings, and other forms of unrest that might even culminate in regime change. What happenned in Egypt, Sudan, Mali and Tunisia is a pointer.
Prince Eze Ugochukwu writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
