My three takeaways from the recent protests

Ahead of the recently concluded protests, I found it surprising that the government was too jittery and felt that those who called for the protests would listen to the voices of elders and traditional rulers that they believe was responsible for their hunger and hopelessness. 

I believe it is this understanding that made Farooq Kper0gi, a professor of journalism, author, and researcher based in the US to highlight in his article, and I quote, “that the leadership of the protest, unlike the previous widespread protests in the country, was diffused.” End of quote. Ebenezer Obadare, the Douglas Dillon Seminar Fellow for Africa Studies at the US Council on foreign relations helped to qualify that and suggest that “rather than than the protests were leaderless, it was a different form of leadership that have emerged”.

Notwithstanding that the protests are over, I thought to share my three takeaways, especially because they have implications for current and future social and political dynamics of the country.  

First, the reason for the continued division in the country 18 months after the 2023 elections that metamorphosed into the #endbadgovernance protests was the mistrust and distrust of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following bungled widely publicized electoral rules. For avoidance of doubt, while the opponents of the President may never accept him as the winner of the elections, his supporters also privately admit that INEC failed Nigeria, and it may take another generation for the public to trust the process again. 

So, the worst costs of living crisis in a generation merely accentuated and amplified their anger. Indeed, by mismanaging the process of the most important elections since the return to democracy in 1999, INEC has left many angry, disillusioned, and hopeless, much more than the result and the economic conditions since last year. To give hope, the President, though a beneficiary of a largely inadequate election, can build a stronger and more united Nigeria by addressing the short comings of the last elections. 

Second, and this is not the first time I am sharing this interpretation. Majority of Nigerians believe that the President, the Governors, and those in government do not share in the sacrifices of the worst costs of living crisis under their leadership. That is, it is generally seen that the government is exogenous to the economic reforms it espouses. Perhaps it is a communication problem, but they wonder if those that receive the financial support from the government are in the moon. 

The efforts of the government do not appear relatable since no one has come out that he or she received this support or the other. It is difficult for them to believe a government that says things will improve when most of the critical statements from the government are proven to be lies within 24 hours. Perhaps it is not relatable because simple government actions are embellished and amplified for no just reasons. It is not relatable when they see that government officials still live large and sometimes larger than the last administration.

Finally, the protests highlighted the awful education and skills situation in the country. It is clear from the protests that Nigeria’s problem is not confined to the 130 million poor. It is now 130 million poor and uneducated. While it has always been there, social media has amplified its growth. Given what I have seen, Nigeria is dangerously threading towards successive generation with less education than their parents. It was not uncommon 30 years ago to see children in public schools able to read and write. That is rare today. So, increasingly, it is only the children of the shrinking middle class and the rich that can do so. 

It has become so bad that no one talks about how to get over 20 million children that are out of school the education they need. It has become so bad that the head of the Joint Admissions Matriculation board is lamenting the continuous decline in the cut off point for admissions into tertiary schools. It has become so bad that there are millions of unemployed people but are not fit for the thousands of jobs available. 

Oh yes, these problems did not start with the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but it is also the case that these problems are widening under him while the government seem helpless about tackling them. It is even more hopeless when the government continues to find the time to present and debate bills that seek to extend autocratic tendencies.

For more of my thoughts, please visit tb.africa

I thank you.