Clay Richie

  Fellow Nigerians, let me start by thanking God for my unusual mindset. I’m also grateful to those who have mentored me in journalism. I single out for mention here, one perfect gentleman in particular, Mr Mike Awoyinfa, who was my Editor at Weekend Concord from March 1989 to May 1990. He remains my Boss for life. Awoyinfa introduced me to the words “scoop”, “world exclusive” “inside story”, exposé, and so on. He taught me how to search for, and get, uncommon stories. For any seasoned reporter, there is no orgasm sweeter than getting that story everyone is talking about. It does not matter if someone somewhere would not like the story, but everyone must see or feel it ultimately. That is your goal, your holy grail!

  The Revelations from Global rights group, Amnesty International on the shootings of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020 is very mournful. The timeline collates photographs and video footage to confirm that Nigerian Army vehicles left Bonny Camp, a military base approximately a seven-minute drive from the toll gate, at 6.29pm local time on October 20.

  It was very touching, poignant, as President Muhammadu Buhari met with all living former heads of state on October 23, 2020, to discuss the state of the nation. For about two weeks, the country had been suffused with unrest, later violence, precipitated by what began as legitimate protests against police brutality, code-named #EndSARS. In the words of the President, the protests were later “hijacked and misdirected” by hidden hostile hands, who wanted to destabilize the country.

  “The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG (Lagos State governor) requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy” – The Nigerian Army

  It is unfortunate that some members of Nigeria’s power elite still make a joke of the unfortunate uprising the country faced last week. On Monday, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, in what appears like a low-key admission of the presence of his men at the Lekki toll plaza where peaceful protesters came under gun-fire penultimate Tuesday, equated the entire situation with attempts by certain unnamed people to destabilise the country.

  On Oct. 20, Nigerian security forces opened fire on two groups of unarmed demonstrators in the sprawling metropolis of Lagos, reportedly killing at least a dozen people. The victims had been part of a weeks-long civic uprising to demand more accountability from law enforcement and an end to rampant police brutality in Nigeria. In the wake of last week’s shootings, the direction and future of the protest movement remain unclear. Several states, including Lagos, have implemented curfews due to increased violence and pockets of unrest, much of it targeting the peaceful protesters. In the aftermath of last week’s shootings, several governments and international organizations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations and the African Union, have issued statements decrying the violence. The bloodshed also led The Feminist Coalition, the group of young Nigerian feminists that emerged as one of the spearheads of the protests, to announce it will

  In concluding my column last Thursday, I urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation in view of the EndSARS protests that had been hijacked by opportunistic criminals and the shooting of protesters two days earlier at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos. I was therefore elated when I received the Villa statement that the president would indeed address the nation that day.

  After Black Tuesday occurred on October 20, 2020 at Lekki Tollgate in Lagos, our own Ground Zero, life took on a new meaning for Nigerians – both at home and abroad. Death and blood-soaked Nigerian flags betrayed human emotions and provoked a consequential global outrage. The international community also lent their voice to the chorus which was wrongly interpreted by President Muhammadu Buhari in his speech. Why would young and innocent protesters who did not pose any threat be suddenly cut down in their prime by a hail of bullets? It was unthinkable. What was their offence? They yearned for change for a better country that works for every one — #EndSARS was symptomatic of the bigger issues; it was the face and symbol of the campaign that became a global movement.

  The brouhaha over the article: "Bola Tinubu: The Fall Of An Emperor at Lekki toll gate", will continue to generate different reactions from friends and foes, probably till 2023, when the manifestation or otherwise of this fall shall become evident before Lagosians, Nigerians and the world at large.

  Many Nigerians are (mini) psychopaths and our priggish nature has blinded us to the reality in our society. We have managed to create a society where some people have to scramble for food: the most basic on the hierarchy of needs. Were we expecting them to wait till they fall sick and die out of hunger? If you're going to blame a poorly behaved child, be sure to examine his/her parents who have probably modeled for him such behaviour. Sane societies are products of good leadership across the board, when children behave well outside, go and look at the home they come from. 

  The economic fortunes of Nigeria have long been dependent on the price of crude oil and continue to this day to be intertwined and affected by its increasing volatility. Despite the opt repeated aspirations of the government to diversify export earnings from oil and gas, these natural resources still account for over 90% of Nigeria’s export earnings. Covid-19 has accelerated the decline of oil and Nigeria must reimagine its economic strategy, if it is to achieve its much-touted potential for economic greatness.

  If last Thursday’s broadcast by the President failed to fully capture the mood of the nation, the outcome of the National Economic Council (NEC) of two days ago seemed to be closer to a problem-solving approach.

  Things went out of hand very quickly with the emerging Nigerian “revolution” when on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, soldiers stormed the Lekki Toll Gate Plaza in Lagos, and started shooting. We were told they shot in the air. But the reports have been conflicting and troubling. The protesters insist that persons died, and that the attack was pre-meditated. The state authorities insist that persons were injured and that there were no corpses; may be just one. They made it sound as if one person dying was nothing to worry about. Nigeria is a country of over 200 million people. When one person dies, it is hard for the people to notice. The state does not even care. But the truth is that even if only one person died as claimed by the state government, that is enough indictment. There was no justification for anyone dying or sustaining gunshot wounds just because they took the patriotic step of protesting about injustice, police brutality, impunity and bad governance in their country. The #En

  For some obvious reasons, I have resisted the pressure to join the fray in the past two weeks. My children, especially my daughter who had been a victim of the harassment and extortion by SARS, were up in solidarity with their colleagues in protesting against police brutality. Peaceful protests and agitation are critical ingredients of a living democracy and should be encouraged. I reflected upon my personal experiences as a student activist in mobilizing peaceful protests against government policies especially during the anti-SAP protests or ASUU/NLC strikes, and prayed that Nigeria should rise up and exploit the opportunity inherent in the current seeming national tragedy. I have been protesting for a better Nigeria since I was 19 years old, and as an activist intellectual protesting against the imposition of structural adjustment programmes on poor African countries, I have published many books and journal articles on how Africans must confidently take their destiny in their hands

  There is no government presence in the federal capital territory (FCT). Yes. In fact, there is no such thing as leadership in the FCT. If there was, I would certainly know being a habitué of the city. There are only vulgar structures which are purely administrative habitations of the federal government. Beyond the vast jungle of bricks and glass, the FCT is rudderless.

  The drama, arson, destruction, looting and death witnessed in the past two weeks  are unfortunate. The resultant loss in GDP and adverse effect on the common man and the economy as many states impose curfews and restrictions to stem the orgy of violence is very regrettable. There have been attempts by some unscrupulous elements and opportunistic  hoodlums to derail the real objective of the protest and give it an ethnic bent, which if not nipped in the bud may lead to an internecine ethnic conflict. Attempts to stoke up ethnic tension failed. 

  How can a peaceful protest end up with killing and maiming, burning and looting in a matter of days? For those of us who have seen plenty “peaceful” protests in our lives, it is not too hard to explain. The moment you hit the streets and fail to read the road signs — so that you will know where and when to turn, reverse or park — you are at the risk of losing control of the steering wheel. You will end up carrying all kinds of passengers — thugs, hoodlums, gangsters, cultists, politicians and all manner of opportunists. In fact, you may unwittingly provide cover for state agents to target the assets and possibly the lives of perceived opponents and rivals. So it goes.

  On the morning of Friday 23, 2020, two weeks after civil protests, under the banner of #EndSARS, began in Nigeria, I woke up to a WhatsApp message from one of my former students who asks, after making a few comments on President Muhammadu Buhari’s uninspiring broadcast the previous evening, ‘What next, sir?’ The question was rhetorical.

  Injustice breeds nothing but pains in the hearts of its victims. To the orchestrators of injustices, the hues and cries of those at the receiving end are nothing but amplified noises. In reality, however, these hues and cries come from a place of real-time hurt, pains and heartbreak. 

  There is an agenda to violence — the state’s agenda. The biggest beneficiary of violence in most cases is the government which controls every apparatus of terror. Nothing happens in isolation of executive conspiracy. The infamous connoisseur of terror, Sani Abacha was once quoted as saying: “If insurgency lasts for more than 24 hours, the government has a hand in it.” Who could have put it better than the grim reaper himself?

  NOTE to television broadcasters: please include subtitles to enable all Nigerians hear and understand Fellow Nigerians, This is a difficult time for our nation, but together we will prevail.

  Tuesday, October 20, 2020 will forever be remembered as the day the Nigerian flag was soaked in sorrow, tears and blood. It will remain a dark day in our nation’s history and the day tyranny, oppression and evil triumphed over good, patriotism and statesmanship!

  Fellow Nigerians, it is difficult to imagine the amount of mayhem that visited Lagos this week. Let me just put it bluntly, our worst nightmares became reality, in a jiffy. The peace and tranquillity that Lagos had enjoyed for decades as the heartbeat of Nigeria was shattered into smithereens within a twinkle of an eye. On Tuesday, October 20, 2020, the mega and cosmopolitan city instantly joined the comity of other Nigerian States that have been mercilessly ravaged by terrorism and wars of attrition. The only difference was that the terror and insurgency was unleashed on the people by the Government itself using the very same security forces that have sworn an oath under the Nigerian Constitution to protect the entire country and its citizens, including the hapless residents of Lagos State.

  Once again, leadership failed Nigeria massively this past week. Someone said that if you do not know the purpose of a thing, abuse of that thing is inevitable. A lot of those in leadership positions in Nigeria do not know the purpose of their remit and as a result, they abuse it wantonly. The abuse of the purpose of leadership, stemming from gross incompetence and lack of know-how about modern governance is why the otherwise peaceful #EndSARS protests initiated by concerned Nigerian youths, have been so badly mismanaged, becoming a disgraceful show where the state turned against her own people.

  What a week it has been for our own dear native land! Just at the beginning of the month, as the country turned 60 as an independent entity, President Muhammadu Buhari had charged us to “begin sincere process of national healing, eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they are.”

  “Sai Baba!” “Sai Baba!!” The youth chanted on the street as they campaigned for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 thinking they had met their political-Moses who would give them a better life; a change from the miserable one they were accustomed to. Little did they know they were campaigning for a political-Lucifer, who would deliver nothing but death and more suffering to their doorstep.

  When Comrade Omoyele Sowore mooted the idea of a non-violent revolution last year he was promptly hunted down and arrested and charged to court for his temerity to use the word 'revolution'. For calling out poor and dehumanized Nigerians to demonstrate peacefully against the Buhari regime and its policies and programmes that kept worsening the Nigerian socio-economic political condition the exuberant SaharaReporters publisher was detained for months. And presently he is still consigned to Abuja with little or no freedom of movement and association.

  Ihave only just come across a short clip showing people in a warehouse filled with COVID-19 palliatives which were left un-shared even with biting lack and poverty turning many into internet beggars during the early to mid-term of national lockdown some months ago. I have to wonder, what sort of greed and wickedness could have driven our leaders to hoard much needed life-saving supplies at a time when people would have been overwhelmed with gratitude over just one bale of rice, beans or garri?  

  Do you have a mechanic, a vulcanizer, a Barber, an unemployed youth, even a street boy that you’ve assisted severally in the past and would likely respect you today? If he’s out there unleashing mayhem, call him in and admonish him. Leverage your past kindness for the doing of good. Call him on the phone. Make him feel dignified and appeal to the good side of his head. Transform the respect he holds for you to save your environment.

  ‘Soro soke, ki o se idajo ododo, ba talaka ati alaini gba eto won’ (Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy)—Proverbs 31: 9

  “To call for the end of Buhari means that you are trying to dig your grave and next week will be battle week. We will eliminate anyone that says or carries the sign of “end Buhari” within Abuja or elsewhere”- Maiwada A. Mohammed (@maiwada_muhd), Twitter, 17th October 2020. 

  In my first year at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) I took part in the “Ali Must Go” Protest of 1978. It was a popular protest against the commercialisation of education by the Olusegun Obasanjo military junta.

  The streets of Nigeria are coursing with the blood of innocents felled by guilty bullets of state agents. The Nigerian flag has turned scarlet from being a sponge soaking up the living fluid of harmless citizens who thought that the murderers would respect the symbol of the nation and spare their lives. The bodies of citizens are broken, littering the alleys. Young Nigerians who only ventured out with nothing but the flag, their fist and voice to protest against police brutality became victims of the violence they are campaigning against.

  For a time I held my peace on the #EndSARS movement. In fact, I had tuned off certain matters about Naija. There was a time I became frustrated by Nigerians and disappointed in many of my compatriots for their apparent cowardice, hiding behind the nondescript covers of prayers. There is power in prayer (I know this as a Christian believer and teacher of God's Word), but prayer enervates the mind and imparts grace for mission. When people only pray without acting or committing to the necessary work, they fail in their life mission or purpose.

  How long, how long will it take? For as long as it will take. The people will die of hunger.

  Turning and turning in the widening gyre The Falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

  Even as #EndSARS — a nationwide campaign against police brutality in Nigeria—enters Day 12, some still consider it as “misdirected” and “futile.” But I disagree. I believe that it is a legitimate struggle, which underlines the failure of leadership in the country. And, if nothing else, Nigerians now realize the power they wield, and the government will never take us for granted again.

  My 14-year-old daughter had this to say when the End SARS protests broke out, “thank God! At last!” While I was still reeling from the shrewd observation, in that subconsciously pejorative way elders bristle at the unsolicited wit of the young, my nine-year-old son dropped his own two cents of wisdom on the table – “Nigeria has zero security.” When pressed to educate us further, he shrugged, “it is very obvious, poor everything.” In that moment, I did a quick calculation. Four years from now, my daughter will be eligible to vote and in nine years, the young man will turn 18, also ready for the ballot box.

  According to an essay posted on the website of the Association for Psychological Scientist (APS), “A smile begins in our sensory corridors. The ear collects a whispered word. The eyes spot an old friend on the station platform. The hand feels the pressure of another hand. This emotional data funnels to the brain, exciting the left anterior temporal region in particular, then smolders to the surface of the face, where two muscles, standing at attention, are roused into action: The zygomatic major, which resides in the cheek, tugs the lips upward, and the orbicularis oculi, which encircles the eye socket, squeezes the outside corners into the shape of a crow’s foot.

  Nigerians just do not seem to know the depth of their socio-economic and political morass. In fact, it would not be out of character to say that we are in deep s--t. Today, the continuously and consistently declining structure of the Nigerian state has now gotten to a point of saturation and our society can take no more. The structure of the state is on a tailspin of degeneration, and the decline of the superstructure is a natural consequence.

  To start with, since it is easier to see God than to see our political servants and the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the only thing one can do is to speak from a platform as this, perhaps it will get to Aisha’s husband. How do I mean? One, you know some paid-folks ‘determine’ what the president see and read through. Two, any president who is caged, it is his choice. If Buhari does not know what is truly going on, it is choice. But I am sure other political servants will get to see and read through this piece.

  The youth uprising against police brutality in Nigeria has taken many by surprise. Conventional wisdom is that the youth are more likely to dance at a concert than sing a protest song. Events of the last couple of weeks have altered this narrative as youthful Nigerians have taken to the streets in a vigorous campaign to shoot down police brutality, with the notoriety of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) serving as the trigger — no pun intended. With the help of the hash tag, #EndSARS, the agitations have gained international attention. And the government has seen that this is not business as usual. Are we finally at the tipping point in the battle for the soul of Nigeria?

  There is no denying the fact that the upshot of corruption, mistrust, and misuse of power that characterized the operations of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), now renamed Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) has since the last few days been sending shock waves nationwide as the youths have been trooping to the streets to express their reservations over the development that does not go down well with the citizenry. 

  Fellow Nigerians, let me say emphatically that the moment we all dreaded has finally arrived. It is unfortunate that the falcon did not hear the falconer. Nigerian leaders behaved like Nigerians were nonentities, idiots, slaves, donkeys and all what not. Week after week, I have been writing, begging and praying that President Muhammadu Buhari and his goons would not drag us to Golgotha.

  So a Compatriot who is serving in the Nigerian Police got in touch with me. The officer requested that the publication of the following, this was after a 30 minutes plus conversation.  For safety I will keep the name of the Police Officer out. Hoping Nigerian President and the Police can take note and verify independently.

  As expected the tenure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu (58) as chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission ends on Monday, November 9. Then came the announcement by Professor Yakubu that the presidential election will hold February 18, 2023, that is eight hundred and eighty-five days away. It is the first time Nigerians have been given eight hundred and eighty-five days’ notice for a presidential election.

  The ongoing anti-SARS protests, the fluctuating industrial disputes between the government and university teachers, oil workers, doctors, etc., are signs of a deep national crisis. The hundreds of billions of Naira allegedly spent in feeding Nigerian children in school, even while the schools themselves were shut down, is also indicative of a totally unimaginative approach to looting. One thing is becoming increasingly clear by the day: The people are tired of being lied to. The feeling is that everyone is being taken for a ride by a recalcitrant leadership class that has become a danger to the survival of the average Nigerian.

  Judge him by his modest frame, and you would be making a big mistake. Consider the weight of his office, and you might think that he would be averse to taking personal risks, and you would be wrong again. He is no heavyweight boxer, yet he packs a devastating punch. He does not possess the oratorical prowess of Marcus Cicero or the fiery Rev Martin Luther King Jr, or Bola Ige, our own Cicero, God bless their souls; yet his eloquence is striking and his words can rouse a crowd to action. He is no soldier, yet he as bold as a lion.

  Sometime in November 2002. It was a Saturday night. I just closed production and was returning home around 11pm. Just around Tin Can Island, my car suddenly stopped. Anyone who knows that part of Lagos will know that that’s probably one of the worst places such thing could happen to anyone, especially at night.

  Events of the past one week across the country have revealed the true character of the Nigerian police: It is an institution that still sees its role as basically to put down any form of dissent or resistance, including to glaring injustice. Even at the cost of human lives. Only a few days of protests and we are already counting bodybags. Trending videos feature supposed officers of the law kicking and punching women on the streets. In contrast, there have been daily protests in Hong Kong for the past 16 months over a contentious bill that has been withdrawn. Not a single one of their nationals has been killed by the police.