The ongoing nationwide protests are shifting from ending police brutality to institutionalising better governance, reforms, economic equality, equity, jobs and better infrastructure.
“We want a new Nigeria where we will have the same opportunity as children of politicians and the rich,” said Ogundele Amos, who joined a horde of protesters at Ilasamaja in Lagos on Tuesday.
“I finished my National Youth Service in 2016 after graduating from a federal university the previous year with a second class upper degree, yet I can’t get a job. When you have a problem as a young Nigerian, you are on your own. Is Nigeria’s wealth for politicians and their families alone?” Amos asked, rhetorically.
Nigerian youths started #EndSARS protest almost two weeks ago to put an end to the activities of a rogue police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The Federal Government has since changed SARS to Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), but young Nigerians want total police reforms and prosecution of rogue police officers involved in killing Nigerians extra judicially, especially officers at Awkuzu, Anambra State, and those indicted in APO Six massacre of Nigerians.
Protesters are now demanding better governance, youth development and education reforms, reduction in cost of governance as well as constitutional, public office, health and institutional reforms.
On his Twitter handle on October 17, Joe Abah, an institutional reforms expert and former director-general of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), said, “We should all have the humility to admit that none of us have ever seen anything like the #EndSARS protests. You can say it’s about police brutality/reforms, or cost of governance, or arrogance of politicians, or injustice. It’s all of them. It is the youth saying ‘Otoge.”
