EndBadGovernance Protest: Deaths, Arrests, Injuries; The Blood Must Stop Dripping

By James Bwala*

August 1, 2024, will serve as a reminder to many families, friends, and colleagues of the pain of losing loved ones. Those arrested or injured will have some regrets about failing their country by participating in the uncalled-for protest. Those who bear evil marks will continue to persuade other misguided youths to follow the path of destruction. Some mothers would wail once more. Protest, as I have learnt from my years of experience, has never been peaceful, despite protesters’ assurances that it would be. They stated this in their announcement for August 1, 2024. However, things did not end peacefully.

Last night, I looked through some online reporting and watched some videos that were sent to me. It was another depressing saying. The youths have once again lost their future to some old, unmannered, and uninterested crocks who never had good intentions for them. These elderly fathom killers remain in their comfort zones, and their children live abroad, while the poor mother, who is struggling to make ends meet, received the tragic news of her dead child, who either left home as a protester or a security personnel to cause havoc or to defend the nation’s integrity.

From Maiduguri to Damaturu, Kano to Kaduna, and on to Katrina, blood flows down the Niger. These are the blood of promising Nigerian youths wasted in broad daylight for another man’s greed rather than sincerely for maize flour, as they associate hunger with the protest. As a Nigerian youth, I took part in protests during the days of ignorance, and looking back, it means nothing to me. Those for whom we protested received their desired outcome, while we were forgotten. That is why I have urged the youth to find reasons not to protest. But in life, there are some numbers that can only be learnt through experience, and I hope the injured and arrested learn from this.

When I add up the death toll from the few states for which I could obtain figures, Nigeria has lost thirty-two (32) young and promising leaders of tomorrow, as we often say. And now that they have gone, who will take their place tomorrow? The August 1, 2024 #EndBadGovernanceProtest, also known as the #HungryInTheLandProtest, should teach us something. To be honest, these bad governance and hunger issues predate the current administration. If Nigerians, particularly northern youths, were patient for eight years under the Buhari regime, I see no reason why they are now venting their rage on the same issue against the Tinubu administration, especially since this government’s move has shown a positive light on an ailing country like Nigeria, as they would argue.

I believe, based on what I have seen, heard, and read, that the Tinubu/Shettima administration was able to achieve, and what they are attempting to achieve, there is hope, biblically speaking, for a tree that is cut at the drop of water. After all, no Nigerian today would argue that the steps that allow local governments to exercise autonomy are bad governance. No one would argue that the signing of the Northwest Development Commission and Southeast Development Commission was not a positive step towards bringing development closer to the people of those regions, given the negative issues affecting those regions. The government did not appear to be ignoring the people’s cries for help. Was the free import duty for food and drugs intended to frustrate Nigerians? The government has recognised the conflict between NNPC and Dangote, and the president has authorised the sale of crude oil to the Dangote refinery. Should I refer to this move as #badgovernce? Should I condemn the decision to establish the Livestock Ministry, which aims to end the farmer-herder conflict, and use the hashtag #badgovernance?

Not to mention the accomplishments made by our military, police, DSS, and other security forces. These are just a few examples that will come in handy as I build the lines in this piece, but I believe they are enough evidence for those who want peace in this country to conclude that the Tinubu/Shettima administration means well and is living the renewed hope agenda-setting mantra. I saw bad citizenship in videos sent to me from the FTC, Maraba, Kano, Potiskum in Yobe State, and Maiduguri, my home state. I saw my brother and colleague Jesse Tafida take a full length of his legs to flee to safety around Bullumttu, where bad citizens are attacking security personnel, and the sound of guns began to fill the air in a movie-like setting.

That is Maiduguri, the home state of Vice President Kashim Shettima. I had assumed that Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, would be the last place to experience such a horrendous outing. But I was not surprised to learn that the Bullumttu area attracts people from all walks of life, because a true son or daughter of Borno would appreciate the fact that with Kashim Shettima as vice president, Borno stands to benefit even more. In fact, Borno has no reason to participate in violent protests. Our governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has never hidden a palliative, and he has never remained in the government house to allow others to share it. He is always on the pitch, even in Borno’s mine fields, to ensure that his people have the benefit of good governance.

It is not uncommon in a traditional setting like Bullumttu to witness such unholy praise for the governor or vice president. Nigeria’s northeastern state has been in conflict for more than a decade, and as a result, four people were killed on August 1, 2024, when elements of Boko Haram were said to have infiltrated the protesters in order to cause chaos in the state. This was the reason why the government implemented a curfew to ensure public safety. But far away from Borno, in the Arise TV studio, a certain professor was attempting to say that if elected vice president, he would demand an explanation for the multiplier effects of the state protest. I believe Okey Ikechukwu, a political analyst and strategic management professor, misunderstood the content of the Borno protest.

More than what is traded in other states, Borno State is concerned with terrorists and the threat of infiltration, which unfortunately occurred.
Terrorism, or combating terrorism, as he would like the VP to demand, is not a classroom concept tailored to what students must do to get it right or pass an exam. It is an idea born of sudden and creative ills that focusses solely on the destruction of life and property, with no regard for the ultimate outcome. So, Professor Okey Ikechukwu should conduct more research on issues concerning events in northeast Nigeria and add to his knowledge before dishing out advice to gullible Nigerians who may believe that what a professor says is always correct.

We should not be perceived as condescending in matters of national interest; instead, we must preach healing whenever and wherever we encounter problems, especially when speaking in front of millions of people. Our youths have missed it, and it is our responsibility to educate them about the protest that many of them participated in, knowing nothing about its purpose but destruction. These lost lives are a loss to our numbers, and killings, destruction, and other acts of evil committed in the name of protest are not poetic and should be discouraged by all well-meaning Nigerians.

*Dr. Bwala, PhD, wrote from Abuja.