It’s often said that “experience is the best teacher” and
while this might not hold water in certain cases, it’s certainly true in
others. We can all testify that we’ve experienced major life events which have
educated us on various subject matters of life.
This month has been agog with powerful activities in Nigeria
triggered by the #EndSARS campaign.
And like every event in life, the decentralized social
movement has taught us some important life lessons as well as reinforced some
opinions we have had.
Social Media Is A Powerful Tool For Change
For many of us, the original purpose which we placed on social media was for interaction; keeping up with friends, and loved ones and that was it. But as the number of users on these platforms increased, so did their purposes.
These days, social media is a community on its own with a
marketplace, as well as niche spaces for every other matter important to
humans.
We’ve been aware of this expansion of purpose on social
media. However, it took the End SARS movement to emphasize how powerful social
media can be for societal and national change. The movement alone pulled more
than 18 million tweets capped by hashtags such as #EndSARS #EndPolicBrutality
which continue to drive conversations around the Nigerian police unit. In fact,
Twitter became a source of more authentic information throughout the movement.
Nigerian Youths
Aren’t Lazy Afterall
If you ever had the impression that Nigerian youths were mostly idle, jobless, and always sitting in front of the TV or always on their phones talking about Big Brother Naija, then that opinion must have changed by now.
During the movement, it was astonishing to see young Nigerians globally take up the courage to march into the streets and peacefully protest for their rights. Some of them even went as far as camping at the protest venues for days and weeks.
Legal practitioners, medical practitioners, celebrities,
social media influencers, food vendors, as well as other Nigerian youth offered
money, their services, and resources, in making sure that protesters were
well-fed, defended, attended to medically, and provided for. E-protesters also
stayed on top of their game offering useful information to others throughout
the protest period.
If this doesn’t speak of a generation of hardworking and
dedicated Nigerians, well, what else does?
There’s Indeed
Strength In Unity
You know how you hear something over and over again until it becomes mundane? The quote; “Unity is strength, division is weakness,” is one of those quotes which seems to have lost its meaning.
However, during the End SARS movement, we were reminded
severally that indeed unity holds a high level of strength.
Violence Is Never A
Sustainable Answer
Irrespective of the situation,
violence will never be a sustainable solution. We learned this lesson as the
violence began to creep into the peaceful protests throughout the country
leading to the loss of numerous innocent lives, and destruction of property.
This lesson is one which we
shouldn’t forget in a hurry.
Women Are Capable Leaders Too
Bet they are some names that come
to mind. Women like Aisha Yesufu, Feminist Coalition [made up of only women],
and DJ Switch, played key roles during the protests.
Knowledge Is Also A Powerful Tool
Many times people suffer due to
ignorance which is the absence of knowledge. During the movement, a good number
of us have been re-educated on our basic human rights as well as our civic
responsibility.
It’s safe to predict that more
young Nigerians would participate in general elections in 2023 by voting. A
great improvement from previous years.
We Are Our Brothers Keepers
Throughout the nation-wide protests, some Nigerian youths shared their personal encounters with fellow citizens. It was heart-warming to note that unlike the false impressions people had formerly held, Nigerians are kind-hearted and loving.
People genuinely looked after each other, raised alarm for
those in need, as well as so many other honest displays of kindness.
Nigerian Youths Are
Responsible
It was refreshing to see young Nigerians conduct themselves
responsibly throughout the movement. Protesters cleaned up after every protest
each day. They sensitized hoodlums disrupting the protests on the need for
peace and how the protests were for their rights as well.
These are a few examples of the responsible conduct of
youths during the End SARS movement.
Young Nigerians Have
The Potential Of Being Good Leaders
For a decentralized movement, it really was marveling to see
young Nigerians set examples of good leadership since the protests.
For instance, forums handling donations, transparently
disclosed a comprehensive breakdown of how the finances were disbursed.
These lessons are definitely worth taking note of as Nigeria
moves forward to better things.
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