One of the organisers of the nationwide hunger protest, Omoyelye Sowore, tells ISMAEEL UTHMAN the next move of the organisers of the 10-day demonstration and what the government should do to address their agitations
What inspired the #EndBadGovernance protest?
The protest was driven by the enormous hardship suffered by the Nigerian people. We have seen inflation rising to over 30% within a year. The currency has been devalued by over 100% from about N550 when President Bola Tinubu took over to well over N1,500 per dollar today. Banks are lending at more than 30% interest rate, which means businesspeople must make profits of over 30% to break even and pay off their loans. School fees are up. The subsidies that cushioned ordinary Nigerians from high fuel prices were removed. It has just been from one calamity to another for ordinary Nigerians.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has bought new yachts and planes, while the National Assembly has purchased SUVs worth hundreds of millions of naira for each member. Anyone expecting Nigerians to be silent in the face of all these atrocities by the government and elected officials must take us for fools.
How do you respond to critics who say the protest is politically motivated?
People are protesting at the local, state, and federal levels against the policies and behaviour of elected officials that cut across all the political parties in office. Hunger knows no party affiliation. The question we should be asking is whether the Nigerian people are not experiencing all the issues raised in the protest.
We should be asking why Nigerians endured this catastrophic governance until now. Even the so-called critics of the protest cannot stand and truthfully say they have not been negatively impacted by the government’s policies.
Some people have taken the opportunity of the protest to loot and vandalise public and private property. How will you address this set of protesters?
We called for a non-violent protest and encouraged all participants to shun violence. However, the government’s high-handedness kicked off the violence. It was the security agencies that started using water canons, tear gas, and live bullets on unarmed and peaceful protesters.
Do you have the record of protesters killed and arrested during the demonstration?
So far, we know of 17 persons murdered in cold blood by the Nigeria Police Force. We know of a police officer who was killed by a fellow policeman who rammed a water cannons armoured carrier into his van in Katsina State and an immigration officer who shot himself accidentally in Borno State.
We will never forget those who have put themselves in the line of fire for the country; those who have been killed, maimed, or injured simply because they came out to exercise their constitutional right to protest peacefully. The government was the first to bring violence to the protest. They were the first to use steam water cannons on peaceful protesters in Kano State. The first to fire bullets at protesters armed with nothing but placards. We will seek legal redress for the government’s actions on behalf of these unjustly attacked and detained compatriots, and we will never forget. One day, everyone who has committed these egregious crimes against the Nigerian people will be made to face the consequences of their crimes and the appropriate legal consequences for their actions
Some of the protesters in Kano State demonstrated with Russian flags and a picture of the country’s President, Vladimir Putin. What is your reaction to this?
I understand the government has arrested some poor tailors in some parts of the North. I certainly look forward to learning more. It would be laughable if the government believes that a group of tailors in Kano State are working with the Russian government to foment protests in Nigeria.
Last week, the claims were that some monies were being funneled from the West to support the protests. I have challenged them to provide the names and bank accounts they claim are being used for such activities. I have also made it clear that we will hear nothing more about all that because the government fabricated it.
Interestingly, it took them a day to round up tailors printing flags. Yet not a single person that the government has been telling us for decades is the sponsor of insurgency in Nigeria has ever been arrested. The hypocrisy is startling. I must add that there is no crime in flying Russian flags during protests; it is not treason. Christian leaders in Nigeria fly Israeli flags in churches, and lots of people fly Palestinian flags in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.
The question we should ask the Nigerian military top brass is why they shot and killed #EndSARSprotesters in Lagos on October 20, 2020, while they were waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem if they genuinely care about the sanctity of the Nigerian flag.
President Tinubu addressed the nation on Sunday and called for the discontinuation of the protest. But you continued mobilising Nigerians for the continuation of the protest while away from the country; what are the reasons for your insistence on the 10-day nationwide demonstration?
They said all sorts of things before the protest started with the aim of demobilising Nigerians, but when the protest commenced, they still had excuses. The revolt is centrally coordinated by the central nervous system known as hunger and poverty plus insecurity, corruption, and unemployment.
In the President’s address, we need to ask: did he announce a single action that would reverse the people’s suffering? No.
The protest seems to have lost its steam, why is that
How many people believed there would even be a single day of protest, given the propaganda and security warfare that the government waged? If the government believed the protest was losing steam, they wouldn’t be threatening unarmed civilians with the military after flooding the country with the police.
Some people believe you are condemning the APC-led Federal Government because you failed to win the 2023 presidential election and that you and other defeated presidential candidates want to come to power through the back door. How will you react to this?
This is laughable. I have been a political activist for 35 years, starting as a student leader at the University of Lagos and as a senator of the National Association of Nigerian Students. Was I running to be President of Nigeria when I participated in the anti-SAP riots of 1989? Was I running to be President when I led the student and youth protests against the annulment of the June 12 elections in 1993? Was I running to be President when I participated in and led opposition to the military regime of (General Ibrahim) Babangida, (General Sani) Abacha, and General Abdulsalam (Abubakar)? Was I contesting for elections when I stridently opposed General (Olusegun) Obasanjo’s third-term agenda? Was I running to take over from Umara Yar’adua when we fought to dismantle his cabal that held Nigeria to ransom while Yar’adua was brain dead in Saudi Arabia? I have been consistent in my actions for over 30 years, so those who make such statements have no idea about my history and background. I will advise them to learn more about who I am and what I have stood for and continue to stand for over the last three decades.
There was division in the protest; some organisations pulled out, while others disowned you. What is responsible for this?
We did not experience or haven’t experienced any division. Since the announcement of this #Endbadgovernance revolt, we’ve been regaled with tales of those who keep claiming they are pulling out, but they were never part of the planners of this global uprising. It is just a ruse. I don’t know them; you’re the one talking about them. I do not think they are our focus. Certainly, people would do whatever suits them in times like this. Talk is cheap.
What are your thoughts on the current state of governance in Nigeria?
It’s pathetic, self-centred and not people-focused. That is why we are in this sad state of affairs where the Nigerian people are more impoverished, hungrier, and more despondent about their economic conditions than at any time in our history.
How do you think the government can address the widespread discontent among Nigerians?
They should start doing the right thing that will make life more abundant for the Nigerian people. They should address corruption, create economic opportunities and provide a living wage for workers. They should engage in mass employment of young people and resolve the energy crisis all at once. They should engage in massive public works and reduce the cost of government.
They know what should be done but refuse to do it. As I have consistently stated, no one in government today is equipped or willing to do the right thing for Nigerians until they (Nigerians) unite to fight for their existence.
What role do you believe citizens should play in holding their leaders accountable?
The current uprising is the only way that citizens voice their opinions about the direction of governance. The #EndBadGovernance protest is a testament to the strength of the Nigerian people.
How do you plan to engage with government officials and other stakeholders to address the country’s challenges?
I have spent over half of my life working to improve the lives of Nigerians by fighting for good governance. I will continue to do so. I will continue to work with like-minded people who are dedicated to moving the nation forward and improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians. If any organisation or government is committed to these ideals, I will gladly partner with them to drive this nation forward. This government and the generality of the political class have demonstrated that they have no capacity or interest in the masses. Working for the common good is not in their DNA.
Some organisers of the nationwide protest based abroad have been placed on a watch list by the Nigerian government. Aren’t you worried about this?
I have been on the Nigerian government security watch list since my student activism days. I consider it a national privilege; this latest revelation is an honourable mention to proclaim that I am still on the right path. I have to request that other subversive and dangerous elements like hunger, insecurity, corruption, poverty, and unemployment be immediately put on the security watch list.
Do you think the demonstration has achieved its purpose?
Absolutely, it has woken up the tiger in Nigerians. For the first time in a long time, the instruments of division failed the narrative of the ruling class. This got the oppressed united behind a common goal across Nigeria. The path is now well laid on the way to true freedom
What is the next line of action after the protest?
More revolt, a fresh set of dates will be announced by organisers, and we won’t stop until we win.