Critical issues such as the Culture of impunity by the privileged, powerful & positioned folks getting away with murder unconscionably because they can, must never be downplayed with skin color, ethnicity or partisan politics. Focus on Culture Change through engagement. @SIAF_NG 
Four years ago when I was discussing the design of the #EndSARS #ReformPoliceNG campaign with Dr Yemi Amusan @yemusan1, we both agreed that the most critical element of the movement must be the common ground & nothing lopsided that cuts off any demographic or class.
It was a delicate campaign no doubt which inadequate planning could determine even long before we began. So it’s necessary to simulate a whole lot for months while researching before we launch into the Wild. Sincerity of purpose was key. Political campaigns are for the short run
...Advocacies that engage Culture are for the long run. So objectives and end goal must be clear. We decided to bridge institutional gaps having realized this is the major bone of contention ruining lives in our polity. If we got this wrong the campaign would have ended.
It could have been hijacked by political interests or self serving motives of zealots masquerading as NGOs within the CSO space. But once most saw how complex the ideal is & how cold the journey can be in service, they bailed. People lick hands soaked in oil & not hardwork.
We have severally demonstrates our commitment to the Vulnerable in society while engaging the culture of impunity that discriminates not. Many people you don’t expect to be vulnerable we’re calling for help & this shows that when one is threatened, all is threatened in society.
By all means BlackLivesMatter but can we argue it is only black lives that is endagered in a society gradually being gentrified with identity politics of hate that is consuming all & dividing people along race lines? Police brutality in Nigeria for instance is worse on the youth.
If we had tailored the campaign to the youth, the gerontocrats will take us as an ageism campaign against leaders. So the campaign wasn’t against anyone but for Humanity and only those who may have lost touch with their humanity/soul would hate or complain. We don’t discriminate.
Emotions and tantrums can only get you noticed. It rarely get you the needed engagement that will make people spread your message. Usually the message is lost in the noise where discontent is the only thing being exhibited. It is not a strategy & mostly get exploited.
There are certain songs that I can play that will unlock the flood of memories in certain generations and once that gate opens anything discussed part aiming to that era is deeply understood by those concerned that can relate. This is the way culture works.
3 in 5 young people have an experience of Police Brutality in Nigeria or at least have a close relative or friend who have been dehumanized, abducted and extorted by Police. So when cases come up they can relate and connect. That means 70% of 200Million people are fed up already.
This clearly is the most formidable movement ever in the history of Nigeria void of political partisanship, religious bigotry or tribalism. We all agree that the Culture of Impunity MUST end like yesterday & have ownership in the prosecution of that responsible mandate.
It is not about political acronyms or our sexual preferences but about Humanity and the progress of our civilization through culture engagement and change. We are not pushing for the impossible and we are not deluding ourselves that there is a switch anywhere. Change takes time.
The message here for those waiting for it to be spelt out is that if it is about taken out the Police or Govt it won’t take anything to make that happen but that changes nothing really but replacing people in a system already designed to fail. There are structural things to fix.
No country grows without strong institutions and if you take a look at our institutions you will agree that 99.9% of them are dead and merely function as a means through which political hirelings siphon money for their benefactors. They don’t care about service but self.
We can’t cure chaos by plunging deeper into chaos. However fun the reportage May look when you see crowds taking over streets abroad, ask yourself the end goal of such exhibitions. How do you think the story ends? Ever heard of armed men with utopian dreams?
Do you plant an acorn and swing on the Oak tree on the same day, within the same week or year? Not even your devices charge to a 100% without extracting a quantum of patience from you. Power belongs to the people but it pays if they are not ignorant & impressionable.
People will always use what you fear to manipulate you. The political apex predators hate my guts because they are afraid what the political will behind the advocacy can be deployed for but thankfully I am not them. They would have turned this against Govt & hate them for it.
They’ve done this before with that show of shame during the Ojota protest veiled as a fight for the better but actually a selfish bid to establish notoriety under false pretenses & push for regime change. They got majority brainwashed with emotions & we’re all paying for it now.
Where are the individuals and organizations used for this hatchet job today? Most are still scrambling for the crumbs of integrity left of their repute if any. It’s like a scar on Cain visible for all everywhere they go. Their children will be told the roles they played.
Same is happening in America today. The ignorant would think it is about the black community but in actual fact what is playing out is indicting the black community and rigging them against their interest. Already Biden believes you are not black enough if you don’t vote him.
That statement alone tells you nothing but you being back at the Democrat’s plantation that many patriots died to pull you out of. Could they have died in vain? He is basically saying I own you, your movement and your protest. Guess who is funding all these...
But I digress...we are Africans. We should care. The nexus between what is happening in Nigeria & US on police brutality is the Culture of Impunity. Statistics are more than numbers and perspective is key in the interpretation of those numbers if you read wide enough.
One thing you must understand is that it is an election year in America and people without ideas will throw everything including the kitchen sink and hope something would stick. The vibrations there will affect us too. Our rulers are always hungry for loans at our expense.
Despite all the trillions that may have grown wings over the years our police remains underfunded and we the people are bleeding daily for this. Little wonder they are the worst in the world yet our rulers still get clandestine security votes while our kids get killed by Police.
This is far from an APC/PDP balms game but a systemic and institutionalized syndicate that runs on the blood of the people. A muedeorus culture that must end this year regardless of what it will take. Holding rulers to account must never be trivialized as politics. We’re dying!
