1.Dear young citizen. It’s time for everyone to reflect. The massive destruction of properties in Lagos and other cities is so sad. Some want to blame you, but you must not buy that narrative. They know those that introduced violence. #ENDSARS
2.Those that looted and destroyed property are also not part of you. They are products of a system that does not value its youths and has left them with little or no hope. They are part of the reason you raised your voice against injustice and want a new Nigeria.
3.What you did in less than a week was a phenomenon. Let me share how I see it. You attracted a mass following across all sectors within a short time because your cause is noble. No sane person should fault your call for justice.
4.Leadership experts believed for a long time that the best way to motivate people to move is to give them a vision of the ideal future. But it has not always worked. People prefer status quo to change.
5.In recent times, they have come to realise that it sometimes works better to tell the story of people’s pain: their livable experiences. You got this right. You generated impetus and galvanised people to act focusing on police brutality.
6.You overcame things that have divided our country and frustrated it’s development including ethnicity and religion, and put up a united front. You practically shared love instead of our culture of prejudice. That was a breakthrough.
7.The power gap between the leader and the led is high in most developing countries. That gap is low in most developed countries. You crushed that gap. You ran an efficient system on a flat structure. Your model of leadership facilitates development.
8.Your flat leadership structure meant no one was dominating another. As leaders you took responsibility and served one another. You were accountable and transparent, announcing income and expenses daily. These have not been part of our leadership culture.
9.You provided “stomach infrastructure”, meeting the basic needs for food and water. You provided healthcare with ambulance services. Some even got free haircuts on the street. Your organization was efficient.
10.You got quick wins. A governor came to meet you on the street (I commend him for this). SARS was dissolved and the government agreed to your 5for5 demands (I commend government for these).
11.Continue to call for a stop to the looting and destruction. Take a deep breath. You created a mini new Nigeria. How do you take things forward and scale up? Please, stay strong online, own your narrative by all means and keep your discussions going. #ENDSARS
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1.Dear young citizen, the turn of events on 20/10/20 is very sad indeed. I know you are deeply disappointed that the country you love and seek to improve hurts you this much. ENDSARS
2.We mourn the loss of those who passed. We will not forget them. We pray for comfort and strength for their loved ones. We pray for speedy healing for those hurt. #ENDSARS
3.The messages and pictures of gross injustice that we see over and over have impact on our minds and emotions. It’s okay to pause, to feel the grief, the anger, the pain.
1.Dear young citizen, it is understandable that you are hearing many voices, like the biblical David, but you’ve been called to be unconventional. Be comfortable with that. #ENDSARS
2.Your movement did not start on the streets, it started on your phones. Your ability to move from being an invisible force to being a visible one is a miracle. “The word became flesh”. #ENDSWAT
3.The greater miracle will be for you to be able to move back and forth between being visible and being invisible. Don’t be afraid. You won’t fizzle out so long you have your phones. #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY
1.Rarely does a generation have the opportunity to lead change as the one handed the youths of Nigeria right now through #SARSMUSTEND. It cuts across the fault lines that divide Nigeria.
2.My dear young citizen, you must use this rare opportunity to secure deep changes that will lead to Nigeria’s development. The systems you confront are strategic and tactical. They may be steps ahead. You need to think long term and pace yourself.
3.Speak forcefully but peacefully. Don’t be provoked to violence. Don’t act somebody else’s script. Lightning has enough power to light a city, but it destroys because it has no structure. Shift gear into participation in the political process when the time comes soon.
1.Our dear President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, members of the Federal Executive Council, members of the National Assembly, our Governors, and all parents. We have an unusual opportunity with the #ENDSARS protests. #SARSMUSTEND
2.Many of us in government were protesting on the streets 26/27 years ago after the annulment of a free and fair election. Some had to escape out of Nigeria. Our heroic acts birthed this democratic dispensation to a large extent. The young ones are only continuing the journey.
3. It is therefore totally deplorable that we would lead a government under which the police would spray water, throw teargas and shoot at peaceful protesters. Please order them to STOP THE ATTACK ON CITIZENS PROSTESTING PEACEFULLY IMMEDIATELY. They should rather protect them.
1.It is totally unacceptable for the police to fire teargas at young citizens attending non-violent #ENDSARS protests. We cannot sustain the idea that the voice of the African youth is not to be heard.
To our young citizens, please continue to speak. Please speak as leaders, not as victims. Leaders respond, victims react. Press the point to negotiate for a win/win. The police/public officer is also sometimes a victim of a warped system. Change everything. #ENDSARS
We are not going to be leaders tomorrow, we are leaders already. Leaders lead with vision and broad perspective. #ENDSARS is a beachhead. The war is bigger. Have a clear picture of a developed Nigeria. Push for a change in values and in the power equation.
1.I fear that the life of the common man may not improve if Nigeria restructures into regions or even if it breaks up now. The culture of leadership that makes leaders to consume most of the resources and to leave most people impoverished will likely continue.
2.The first restructuring we need, and this is true for much of Africa, is for power to shift from political leaders to the citizens, so leaders become accountable, citizens have esteem and are empowered to prosper, and occupying public office is for service, not money-making.
3. This requires responsibility on the part of citizens. We must rise beyond religious and ethnic prejudice to have collective vision for development, and to adopt values like honesty, value for life, equality, excellence, etc.