#LekkiMassacre: From A Nigerian With One Passport

What happened at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, Nigeria on the 20th of October 2020 is another evidence of how we have failed as a nation. The Nigerian Government fired live rounds on unarmed young peaceful protesters who are supposed to be the future of our dear country. A covert and maliciously crafted slaughter, which involved the deactivation of close circuit cameras, switching off streetlights and the killing of unarmed civilians, who were waving their national flags, reciting the national anthem and mostly prostrate.

The Government has played the only card they’ve known for years — Instil fear in the people, and it hasn’t worked. It has only highlighted their weakness as they will rather kill the very people, they were elected to serve than even pretend to address the abundant issues that plague the country. What they fail to understand is we are no longer disposed to fear which has held us back far too long. We have finally reached breaking point due to an ubiquitous feeling of hopelessness. Nigeria will always remember 20/10/20. The Government’s plans have failed and all it has achieved is a closer bond between the young and old, North and South, rich and poor, Christian and Muslim to join the movement. We are awake! It’s always darkest before dawn.

I encourage everyone to use whatever talents they have, to fight for our survival. Share your videos/messages locally and abroad, sing, dance, paint, pray, feed, treat, donate, shelter — Whatever you can do as nothing is too little, for this plight we must all play our part. My personal advice is to stay home during the curfew, restrain from paying violence with violence and the destruction of public property as that is what they expect us to do.

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Their intention is to amplify the feeling of insecurity around us, providing the licence for further unlawful exercise of power. We need to understand that a full state-wide curfew is a bigger disruption to the Government than us being on the streets in the thousands, so stay home. There is only so long they can keep the state shut due to the economic impact — once it’s lifted, we go back to the very place the killings of our fellow brothers and sisters took place, stand up tall without fear and continue the protest.

#Endsars is just the beginning — We must begin to hold our leaders accountable. We have sat idle on the side-lines for too long as;

• Bullion vans are driven into an ex-Governor’s residential home in broad daylight;
• Non remittance by the NNPC of over USD13bn in crude oil sales;
• The NDDC which was set up to alleviate poverty and encourage development in the Niger Delta has a debt profile of over USD5bn with thousands of abandoned projects all over the region and poverty reigning supreme;
• USD40m worth of jewelry alone was seized from an ex-Minister of petroleum;
• A country where a government agent allegedly stole USD100k and claimed a snake had swallowed the money.

We can't continue to make memes about this, if we don’t start the movement now, then when?

Our leaders are eating the future wealth of our nation today leaving our future generations yet unborn even poorer. I know we are a prayerful nation but faith without good works is dead — James 2.26.

We must all play our part!

Kindly share and encourage others, we deserve better!!!