An interview with Kenneth Asuenimen - 26 years old graduate of Biochemistry (Unemployed)
A paceful protest or a civil rebellion?
October 2020
vol. 6
THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE IS STRONGER THAN THE PEOPLE IN POWER
CECYLIA BUCZKO:
The symbol of what is the #EndSARS protest?
KENNETH ASUENIMEN:
It is a sign of the largest young population in Africa having been woken up. The generation who is calling for reform of their country which hasn’t had good governance yet since getting the independence 60 years ago. The EndSARS protesters are people with awakened vision and drive for a better motherland that we can be proud of. We have come to realise that; ‘’HOW CAN NIGERIA BE SO RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES AND YET VERY POOR IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND BASIC AMENITIES?’’
Soon after the protests started your president promised to end SARS. Didn’t you consider to stop the protests?
We carried out our protest despite the president’s announcement about SARS disbandment. We simply couldn’t believe him, we were sure, the SARS is still deployed on their posts in the roads. Later we got to know that the SARS unit was dissolved and the officers assigned to other units within the Police Force. As if that was not enough, the Inspector General of Police came out and said he had formed a new unit called SWAT: ‘’The Special Weapons and Tactics team.’’How would we have hope that they wouldn’t brutalise us like SARS did? We wanted to protest against not only SARS but all the police brutality and call for justice of those ones who killed or tortured our brothers and sisters. In a sane country, the government wouldn’t wait for the citizens to protest against SARS killing of innocent people before coming on air to address the issue. So we weren’t convinced at all hence we continued the protest peacefully.
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| (Reuters) |
Were there other postulates aside from ending SARS?
Yes, the demonstrations against SARS turned against the bad social politic and a bad government. There were many postulates to call for. Most of us young people have never experienced steady electricity in our lives, we didn’t have free education and had to struggle a lot to finish our universities. Having a better life was just a part of our demands. I was so engaged and I really wanted to fight for a better Nigeria. I don’t want my kids to endure and suffer the economic hardship of this country due to bad governmental policies and looting of our common wealth. So as a youth, we were motivated by that to demand change for a better Nigeria. Our parents failed to fight for their human rights and rights as a citizen of Nigeria that is why we are still suffering today. So we must change that for the generation unborn.
Did you feel the government wants to hear from you?
There is a lot of mistrust between the protesters and the government here in Nigeria, we simply don’t trust them. That’s why nobody believes in their empty words. But all the government said gave us the impression that they were listening to us, even to a small degree, so maybe they are under the pressure of the protests. We realised it was also a great way to impose our government to make good changes in the country, make good roads, stop poverty, raise the public salaries. There is so much to correct and improve.
What do you expect from the government to do?
We young people dream about nothing but living in a safe and good Nigeria. I want to live in a country where nobody kills you on the road and the police are to make you feel safe – not terrified, where the electricity is always on and you don’t have an impression your country was civilizational far beyond all the world… So with such postulates the campaigns are still carried on and I am a part of it. I want better Nigeria for me and my children.
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| (BBC) |
Part 2 - IT WAS A MODERN PROTEST WHICH STARTED IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Part 5 - HOW THE PEACEFUL PROTEST WAS HIJACKED BY HOODLUMS?
Part 6 - THE POWER OF PEOPLE IS STRONGER THAN THE PEOPLE IN POWER
Part 7 - OUR GOVERNMENT KILLS US – THE MASSACRE AT THE LEKKI TOLL GATE IN LAGOS
Part 8 - IT WAS NEVER MORE DANGEROUS TO BE A POLICEMAN HERE
Written by: Cecylia Buczko
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| Cecylia Buczko |
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