1. Dear young citizen, as you consider the way forward for the #ENDSARS movement, I wish to offer some ideas. First, it’s time to transmute from protesting to nation building. (You will protest as a tactic once in a while). The protest was like the takeoff of an aircraft.
2. You need to now focus on navigating the movement into the future and providing leadership for the nation. Police brutality, as you now realise, is symptomatic of our country’s problems. It has invisible roots in our mindsets, values and leadership culture.
3. You need a strong ideology to lay the foundation for a new nation. Nations are built on ideologies. Decide on few short, medium and long term objectives. Example; short term (#ENDSARS), medium term (influence political process), long term (make Nigeria a developed economy).
4. Carry as many people as possible along by communicating your vision for building a developed economy. This is real work. Morph the protest into town hall meetings. Be innovative with your messaging, using local languages. A large chunk of citizens are barely educated.
5. Please sell the vision of a developed Nigeria to your brothers and sisters in all regions (north, south, east, west, etc.), and in all sectors including the civil service, business, military, and those labeled hoodlums, considering each group’s peculiar challenges.
6. For the deprived, connect by meeting their basic needs. Stories work best in communication. If in the diaspora, describe how things work in all sectors where you live (owning a house, obtaining drivers license, running a business, education, infrastructure, leadership, etc).
7. Review your operations so far and articulate the values that will deliver the new Nigeria, hooking them, where possible, on existing culture (e.g value for life, accountability and transparency, equality, excellence, etc.). Values that change behaviour are game-changing.
8. Representative leadership that will not derail your cause will emerge more easily from your generation after you clarify your objectives and values. You must personally adopt and model these values. Your generation won’t deliver change without sacrificial leadership.
9. The electoral reform bill is before the senate now. Do a quick review. Push for changes, if necessary, to ensure the rules work for you to participate in the political process. Push for it to be passed into law fast. You’re out of the game if you don’t influence the rules.
10. Continue to demand for implementation of the 5for5. Your generation has a huge responsibility. If you crack the code for Nigeria’s development, you would have cracked the code for Africa, and for the dignity of the black race. I pray for God to help you. #EndSARS
