The #EndSARS protest has been described as one of Nigeria’s most effective movements by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
The #EndSARS protest, according to Soyinka, was an outpouring of the nation’s discontent with the state of affairs, he said in remarks he made at an interactive session during the publication of his book, “The Putin Files: Excursions Around The Ideology Of Pain,” in Lagos over the weekend.
You may remember that in October 2020, protesters with the hashtag #EndSARS flocked to the streets around the country to ask for a stop to police violence.
The Nigeria Police Force’s special anti-robbery squad was disbanded as a result of the protests.
In one of the protests held in Lagos, Soyinka described how he spoke to several of the protesters.
He said: “#EndSARS is one of the most successful movements. It is authentic. It was the expression of people. It was organized. Most importantly, it was based on truth.
“When I saw the crowd, I came down and addressed them. It reminded me of the anti-Abacha movement. When I would stand in the median and address the crowd.”
He said some people had schemed to “tilt” the country towards having an interim government, even before the 2023 elections, adding that those who supported the interim government plot were manipulated to do so.
The Nobel laureate said: “Some people had schemed to tilt the country towards having an interim government. That tendency had been apparent even before the election.
Soyinka also compared the #EndSARS movement to the Peter Obi movement, claiming that the latter’s followers were founded on “half-truth.”
He said: “So some of those who thought they were being radical, they were being ‘mumu’ and playing the script of others. They thought they were tough, bold and original.
“You just don’t say it’s who shouts the loudest. If you want to come out based on truth, then no problem. I’ll reverse, but you want to call out people based on the unprovable even as some people will counter with their strict monologue.
“I will not stand by it or keep silent. Impossible. Especially as I am more knowledgeable about these things than many people, even though they don’t admit it.
“They can go back to the internet, open their dictionary of abuses and start all over again. I will come back and tell them that you are ‘mumu’. You were not playing your script,’’ he said.
