My thoughts regarding the budding #EndSARS leadership struggle.

I was going to make this a live session because I'm not sure how long this thread will be. I have a lot on my mind as pertaining to that.

I think there's a twitter app that helps you convert threads to voice.

First of all I have to take the blame for my own part in it.

I have been complicit too. I chose sides as presented in a thread yesterday. I chose sides based on what I thought was a proven track record. I felt someone else was being hard done by and I spoke up.

I have never been involved in a police kidnap or arrest that lead to extortion and as such as never needed to get in contact with anyone to come to my aid. But like all of us, if it hasn't happened to you, it has happened to someone you know, so the #EndSARS movement is quite

personal for a lot of us. And based on the history of this struggle, I picked a side too early because I didn't feel someone who had been there for us in all these years should be sidelined.

Everyone have their thoughts on this and some say @segalink wants the problem to

remain because it gives him relevance like the race hustlers in the black consciousness movement. Like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson who I have often criticized are to race politics in the US.

This is a valid point. I have never met @segalink personally so I cannot vouch for

his motive but I indeed agree that this is a possibility. I'll be naive to completely write it off, worse; I'll be foolish.

But I chose that side because of my own perspective which cannot represent that of everyone.

But please understand that my intention was genuine.

But this is not about me so let's move past that.

I woke up this morning like I always do, after a series of dreams concerning what was on my mind and early morning thoughts that came with those dreams, I woke up somewhat happy.

At the moment that is

no longer the case.

I'm deeply saddened, it is not a figure of speech to say I'm shaking as I type this.

I am appalled! I am angry! I am sad!

I'm am appalled by what I now see as people trying to climb on the graves of dead people who died in this struggle to joster for

applause and recognition even though they have done absolutely nothing to be worthy of those things.

I am angry that now it looks like all the people who died (who are my main concern will have died for nothing)

I am sad because I had a part in it.

I am sick to my stomach.

I'm disappointed in @segalink, I understand why he feels like he has to use his voice in the same way that made a lot of people identify with him in the first place but then, this is neither the place nor time for that. Like a friend told me "learn to read the room."

My part in it was picking a side. Which will now make my own voice seem like that of someone who has his own agenda.

Yes, i have my own agenda and it is to ensure everyone who has died in this struggle did not do it for nothing.

If you were given a #justiceforjimoh shirt

at the Ibadan protests yesterday. That was my own personal imprint on the protest.

When I had to decide what I would write on my placard yesterday, that was the only thing that came to mind, I had to think for a few seconds on what to write when the guy beside me told me I

should write on the other side of the cardboard.

If I died during a protest, this is what I would have wanted done for me. That it is not in vain. That I did not lose my life for nothing.

I'm appalled that the power struggle is going to do just that.

Historically, great activists have been shitty leaders, most of us are not a student of history so we don't know this. So the first name that you call might be that of an activist who will be shitty at representing your position.

Secondly, because a person is good at one thing

like organisation does not mean they will be good at leadership.

Also, it is not even the loudest voices that can effectively represent to ensure these people do not die in vain.

I hate the divisions this as caused, I hate that rather than staying on topic at the most

important time in our struggle. We have turned it into a leadership tussle.

Maybe unavoidable because we didn't start out with leaders. But I believe everyone who wants the best possible outcome should know that this is neither the time nor place for that.

One of the things I noticed at the protest was that, most of these same people like @ogbenidipo, @segalink if you took them to that protest yesterday and asked if anyone knew them. 80% of the crowd will not.

And it was one of the things I meant when I said twitter people trying

to make this about them but it was the streets that showed up." In that tweet yesterday.

Only about 3% of Nigerians are represented on twitter. So for us to make decisions like the voice of the 90 something percent rest don't matter will result is a position that's out of touch

with reality.

Jimoh wasn't on twitter!

And so now for us to think all our best possible options for leaders we can find are on twitter is a bit foolish. Not a bit foolish! It is very stupid.

I did not get in this struggle so that I will be represented by twitter influencers

and hip hop musicians and accidental activists.

They will not give us the best possible solution and the fact that none of them knew they were going to be on that Zoom call or who else was going to be on it shows they cannot even adequately prepare for a Zoom call, how can they

prepare to lead.

Maybe the people who put them on that Zoom call knew exactly what it'll create. A division!

So one side invites D Bank and Segalink and the other side invites Pamilerin and Ogbeni Dipo, another Davido..

So let the games begin!

Except this isn't a game!

We are fighting for our lives! Literally!!

I'm perfectly happy to now move forward with no leaders or at least setting aside the names that have been mentioned already.

We have to cast our leadership net wider than that, a few people on twitter cannot represent the interest

of everyone in Nigeria!

Better yet, let us forget the leadership talk for now. Those who are involved in this tussle must realize people have died for this. Actual human beings and this is bigger than all of you. Shame on you all for allowing divisions.

Shame on me!

The first mark of a leader is that you do not divide you own people. If they try to divide you, find a way to come together.

For all of us! For Jimoh.

My advice is that leadership is decentralised on a state level and nobody is a central commander.

Let the state reps

brainstorm and debate amongst themselves.

We all want restructuring as a national policy!

Why can we not have it for this?

Let's ensure everyone who died didn't die in vain! That's my only plea.

I wouldn't want to have died in vain.

Our struggle is just starting!