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I started noticing the protests were more about APC in 2023 than police reforms mid last week when i attended the protests. At that point, I began questioning my own participation. I started knowing I was in the wrong place fighting a good cause with strange bedfellows like this. https://twitter.com/ayosogunro/status/1319513916297232384
Because I've always participated in protests for policy reforms, I initially felt it's a good idea lending my voice against police brutality. I have previously published two articles on protests in some journals. I genuinely felt could get live data for a study of protests.
Everyday on the protest grounds, I met idiots like Ayo who can't coherently articulate anything they wanted other than insulting Buhari and APC leaders. Most of the time, the speakers sounded like PDP campaign spokespersons. I felt since APC was in power, that's "normal".
Nobody had solutions to the police reforms they're talking about. Someone said if Buhari was serious, he should sack the entire Police Force and recruit "educated youths". I'm like how and where's that in the world? It's about attacking Buhari and more attacks without solutions.
I dawned on me by Thursday that a few sincere, non-partisan protesters where just there to the number. I felt too ashamed to tell anyone. I was already involved. My pictures were out. To cover for my shame, I started catching cruise. They're not about police reforms.
I sincerely have no problems whatsoever with using protests to raise political consciousness. I've written about that in my article THE PROTESTS AGAINST NEO-LIBERAL REFORMS IN NIGERIA: THE CASE OF OCCUPY NIGERIA. But my issue is, even if that's your aim, at least, be articulate.
In 2018, I wrote REPRESSION OF THE NEO-BIAFRA MOVEMENT: MEASURES, RESPONSES AND CONSEQUENCES on the resilience of IPOB and others in the face of Python Dance. I understand what social movements are like. Like Ayo said, it's all about their hatred for APC, not police brutality.
