Between the bark and the bite of ENDSARS Protest: ANA condemns military shootings

  BETWEEN THE BARK AND THE BITE OF ENDSARS PROTEST: ANA CONDEMNS MILITARY SHOOTINGS

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has roundly condemned the Shooting of unarmed protesters in Lagos by the Military. With massive protests that have moved swiftly across the land for many days bewailing the brutality of the police and calling for reforms in the sector with a frenzy surpassing any in recent years, it was expected that the leadership of the country would handle the situation with utmost care, cautioning against the use of force, knowing that such approach may inflame the already volatile situation. ANA regrets that over the years there have been so many contradictions within the polity, which great writers such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ken SaroWiwaand others have always decried.

Indeed the story of contemporary Nigeria, which has always had an angle of violence and threat to human life, has been the worry of all Nigerian writersand many books of prose, poetry, drama and even prison memoirs have been written on that. Unfortunately, every stratum of our lopsided demography shares part of the culpability in this depressing story until this uplifting moment when a semblance of purpose is seen among our peacefully protesting youths. 

Under such circumstances as the terrifying numbers of unemployed youths that have been produced in this country, it is not too difficult to turn dissatisfaction and restlessness away from other causes and focus it squally on leadership supposedly elected to provide solutions to a myriad of degenerate human conditions. While we feel that our protesting youths, in expressing their right to speak out against injustice, should always do so strictly within the letter and spirit of the law, ANA maintains that the dastardly act of use of brute force on unarmed, national flag flying youths by the soldiers should be condemned by all well- meaning Nigerians.

All the same, we call on both our aggrieved youths and the security forces to sheath their swords and urge the government to honestly address both the kernel of the protests and the cause of the escalation of peaceful protests into violence. In so doing the authorities must bear in mind that another name for a lasting peace is crystal clear justice.We therefore insist that those who shot mindlessly at defenceless youths exercising their fundamental human rights to peaceful protest and assembly must be brought to swift justice by the government and the victims identified and duly compensated.

Government at all levels must at this point realize that the ENDSARS protest is only a manifestation of the deep disenchantment of the teeming youths of Nigeria and the silent elders on the general situation of hopelessness in the land even as the nation recently marked its 60^th year of  political independence from Great Britain. Progressive and people-driven governance in a democratic setting should be concerned with building the confidence of the citizenry and unleashing their innate potentials through well-thought out implementable policies; rather than muzzling justifiable voices with strong-arm tactics of the State.

It is important to note that the universal root of unconscionable brutality and other acts of gross human right abuse that have sadly become commonplace in our experience is traceable to bankruptcy in individual and collective moral capital due to sickness and barrenness of personal and societal consciences. Creative literature as a humanizing medicine among others, which have for long been neglected, is hereby recommended for the healing of our consciences and cultivation of the much needed moral resources; even as we all play our roles in the various sectors of life we find ourselves, to reclaim this country from its unending history of underachievement and serial political, social and economic disappointments.

Finally, our prayers and thoughts are, to say but the least, with the families of the bereaved and wounded and we wish all the wounded speedy recovery.

Signed

                                                           

Camillus Ukah

President                                                                                   

MaikOrtserga

General Secretary