The first time I heard this song, I was an Executive in an ad agency that had just recently hired ‘Hitler’ as a Creative Director, and matters were made worse with the partner I had at that time. As I remember those times I smile because here I am today, at the level I am and still pushing on, and that Creative Director is long gone.
That’s it! Sometimes certain situations are thrown at you that are meant to break you. At those times you have to decide what it’s going to be – are you going to give in or are you going to forge ahead against all odds? are you going to look at the situation and decide in your heart you are bigger than this, stronger than this, and yes, definitely able to reach and achieve your dreams?
Recently the Nigerian youths gathered together at different locations across cities and states in the country. They spoke with one voice, united in their demands and many around the world rallied around them as they peacefully demonstrated for two weeks devoid of violence.
Then the unthinkable happened – a move by the government and ‘leaders’ to ‘swash’ these youths, break their spirits and dismantle their unified movement as they demanded justice for the lives of people who had been killed and tortured by the Special Anti Rubbery Squad and put an end to the brutality and excesses of this unit of the Nigerian police force; and by extension demand an end to bad governance in Nigeria.
Yes, it was a day we will never forget, as members of the Nigerian Armed Forces opened fire on the unarmed youths who had for days taken over the Lekki Toll gate peacefully demonstrating for #EndSARS, #EndPoliceBrutality and #EndBadGovernance on Tuesday, the 20th of October, 2020. Countless lives were lost; thugs were seen causing mayhem, while the military fired live bullets – not tear gas, not blanks – at a mass gathering of people.
Many watched in horror as live videos of the killings and massacre flooded social media. These were Nigerian citizens being killed by Nigerians in Nigeria. Many met their untimely death even though a number of celebrity mothers had sent messages on social media appealing to the ‘nation’s leaders’ not to harm these innocent ones, but all of these fell on deaf ears. From the last count, over 46 souls were lost simply because they were asking for their rights to life and freedom which had generally been taken away by the cruelty of #SARS.
Suddenly the white in the Nigerian flag turned red as the blood of its citizens flowed, lit candles were seen burning out depicting the lives that were cut short by our very own – members of the armed forces whose salaries are paid by the high taxes levied against the citizens in the midst of the global recession brought about by the #Covid19 pandemic – by a government who offered little or no palliatives to the people and the ‘so-called’ palliatives which were offered, were kept in warehouses by those who were meant to distribute them with the intention of enriching themselves at the expense of the people.
Yes, a 72-hour curfew was declared in Lagos, and other states had curfews too. Yes, the youths were forcefully taken off the streets without all their demands being met. Yes, the spirits of many have been broken because of the activities of the past few days. Yes, many have lived in fear as the sounds of gunshots have continued like a cassette player set permanently to replay. Interestingly, there has been a lot of blame games, but none of these can change the realities of what happened or bring back the lives of the departed, none of these can heal the emotional trauma many are facing as a result of this sad and avoidable incident.
But you know what? From the depths of despair, we all shall rise again. The farther our rights are taken away, the bolder we shall become as we strive for a change we badly desire. Our wealth may have been squandered continuously but this indeed is payback time. They sought to break us but only made us stronger as the blood of the departed souls lights a heavy furnace in our hearts that propels us towards our goal.
So, what do you have to do? Wipe away your tears. Brush off the afflictions. Keep your eyes and heart focused. You are built to last, and your legacies will live on as a generation who turned things around for good. After all, the impregnable walls of Jericho fell down flat for the Israelites, in the same way, if this cause is true, pure and legitimate, soon the sounds of victory will be heard all over!
