As reactions continue to trail the protest against police intimidation and brutality in Nigeria, a Professor of Political Science, Bolaji Akinyemi has disclosed his standpoint on the outcome of the movement which had been disrupted by series of violence.
The peaceful protest which turned into a chaotic situation, amid killings and wanton destruction and looting of private and government properties, stirred in the wake of the decision to disband the infamous Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
However, Akinyemi in his viewpoint noted that the country was fortunate to have begun the protest in the first place.
He said this while also citing that the shooting which accompanied the peaceful protest had begrimed the country’s image on the world map.
The Professor who insisted that the international community do not believe the protesters started the violence said, “Nigeria is both lucky and unlucky. Nigeria is lucky in the sense that our own crisis came in the season of protests. Black lives matter protests all over the world, protests in Thailand, Chile, Kirghistan as well as Guinea. This means that for the world, it will not perceive Nigeria’s protest as an aberration. It will not regard Nigeria as a bad boy within the international system. That is the good part.
“The bad part is that after 12 days, there were shootings in Nigeria. Thailand protests and demonstrations have been going on for about a month; Kirghistan’s have been going on for about two months and there have been no shootings. So, we’ve got the awkward position in which Nigeria finds itself. My own reading of the international communities’ assessment of Nigeria is that they don’t believe the protesters started the violence and I think they are right in that,” he added.
