Pascal Oparada
Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi has commended organisers of the #EndSARS protest and urged them to scale up and continue the discussion and narrative online.
In a tweet, on Sunday evening, Pastor Adeyemi said the government was aware of those who introduced violence to an otherwise peaceful protest that ended in the shooting of protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, last Tuesday.
Said he, “Dear young citizen. It’s time for everyone to reflect. The massive destruction of properties in Lagos and other cities is so sad. Some want to blame you, but you must not buy that narrative. They know those that introduced violence. #ENDSARS,” he tweeted.
Adeyemi said the protesters got ‘quick wins’ within the short period the protests lasted.
According to him, those who looted and destroyed properties are not part of the organisers of the #EndSARS campaign.
He said, “Those that looted and destroyed property are also not part of you. They are products of a system that does not value its youths and has left them with little or no hope. They are part of the reason you raised your voice against injustice and want a new Nigeria.
“What you did in less than a week was a phenomenon. Let me share how I see it. You attracted a mass following across all sectors within a short time because your cause is noble. No sane person should fault your call for justice.
“Leadership experts believed for a long time that the best way to motivate people to move is to give them a vision of the ideal future. But it has not always worked. People prefer the status quo to change.
“In recent times, they have come to realise that it sometimes works better to tell the story of people’s pain: their livable experiences. You got this right. You generated impetus and galvanised people to act focusing on police brutality.
“You overcame things that have divided our country and frustrated its development including ethnicity and religion, and put up a united front. You practically shared love instead of our culture of prejudice. That was a breakthrough.”
He said the flat leadership structure of the protest meant that no one was dominating anyone and applauded them for taking responsibility as they served one another throughout the protest.
He also commended the transparency of the organisers in announcing income and expenses regularly.
Adeyemi’s statement came the same day another prominent Nigerian pastor, Tunde Bakare berated the Nigerian government for using force on the protesters.
Bakare’s, in his State of the Nation address, said the Nigerian government desecrated the national flag and undermined national unity when they deployed troops to shoot at the protesters at Lekki Toll Gate.