I guess after what happened on Sunday, October 31, 2021 at a gathering of Nigerians exercising their basic freedom to associate in a Lagos suburb, I can be tagged an ‘activist’ now.
Prior to this event, I and the other five leaders of Rescue Nigeria, a nascent political movement seeking to enroll no fewer than 10 million Nigerians who would pledge to be model citizens and start acting together for the common good, had been inviting citizens to a hybrid event we had tagged ‘Changemakers MeetUp’.
I don’t know. But I don’t think becoming an activist is something people consciously plan to do, given my own experience.
Before Sunday, our group had been operating for over a year. We officially launched on October 1, 2020, the country’s 60th independence anniversary. It was shortly before the #EndSARS protest broke out. But we were not part of its planning or organizing in any way. We were just ordinary citizens who believed we could drive good citizenship as a way out of Nigeria’s melee.
On the day of official launch, we had issued press statement, signed by Musa Moses, a pseudo name we had adopted. The leaders of the movement had shielded their identities and had been operating under that and other pseudo names. Until Sunday, October 31.
On the day of the Changemakers Meetup, I had gotten to my office very early enough about 10:40am to prepare for the event, which I would be hosting, scheduled for 2pm.
About 11am, I got a call from one of my colleagues who I had asked to assist. He said he was at the gate, and it was locked. I had asked him and two others to come by 12 noon, so I wasn’t expecting anyone before then.
My office is in the middle floor of a two-storey building. I went downstairs, and to the gate to open the pedestrian entrance. Then I saw the first sign of ‘trouble’. A white police patrol van with about six armed policemen parked just shy of blocking the driveway to our compound. The van had Ogun State Police Command inscription on it.
I asked my colleague, as I opened the gate for him, what was happening. He said he wasn’t sure, and that maybe their boss or someone of note was in the area for something.
We went in, and I locked the pedestrian entrance gate.
Being a journalist of over 25 years of experience, I knew it was too much of a coincidence for armed policemen in a patrol van to be at the entrance gate of my office on a day that I was hosting an event tagged “ChangeMakers MeetUp” being organised by “Rescue Nigeria” movement.
I was envisioning a security top brass who deployed the policemen or was ordered to, sitting in his office, and thinking “which change do these people want to make?” or “rescue Nigeria from what?”
At that point, I felt things could become unpredictable, and that I needed to inform other leaders of our group, which we refer to as RN. So, I posted a sort of situation report on our team’s communication channel, then continued with preparations.
About 12 noon, I got a call from the woman I had contracted to supply small chops for the event. We were expecting just about 25 people onsite, while hoping many more would join online via Zoom.
When her call came through, she said she was outside and couldn’t locate my office. She had never been there. I told her I would come out.
As I again opened the pedestrian gate and stepped out of the compound, what I saw would shock and intimidate anyone – about forty armed mostly mobile policemen who came in five patrol vans, this time bearing Lagos Police Command. Some of them had surrounded the woman and were asking her questions.
I signaled to the woman to follow me. As she did, some of the policemen too followed me. Once inside the compound, the leader of the group, who later introduced himself to me as the DPO in charge of one of the police stations in that area, started asking me questions.
DPO: Do you stay here?
Me: I have my office here
DPO: Are you aware there is going to be an event here today?
Me: Yes, I am aware. The event is holding in my office.
DPO: What is the event about? Do you have a flyer?
I must say that this was the defining moment. It is how activists handle this kind of moments that determines whether the whole episode would end in confrontation, violence and arrests. Or end in a win-win, whereby the activists would still hold their event, and contingent of policemen would also have won because their objective of ensuring no breach of the peace would have been achieved.
I didn’t confront them as if they were my enemies, as they were acting on orders. But rather, as those who want the same thing as I, a better Nigeria. I also felt secured in my knowledge that we were not out to do anything that could disturb the public peace, same thing they want.
I had the option of arguing that “This is my office, I can hold any event I like, you people have no right to barge in here, bla bla bla.”
Instead, I chose to explain to them what Rescue Nigeria movement is all about. That we are first and foremost trying to make Nigerians better citizens, and coming together to ensure we get leaders who are not incompetent, corrupt, and self-centred like we currently do.
I invited them up to my office. They saw the arrangements already made for the event. A camera on a tripod, a big white screen, a projector projecting to the screen, chairs arranged facing the screen, etc.
The DPO asked for my name and telephone numbers. I wrote them down for him, and also included what we stand for. He also asked for the Zoom Meeting ID and Passcode. I gave them to him
I then offered them some of the small chops and drinks meant for our guests.
I escorted downstairs those of who followed me up, and returned to continue preparation.
I again gave a status update to the other leaders, and at that stage asked if I should send messages to those invited to be onsite for the event not to turn up, for their own safety.
I also called a friend who has been relating with the police for long due to the nature of his job, briefed him, and asked for advice.
He said the situation was unpredictable, and that the fact that they were in our compound and in front of our offices meant they could still get an order to round up and arrest everyone present.
At that point, another leader of the movement, Kunle Ajose arrived. He asked why policemen were everywhere, wanting to confirm they came because of our event. I confirmed this to him, and briefed him about my encounter with them.
We continued our preparation.
Shortly after, I got a call from the DPO who now said, “My boss said you have no permit to hold the event now. You didn’t write the commissioner of police.”
At that stage, I knew I needed to stand my ground. I told him “Sir, the event is holding in my office. I don’t think I need a police permit for that.”
He then said “Ok”.
At 2pm, we started the event with my Power Point presentation, and everything went on.
But it is noteworthy that none of our invitees for the physical event turned up, even though I eventually didn’t send any message to them not to due to turn of events. Apart from my three colleagues in the office, and Kunle, only an invited photojournalist, and Imran, the lawyer in the leadership group of the movement, later joined us.
Perhaps, the others we were expecting had decided to drive or walk on, on seeing a battalion of armed policemen inside our compound and all around our office building. Nobody wants to walk into trouble.
My takeaway from the experience is that it is indeed possible to make the police your friend, and achieve your patriotic and lawful objectives, including street protests, if you explain to them nicely, assure them you are not out to breach the peace, and treat them well! Serve them some of the refreshments, if you have.
