Sowore: Why I Fled Nigeria During #Endbadgovernance Protests

Nigerian Human Rights activist, Omoyele Sowore has revealed why he was not physically present during the just concluded protests against economic hardship, bad governance and hunger.

The former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate was one of the key organizers of the demonstrations. However many questioned why he was not in the country to lead the protests but was promoting the movement via social media.

Speaking on Monday in an interview on Nigeria Info FM’s Morning Crossfire programme monitored by Dockaysworld, the activist said he did not need to be physically present before making a difference.

“Being part of a protests most times has nothing to do with physical presence. Since the protests started, I participated fully. I have been away from my family for five years. I had other obligations, that is why I was not on ground. I’m not saying those things are more important than the protests. 

“Effective teamwork is what matters. We have organizations running this. In the 2019 protests, I was also not physically present. Circumstances didn’t make it possible for me. But I participated fully even if I was in detention.

“The nature of these demonstrations has changed to accommodate technological interventions. It has made it possible for people like me to be ten thousand miles away and impact greatly on demonstrations like this via social media.

“When it’s convenient for me, I’ll be on ground again. I have done 200 protests in my life time. I was not physically present for all but I participated fully”, he stated.

He also revealed that the protest will resume on October 1 if their demands are not fully addressed.

Some of the demands include return of fuel subsidy, investments in education through students grants not loan, crash in food prices and scrapping of the 1999 constitution to be replaced with a people-driven constitution.

Other demands are a minimum wage of N250,000 monthly, the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) and demilitarization of the Southeast.