Nigeria’s government slamming of Canada over support for #EndSARS is a misplaced reaction

On  Sunday, the Federal Government  condemned  the  Canadian  Government  for repressing truckers who were protesting over Covid-19 mandates and other restrictions in the country as insurrectionists. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,  said the action of the Canadian government amounted to double standard.

The Federal  Government’s  condemnation was a veiled reference to the anti-Nigeria government stance of Canada and other countries during the #EndSARS protest in October 2020, which culminated in the blockage of public roads and massive destruction of government and private property.

Mohammed  wondered why all of a sudden, protesters who barricaded roads had been branded as threats to public safety and subjected to a number of clampdowns by the Canadian government and private organisations. He said the Ontario government had frozen access to millions of dollars donated through online fundraising platform to the truckers while GoFundMe had shut down the campaign to raise funds for the protesters.

These are  some of the questions the Nigeria’s information minister needs to answer:  is there anything wrong  in government enforcing  Covid-19 restrictions? Has the Canadian Government sent soldiers/police   to the streets to kill protesters? Has the  Nigerian government funded protesters in this country?

The “Freedom Convoy” protesters’ grievances stem from Canada’s new mandate requiring truckers to either be fully vaccinated when crossing the Canadian-United States border or face a two-week quarantine. The protest has attracted support from thousands more Canadians — even some who are fully vaccinated but say they want all Covid-19 preventative measures dropped.

According to reports , about four in every five Canadians are fully vaccinated, Johns Hopkins University data shows. And nearly 90% of the country’s truckers are fully vaccinated and eligible to cross the border, according to the Canadian government.

Some of the Covid-19  restrictions have been relaxed . Among the relaxed restrictions on tap in Ontario is the removal of some event capacity limits as soon as last  Thursday. Ontario also has a goal to “lift proof of vaccination requirements for all settings” on March 1.But Ontario residents must still wear masks “for just a little bit longer,”  Ontario covernment said. “This is an important layer of protection that will allow us to proceed with our reopening plans.”

Members of the protest convoy have blocked Ottawa’s downtown core and impeded border crossings between Alberta and Montana; Manitoba and North Dakota; and British Columbia and Washington state. Truckers and their supporters have gathered in Ottawa since January 29 to rally against mask mandates, lockdowns, restrictions on gatherings and other Covid-19 preventative measures. Protesters will remain in the capital city “for as long as it takes for governments across Canada to end all mandates” associated with Covid-19, Freedom Convoy organisers said earlier this month.

But Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said Sunday that he had reached an agreement with organisers for them to leave residential areas of downtown and restrict their demonstrations to streets directly in front of Canada’s national parliament.

 The on-going situation in Canada  is completely different from what happened in Nigeria in October 2020. #EndSARS is a decentralised social movement, and series of mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria. The slogan calls for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit of the Nigerian Police with a long record of abuses. The protest took its name from the slogan started in 2017 as a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #EndSARS to demand the disbanding of the unit by the Nigerian government.

 After experiencing a revitalisation in October 2020 following more revelations of the abuses of the unit, mass demonstrations occurred throughout the major cities of Nigeria, accompanied by vociferous outrage on social media platforms. About 28 million tweets bearing the hashtag have been accumulated on Twitter alone. Solidarity protests and demonstrations by Nigerians in diaspora and sympathizers occurred in many major cities of the world. The protests are notable for its patronage by a demographic that is made of entirely young Nigerians.The movement has since expanded to include demands for good and accountable governance.

At least 12 people were killed in the #EndSars protests, according to Amnesty International, and dozens were injured, including at Lekki tollgate in Lagos on 20 October, where witnesses livestreamed soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters draped in or waving Nigerian flags. The army and  Federal  Government continue to deny anybody was killed at Lekki tollgate, and atrocities at other demonstrations have scarcely been acknowledged.  A day after the incident, on 21 October, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-olu, initially denied reports of any loss of lives, but later admitted in an interview with a CNN journalist that only two persons were killed..

What was the offence of Canada to warrant the slam by  Nigeria’s information minister?  The Canadian Government  merely urged the Nigerian government to hold accountable those responsible for the use of force and shooting of protesters. “Canada is deeply concerned about the excessive use of force during the on-going protests in #Nigeria. Those responsible for #HumanRights violations and abuse must be held accountable,” the Foreign Policy office said. The United Nations, United States, United Kingdom and other countries also  condemned the use of excessive force by Nigerian security forces on peaceful protesters and called on the Nigerian Government to bring the situation under control.

That Canada , along with other countries , condemned the killings  during #EndSARS  protest  does not say that  the Nigerian government  does not have  the responsibility to maintain laws and orders in the country.  A government is responsible for creating and enforcing the rules of a society, defence, foreign affairs, the economy, and public services. While the responsibilities of all governments are similar, those duties are executed in different ways depending on the form of government. The constitution gives states inherent “police power” to protect public health and safety. It  however,  prevents states from infringing on the privileges or immunities of citizens without due process of law.

What the Canada and others said is that  the Nigerian government should stop the brutality being perpetrated on Nigerian citizens by its security agencies. The #EndSARS was provoked by  abuse of fundamental human rights  and the government was using excessive force stop it  as exemplified by the killings at Lekki Toll Gate.

As the truckers continue to protest  there has  been no incidence of brutality by the security agencies in Canada.  Canada is  a peaceful country  that allows its citizens freedom. It has never used excessive force to push protesters out of the streets.  The government is only denying them  some privileges  to force them to stop the protest.  This does not amount to abuse  as the Nigeria’s minister of information  wants Nigerians and the world to believe.

The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global crisis. Many countries have implemented restrictions on population movement to slow the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus  and prevent health systems from becoming overwhelmed; some have instituted full or partial lockdowns.

However, lockdowns and other extreme restrictions cannot be sustained for the long term in the hope that there will be an effective vaccine or treatment for Covid-19. Governments worldwide now face the common challenge of easing lockdowns and restrictions while balancing various health, social, and economic concerns.

Although the future of the virus is unknown at present, countries should continue to share their experiences, shield populations who are at risk, and suppress transmission to save lives. The Covid-19 restriction by the Canadian Government is in the overall interest of the citizens  of that country.