This story is produced in November, 2020
When Elizabeth Okosun, a Nigerian-American student at MU, visited Nigeria in 2017 for the first time, she knew it was where she belonged.
“As soon as I landed, I felt this is where I'm supposed to be,” Okosun said.
The same year Okosun touched down in Nigeria, the #EndSARS movement began. #EndSARS is a series of protests calling for disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a branch of the Nigerian Police Force accused of human rights violations. The protests occurred on and off since 2017 and revitalized in October this year, after a video showing a SARS police officer shooting a young Nigerian spread on the internet and generated more public attention.
Kelechukwu Anyanwu Jr. is a Nigerian-American lawyer. He follows both the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the U.S.
“There are parallels between the two movements, even if they take place in different contexts,” Anyanwu said.
In addition to the movements’ mirroring goals of ending police brutality, Anyanwu saw a deeper commonality between them.
“We can see in both movements that a group of people has been pushed into a corner so far back that they have no other option than to take to the streets and voice all these injustices,” Anyanwu said. “The common theme is fighting for a better life for those who are greatly affected by the injustices and atrocities.”
However, American journalists do not have access to as much context on the conflict in Nigeria compared to the BLM because they are not on the ground. According to Abimbola Adelakun, a Nigerian professor at the University of Texas at Austin, this makes it harder for American reporters to produce thorough coverage of international issues like #EndSARS.
“When American reporters write about Black Lives Matter and begin to explain the context of American history in their articles, it is assumed that to a lot of extent everybody knows the context,” Adelakun said.
Writing about international issues, she said, requires greater effort.
“Writing Nigerian stories requires you to open into archives, interview and speak to people that really know something that will elude you as a foreigner,” Adelakun said.
Lack of in-depth reporting surrounding this issue in the U.S. can add to the feeling of diaspora for the approximately 376,000 Nigerians living in the U.S., as of 2015. Okosun said it hurts to only be able to follow the protests in Nigeria from a distance.
“People were very engrossed with the Black Lives Matter here and they knew what was going on,” Okosun said.
But when it comes to #EndSARS, the emotions many Nigerians experience when looking at the reporting are unique to their community.
“I just feel like completely helpless, not being able to help the people there in every capacity that I can,” Okosun said.
Fortunately, social media and social networking apps can help remedy the feelings of disconnection.
“Now, you have family groups that form all kinds of associations and chat on WhatsApp,” Adelakun said. “Information circulates so much that people can send articles, videos, links via the app. It's much easier to access information right now.”
In Okosun’s opinion, since the Nigerian government punishes journalists for reporting unflattering truths about it, some of the news articles can be biased.
For this reason, “I'm more in tune with what's happening there culturally via social media like Twitter and Instagram,” Okosun said.
All three of the Nigerians we spoke with living in the U.S. support the protests in their own way. While Adelakun and Okosun donated money to local organizations, Anyanwu is the vice president of public relations for the Nigerian American Multicultural Council. The Nigerian American Multicultural Council, based in Houston, strives to empower a community of both Nigerians and Americans.
A couple of weeks ago, several #EndSARS protests took place in Houston. The group partnered with other African organizations to bring awareness to what is going on with the Houston community.
Even though people may pay more attention to national issues, Anyanwu thinks it is important for people to have global awareness and care about international issues that do not directly affect them.
“People have become so entrenched in their political views and what they feel matters to them that they forget at the end of the day, we are still one,” Anyanwu said.
According to Anyanwu, understanding international issues creates empathy, respect for others’ perspectives and meaningful engagement.
Adelakun said she hoped journalists around the world can continue the discussion about similar international issues until actual reforms are carried out.
“When you see things that need to be called out, please raise these issues. Don't let them forget it. Don't let other things cover it,” Adelakun said.
With the efforts of Nigerian protesters, more and more people started to pay attention and the protests have made some concrete progress. Last Wednesday, the U.K. government and Parliament responded to the #EndSARS petition made by some Nigerians against the Nigerian government.
The statement reads, “The U.K. government will continue to work with the Nigerian government and international and civil society partners to support justice, accountability and a more responsive policing model in Nigeria.”
The #EndSARS protests are still ongoing, with the ultimate goal to call for reforms in police operations and social change in Nigeria.
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