October 03, (THEWILL) – Youths, they say, are the leaders of tomorrow. As the country marks her 61st independence anniversary, THEWILL presents five young Nigerians who have remained at the forefront of advocacy and activism in order to ensure that people in positions of authority are held accountable for their actions, even in the face of extreme intimidation.
Mr Macaroni
Nigerian comedian, actor and activist, Adebowale Adebayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, has always been vocal both online and in person against bad governance. He has also seen the four walls of a prison because of his activism. The young content maker was among notable entertainers whose voices were loud during the #EndSARS Movement that rocked the nation in 2020. He spent several nights out in the cold at the terrace of the Lagos State House of Assembly railing about police brutality and extortion. He was also at the #OccupyLekkitollgate protest in February this year and even got arrested by men of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (SARS) at the Lekki toll gate. Debo was whisked away after several attempts to get him out of the protest ground failed. However, the actor has continued using his social media space to speak against the institution of government frustrating Nigerians. He is also one of the few entertainers known to lend a hand of support to victims of the system. He was at Jumoke Oyeleke’s house after she was shot dead by men of the police force during the Yoruba Nation protest that took place a few months ago. The talented actor donated half a million naira to the family of the deceased.
Rinu Oduala
Olorunrinu Bolatito Oduala, otherwise known as Rinu, is a media strategist and human rights advocate. She was one of the organisers of the #EndSARS protest. She also made history as one of the first females to take to the streets after a video of a man allegedly being killed by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad went viral.
The video later sparked what became the #EndSARS movement. Rinu set up camps outside the Lagos State Governor’s office and demanded that the police unit be disbanded. She rallied people on social media and organised blankets for those who ended up sleeping outside the state government building for 72 hours before they were attacked by men of the police force.
The petite lady later became a threat to the government and her bank account was frozen for 90 days. As a result of her activism, Twitter recognised her and verified her account.
Rinu was also part of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of police abuse. They recommended punishment for the guilty and compensation for victims.
However, she withdrew from the panel after they granted an approval for the return of the Lekki tollgate to the control of Lekki Concession Company, an act she described as injustice. She stepped down because she was not ready to be part of the cover-up. Through her social media, Rinu has continued to lend her voice against the system. She recently commented on the injustice meted on students of Abia State Polytechnic who were shot at while protesting against the rape and molestation of one of their classmates by security operatives in the state.
Dj Switch
Popular disc jockey, Obianuju Catherine Udeh, better known as Dj Switch, added the prefix, ‘activist’ to her name after the #EndSARS movement saga. She was among thousands of protesters who called for the reform of the Nigeria Police.
Dj Switch also encouraged her social media fans to join the movement in a peaceful protest. She streamed live the shooting of peaceful protesters in Lagos state after the event took a negative turn.
Dj Switch posted it on her social media space and within some minutes, it went viral. She sustained injuries while running to seek refuge at a safe place. Days after the video went viral, she posted another video where she recounted her experience of the shooting and showed fragments of the shells that she picked up at the scene of the protest.
She later went into hiding after she was declared wanted by men of the Nigeria police force. She was reported to have sought asylum in Canada and even granted Cable News Network (CNN) an interview on the Lekki shooting incident. The singer later denied ever seeking asylum and speaking with CNN.
After the protest, she continued her advocacy on her social media space. She recently had an Instagram live show with Amnesty International’s Seun Bakare and some other organisations.
Falz
Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has been a vocal entertainer from inception. His music and social media space are the vehicles with which the singer lends his voice to issues affecting humanity.
In 2018, he released a music video titled, This is Nigeria. The song highlighted some of the major issues, including corruption, bribery and insecurity, affecting the country.
Despite its success, the song was banned by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which described it as vulgar. Folarin later sued the commission for its action. Falz, who is also one of the leaders of the #EndSARS movement, encouraged other Nigerian celebrities to join the protest in 2020. A few months after the uproar, he released another music video, Johnny, which he dedicated to the heroes that were unlawfully slain during the movement.
He was later charged to the Federal High Court in Bwari, Abuja by one Mr Okeke for supporting the #EndSARS protest that was later hijacked by hoodlums who destroyed lives and properties in different parts of the country. Falz also granted CNN’s Christiane Amanpour an interview where he said President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise of reform in the Nigeria Police was infuriating and frustrating as he had been making the same promise for three years. The talented actor cum singer also wrote an open letter to the President asking for the reconstitution of the governing council of the National Rights Commission.
Temitope Majekodunmi
Temitope Majekodunmi is an administrator, transformational leader and Information Technology genius. He is also an activist who was an advocate for ending police brutality in Nigeria. He was a leading voice at the Lekki toll gate protest that took place in February 2021. He was elected by youths through an online voting as one of the Lagos Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for victims after the #EndSARS saga died down.
After being elected, Temitope called on youths who had been harassed, extorted and brutalised by members of the SARS unit of the Nigeria Police and the victims of the Lekki tollgate shooting to seek justice. As a representative of the panel, he was tasked with listening to the submission of survivors, interrogating the accused personnel, determining the veracity of all claims, recommending punishments for the guilty and appropriate compensation for the victims.
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