#EndSARS looters products of a system that left them without hope —Pastor Adeyemi

Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, has asked Nigerian youths not to accept blames for the looting and destruction of property following the EndSARS protest.

The cleric told the youths that some people would want to blame them for the massive destruction of properties in Lagos and other cities but that they must not buy the narrative because those blaming them “know those that introduced violence” into the protests.

Adeyemi added that those that looted and destroyed property during the protest were not part of the youths but “are products of a system that does not value its youths and has left them with little or no hope.”

The EndSARS protest had started peacefully until thugs supposedly backed by the governments started to disrupt the protests in different parts of the country.

The protest finally turned out into massive looting and destruction of property after soldiers shot at peaceful protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos, killing and injuring some of them.

Reacting to the aftermath of the protest in a series of post on his Twitter handle, @sam_adeyemi, on Sunday, Adeyemi wrote.

“Dear young citizen. It’s time for everyone to reflect. The massive destruction of properties in Lagos and other cities is so sad. Some want to blame you, but you must not buy that narrative. They know those that introduced violence.

“Those that looted and destroyed property are also not part of you. They are products of a system that does not value its youths and has left them with little or no hope. They are part of the reason you raised your voice against injustice and want a new Nigeria.

“What you did in less than a week was a phenomenon. Let me share how I see it. You attracted a mass following across all sectors within a short time because your cause is noble. No sane person should fault your call for justice.

“Leadership experts believed for a long time that the best way to motivate people to move is to give them a vision of the ideal future. But it has not always worked. People prefer status quo to change.

“In recent times, they have come to realise that it sometimes works better to tell the story of people’s pain: their livable experiences. You got this right. You generated impetus and galvanised people to act focusing on police brutality.

“You overcame things that have divided our country and frustrated it’s development including ethnicity and religion, and put up a united front. You practically shared love instead of our culture of prejudice. That was a breakthrough.

“The power gap between the leader and the led is high in most developing countries. That gap is low in most developed countries. You crushed that gap. You ran an efficient system on a flat structure. Your model of leadership facilitates development.

“Your flat leadership structure meant no one was dominating another. As leaders you took responsibility and served one another. You were accountable and transparent, announcing income and expenses daily. These have not been part of our leadership culture.

*You provided ‘stomach infrastructure’, meeting the basic needs for food and water. You provided healthcare with ambulance services. Some even got free haircuts on the street. Your organization was efficient.

“You got quick wins. A governor came to meet you on the street (I commend him for this). SARS was dissolved and the government agreed to your 5 for 5 demands (I commend government for these).

“Continue to call for a stop to the looting and destruction. Take a deep breath. You created a mini new Nigeria. How do you take things forward and scale up? Please, stay strong online, own your narrative by all means and keep your discussions going.”