How Our Protests Turned Into Silence – Is There Hope For A Better Nigeria? -By Nafisa Ismail Sadiq

As a concerned Nigerian, I feel a deep sense of disappointment—not just in our leaders, but in ourselves as a people. We all hoped for change when President Bola Tinubu assumed office. After years of suffering under bad governance, we were desperate for a leader who could steer us in a new direction. Yet, it seems that instead of progress, his regime has only further fueled our despair.

Let me be clear: Bad governance didn’t start with Tinubu’s administration. It’s a problem that has plagued us for decades, rooted in the dark days of military rule. But Tinubu’s rise to power came with expectations of hope. We thought, perhaps naively, that his leadership would usher in an era of transparency and accountability.

On August 1, Nigerians took to the streets. We gathered from every corner of the country to protest, demanding change, demanding justice. But after ten days of protests, did anything really change? When our President finally addressed us, how many of us felt a deep sense of disappointment?

Instead of the reforms we sought, we were met with more hardship—fuel subsidies were removed, and fuel prices soared. Nigerians, already burdened by rising costs of living, were pushed even further into economic hardship. Did the protests ease the pain of our daily lives? Did they lead to any real discussion about the cost of food, about the worsening economy, or about the suffering that so many endure every day?

Instead, it feels as though we’ve moved from zero to nothing. Our protests, which started with such energy, are now fading into silence. The issue is no longer in the headlines, no longer in our daily conversations. We spoke up, but were we truly heard?

What hurts the most is the loss of innocent lives during those protests. For what? Did we achieve the change we so desperately sought? It’s a painful question to ask, but it’s one we must confront. Bad governance didn’t start today—it has been with us since the first military coup. So why didn’t we fight it from the beginning? And now, do we honestly believe that one protest can suddenly end decades of corruption?

It’s time to acknowledge that we need new strategies to address these challenges. Protests alone will not suffice. We must look to strengthen civil society, to educate and mobilize politically. We must leverage technology to promote transparency, using digital currency and blockchain to prevent the manipulation of elections, budgets, and resources.

The solution isn’t in one man or one protest. It’s in our collective action, our shared resolve. We must come together—united in our purpose—to build a better Nigeria. This is our moment. If we don’t seize it, the silence we hear now will only deepen, and our country will be the one that suffers.