Davido also said those who claim to fight for Nigeria often change when they get to power.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer David Adeleke, better known as Davido, has expressed deep concern over bad governance, injustice, and the long-suffering of Nigerians, saying the #EndSARS protests that took place six years ago did not fix the country.
The ‘Electricity’ hitmaker made this known recently while appearing as a guest on the latest episode of the I Wanna Talk podcast.
The #EndSARS protests started between 3 and 8 October 2020 after a video went viral showing operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) shooting a young man in Ughelli, Delta State.
Mass youth-led street protests swept across major Nigerian cities such as Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, and spread internationally throughout October 2020.
The protests targeted the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force with a long-documented history of unlawful arrests, torture, extortion, harassment, and extrajudicial killings.
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Recalling the event, Davido candidly revealed that he thought genuine change was coming to Nigeria during the #EndSARS protests, but Nigerians quickly reverted to their old ways.
The artist lamented that those who claim to fight for Nigerians often change whenever they get into power.
He went on to state that despite being from a privileged and influential background, he still fears losing his life, adding that Nigeria needs urgent, positive change.
Speaking on the show, Davido said: “I was happy to see Nigerians protest during #EndSARS. I thought change was coming, but December came and people were partying. Even me, who was initially optimistic about the movement, got discouraged. I was like, we can’t kill ourselves. We have kids and people we are living for.
”Once the government is bad, there will be hardship. I can’t even advise people who are going through economic hardship because I am not going through what they are going through, even though I have my own struggles, too. What I can say is, Nigeria, fix up. The country has to change from politicians to citizens—everything.
”We can’t change our society until we change our mindset as a people. Today, the same people who were protesting are campaigning for politicians. Those who claim to fight for the people often change when they get power.”
