Is Protesting for a Better Nigeria a Treasonous Offence?

In the sweltering streets of Lagos, Abuja and across Nigeria’s cities, where the air is thick with the scent of petrol and the weight of hope, a new fear now simmers. To speak out, to raise one's voice for a better Nigeria, has become an act that might cost you not just your freedom, but your life. When did it become treasonous to demand the promise of a nation that so many have sacrificed for?

On September 2, 2024, ten men stood before the Abuja Federal High Court, their futures hanging in the balance. Their crime? Participating in a nationwide demonstration that sought to highlight the cost of living crisis strangling the livelihoods of millions. In a nation where the price of bread can mean the difference between survival and starvation, these men dared to ask for something better. For this, they were charged with treason, with conspiring to incite the military to mutiny. They have already been in detention for a month.

But let's take a step back and ask the question that every Nigerian must confront: When did the desire for a better life become synonymous with destabilizing the state? The protestors didn’t call for anarchy; they called for accountability. They didn’t burn down the foundations of the nation; they lit a fire under the seats of power, demanding action. Yet, here they stand, facing the death penalty, as if their quest for justice was an affront to the very fabric of Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu, barely in office for a breath, has overseen reforms that have plunged the country into economic hardship. The naira, once a symbol of national pride, now flutters in the wind like a fallen leaf, devalued and stripped of its worth. The cost of petrol and electricity has surged, double-digit inflation gnaws at the heels of the working class, and yet, the government’s response to the outcry is not one of empathy, but of iron-fisted repression.

To be clear, this is not just about the ten men facing trial. This is about a government that views dissent as a threat rather than a democratic right. It’s about a leadership that equates the pursuit of justice with mutiny, and demands silence in the face of suffering. If President Tinubu’s administration can so easily wield the charge of treason against those who dare to dream of a better Nigeria, then one must question his commitment to the nation he claims to serve.

Amnesty International, in its condemnation of the arrests, called the charges “blatantly trumped-up,” a means to unlawfully justify the detention of protesters. But this isn’t just a legal battle—it’s a moral one. For in the heart of every Nigerian beats the belief that this country can be more than the sum of its struggles.

To protest is not to betray Nigeria; it is to love it fiercely, to believe that it can rise above the challenges and injustices that have held it back. It is to demand that the government not only hear the cries of its people but respond with urgency and humanity.

So, when did protesting for a better Nigeria become a treasonous offence? The answer, it seems, lies not in the actions of the protesters, but in the fears of those in power. For it is only a government unsure of its legitimacy that would resort to such draconian measures. And it is only a people who truly believe in the promise of Nigeria who would dare to resist.
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