Musician and Activist, Seun Kuti, the son of the great late Fela Kuti, has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Government to listen to the EndSARS protesters across the country, and meet their demands,
He further advised the government to avoid taking decisions based on the belief that it has the trust of the Nigerian people.
“This government should not act as if people trust them.
“They should not wear that toga for themselves. That is what I am saying.”
Seun said this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics
His comments were in response to the fact that protests have continued across many States in the country, even though the government has argued that it has agreed to meet the demands of the protesters, and that it has met most of them.
He however, stated that he believes that the government does not fully get what is being demanded, and what the protest is about.
He noted: “People should not sit in their high Offices in Abuja. Bring yourself off your high horse. Come and relate with the people that just voted for you. Come and really hear what is going on.”
The protests in the country followed continued reports of brutality by Officials of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, despite past reforms announced by the government.
This is part of the reason for distrust in the latest decisions by the government, according to him.
“They have done judicial enquiry against SARS two years ago, what came out of it? It was this same government”, he said.
Seun added: “Do not feel victimised, do not think there is somebody trying to get you. No. These are your people trying to talk to you.
“This is actually a moment that we can actually build a bridge (between the government and the people), but they do not want to hear that.
“The slogan might be EndSARS, but the mission is change in the relationship we have with the government in this country.
“As soon as the government starts to really hear the people in terms of those things that we are demanding – in terms of good governance, in terms of bringing the things that really matter to us to the front of their own preoccupation.
“We have a government in place, and we believe that they should do the job; as some of the highest paid Politicians in the world, they should be the hardest workers for their people. But we tend to have a country where the people continue to work to make things easier for those in government, and it should not be that way; a country should work for the benefit of the people.
“So, what we are saying is that there must be a change in the relationship between the people, the government, and our commonwealth; how it is distributed, and those that benefit from it. This is what we the people are saying, and this is what we have always been saying.
“It is not just about Police reforms; that is not all you owe us. You owe us good schools, livable wages, high standard of living – all the quality things that you and your family members enjoy in this country and outside of it. We, at least, deserve to enjoy it here.
“For me, personally I do not want to back down, and I think the people of Nigeria also do not want to back down. I am a servant of the people, and I follow the people.”