Welcome to the month of November. If you wish that the year 2020 were over already, you are not alone. I am one of many who share similar sentiments. The world has never seen a year like this, at least, not in our lifetimes. It is a year that has turned us in all directions. But through it all, we have shown how much we care about each other by staying home as much as necessary and by abiding by the rules and regulations.
Like other months in 2020, October was challenging. We all had hoped that by now, we would be rounding the curve with COVID-19. Instead, states and countries across the world are seeing an uptick in infections. Schools are beginning to close again; businesses have gone back to implementing stricter measures. The lesson from all this is that it is not a time for us to let our guards down. We have made it so far; let us continue to abide by the rules and regulations.
As the world struggles with COVID-19, the United States’ election is also upon us. The dilemma of safe voting and rumors of unrest have made this year’s election unlike any we have seen before. However, voting is a civil rights imperative. To ensure that eligible voters exercise their rights, municipalities and states have made provisions for safe voting. On behalf of Nigerian Parents Magazine (NPM), I encourage all Nigerians who are eligible to vote.
While the world is focused on America’s election, an event happened in Nigeria that also deserves global attention. On October 20, 2020, soldiers of the Nigerian army shot and killed Nigerian youths participating in a peaceful protest to end the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Normally, when innocent, youthful protesters are senselessly killed anywhere, the world will pay attention because the media will cover it ad nauseam. You will hear pundits argue that protests are the wheel upon which democracy and change revolve. In fact, in their book Protest and Democracy, Moisés Arce and Roberta Rice wrote that the power in protest is to shape a better world.
However, in circumstances like those we saw on October 20, Nigerians are on their own. This is why NPM, in collaboration with the Nigerian American Multi-Services Association (NAMSA), organized a town hall meeting to discuss, among other things, ways to sustain the efforts of these Nigerian youths and ensure that those killed on October 20, 2020, will not be forgotten. This is consistent with NPM’s goal of celebrating and preserving the achievements of Nigerian youths around the world. The town hall was a resounding success. In fact, another town hall is scheduled for November 7, 2020 – visit our website www.nigerianparents.com for details.
Let me move on from these gloomy events to tell you what is coming in NPM for the month of November. The publication of NPM’s interview with Okey Ndibe was moved because the editorial board did not want the must-read interview to be drowned out by the events surrounding the #EndSARS protest. Our interview with Dr. Ndibe will be published this month. As always, do send your comments to editor@nigerianparents.com or hodunze@nigerianparents.com and let us know how we can make your visit to our website a pleasurable experience.
Please join us as we tell the stories of Nigeria and Nigerians to the world.
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The youths should get involved in politics…float a political party…get united, and wrestle out power from these old men…