The #EndSARS protests have set off a chain reaction of events that will leave an indelible mark in Nigeria’s political history. A direct impact can be observed in ongoing conversations about accountability and governance with an eye on the major elections in 2023.

At the beginning of the protests, organizations like the Feminist Coalition, EndSARS Response, and EndSARS Legal were formed by individual efforts and crowdfunded funds. A key part of the decentralized structure that fueled the #EndSARS protest was centered on the food and refreshments that kept the protesters going.

The Origins of The Food Coven

The decision by some Alausa protesters to stay overnight on October 9 was the singular event that changed the course of the 2020 #EndSars protests.

Mosopefoluwa Odeseye, the chef at Iyameto’s kitchen, expressed her interest in supplying breakfast for the Alausa protests and reached out to Feyikemi Abudu who helped spread the word via this tweet to seek donations and volunteers.

Within minutes, the donations were at N50,000 and in less than an hour, they had raised enough funds to provide at least two meals for 100 more protesters during the day. 

This single effort marked the start of a barrage of donations from within and outside Nigeria. As the protest crowds swelled daily, the range of meals at the protest locations also widened from ofada rice to jollof rice, small chops, grilled meat, and many more. Other vendors and restaurants also added their quota to the donations of food at different locations.

Starting from a call for donations to the cause and metamorphosing into an emergency food supply chain, “protest food” became a reason for even more people to show up every day, literally fueling the revolution. 

And this was how The Food Coven was formed. The “coven”, an unofficial extension of The Feminist Coalition, was formed for proper coordination and distribution of food items across the multiple protest locations across the country. 

According to members of The Food Coven, there was no particular defining moment since it started when different individuals chose to support protesters with food and key supplies.

“Over a few days, the protests grew at an unprecedented rate and these individuals decided to collaborate and use their influence to raise money and also ensure a balanced distribution of food in different locations”. they said.

How The Food Coven Distributed Food During The Protests

At the peak of the protests, the impressive quality of food at various locations became a running joke on social media. In a country like Nigeria where efficient operations can require an act of God, members of the Food Coven were able to work in spite of obstacles like logistics and many more.

To achieve this, they start a typical day with an inventory of the previous day’s activities, by accounting for reach, disbursed funds, cash balance, and so on.

“This helps us properly plan for the day and be realistic about how much food can be sent out to various locations. We also contact vendors that are able to prepare food quickly at an affordable rate. Logistics, which is one of the most difficult parts is also sorted out early in the day. We make arrangements with dispatchers to deliver the food to the locations, and also make contact with persons attending the protests to receive and distribute,” they explained.

Nourishing the protests wasn’t an easy feat for The Food Coven, from traffic to managing excess food supply, the hurdles seemed endless at the time.

.“Logistics was definitely a challenge, especially when there was traffic, or when we would receive last-minute calls from food donors and had to figure out how to distribute. Since our work had to do with numbers, there was also the problem of navigating excess food because of inaccurate information on the estimated number of protesters. Thankfully, with each challenge, we were able to navigate through them quickly within our team.”

A Change In Direction After The Protests

The breakout of violence by government-mandated thugs was an unfortunate turn of events, and the looting that followed after will probably cripple many businesses in the months to come, food businesses included.

Bukka hut’s desperate call for citizens to defend their restaurant was received with humor, but it came from a place of total desperation.

The effect of the shootings and looting also meant that protests could not be held in Lagos. Over the next few days, volunteer organizations like FemCo and FoodCo wound down their operations and stopped taking donations, focusing instead on changing the direction of their support for the protests. For The Food Coven, that means winding down on donations to restrategize.

About the next steps, The Food Coven says, “We're working on something, but you'll have to keep your eyes on us to find out!”

The Food Coven’s work is far from done despite the curfew following the tragic shooting of protesters by officers of the Nigerian military in Lagos on October 20. In fact, the responsibility of organizing meals for wounded and hospitalized protesters still falls on these volunteers because of government incompetence. 

Between October 12 and 26, they distributed 15,239 meals across Nigeria. That’s an impressive reach, considering the short time frame and the difficulties faced. That impact will remain one of the focal points of the October protests across Nigeria and beyond.