Celebrity
Peace Walk: Lagos Doesn’t Need Peace Of The Graveyard
Shortly earlier than the discharge of the White Paper on the studies by the EndSARS Panel of Inquiry arrange by his authorities, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu introduced that he will probably be embarking on a Peace Stroll as a part of efforts to herald the therapeutic of Lagos residents and produce closure to final yr’s protest in opposition to police brutality and the capturing of unarmed protesters by troopers and police personnel on the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
The Governor said that he would lead the Peace Stroll which, in line with him, is supposed to engender concord within the State amid prevalent misunderstanding and belief deficit trailing the latest leak of a report by the Judicial Panel of Enquiry on the #EndSARS debacle, notably the killings on the Lekki tollgate epicenter of the protest.
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The Governor known as on standard EndSARS campaigners like Seun Kuti, Folarin Falana popularly generally known as Falz, Debo Adedayo alias Mr Macaroni amongst others to hitch him within the stroll as “Lagos is at the moment confronted with the laborious selection of restoring concord or doing itself nice hurt”. He additional informed the activist entertainers that “Our state deserves true therapeutic after the disturbances that trailed final yr’s protests in opposition to police brutality. It is just the sustenance of concord that may assure the conclusion of aspirations of all residents,” Sanwo-Olu stated whereas briefing the press.
This attraction took cognizance of the temper of Lagosians following the official assault on the report of the Justice Doris Okuwobi-led Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for victims of SARS associated abuses and different issues. The leaked report has been fiercely discredited by officers of the Lagos authorities and the Federal Minister of Data, Lai Mohammed, who described the identical as “nothing however the triumph of pretend information”. However EndSARS activists imagine that the judicial panel’s report bears semblance with what they skilled throughout their peaceable marketing campaign in opposition to police brutality. In addition they accepted the suggestions, which they’ve been piling strain on the federal government to behave on.
It’s in opposition to this backdrop that one can situate the youth’s frustration with the Lagos State Authorities calling for a Peace Stroll moderately than appearing on the crux of the studies by the Justice Okuwobi-led judicial panel of inquiry which considerably favoured their place. In an obvious response to why his authorities gained’t go that route, Governor Sanwo-Olu would urge Lagosians “to reject these fueling anarchy and suspicion, clinging to the unsubstantiated perception that carries no weight of verifiable proof and selecting emotion over laborious details”.
There’s the sensation that the Lagos State Authorities is sacrificing the judicial panel of inquiry arrange by it to align with the APC-led Federal Authorities which has all alongside denounced what Nigerians strongly believed have occurred on the Lekki toll plaza that fateful night time. Sanwo-Olu would insist that “it’s far too simple to take sides and select emotion over reality, even when the reality is to be present in shades of nuance… At present, I stand earlier than you to declare that I reject this path; and I invite you all to do similar”.
Nonetheless, within the White Paper on the studies by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry, the Lagos State Authorities accepted 11 suggestions made by the panel, rejected one, accepted six with modifications, and forwarded 14 to the Federal Authorities for consideration out of the 32 suggestions made by the Justice Okuwobi-led Judicial Panel of Inquiry. This however, some entertainers of be aware have distanced themselves from the deliberate Peace Stroll.
Whereas rejecting the invitation to hitch the Peace Stroll, standard skit maker, Mr Macaroni, requested the Lagos State Authorities to start the peace course of by first guaranteeing justice via the implementation of the suggestions of the #EndSARS panel, stressing that “something opposite to that takes us again to sq. one”. He stated additional, “It’s not a couple of stroll of peace, you gained’t discover me there as a result of we aren’t at struggle. What we’re saying is that the federal government ought to come to phrases with the folks. Individuals have died, lives have been misplaced, folks have been overwhelmed, dehumanised and I’m additionally a residing testimony so I’m shocked that you’re calling me for a stroll now.”
Human rights activist and EndSARS campaigner, Rinu Oduala, on her half, used her Instagram web page to submit an image of the Governor with the caption, “Mr Gov. You’ll stroll alone”. She maintained that “no justice no peace” and charged the Governor to “do the required and cease performative actions”. In the identical vein, Falz tweeted on @falzthebahdguy, “This suggestion of a ‘stroll for peace’ appears like a joke and a really disrespectful one at that. Individuals had been murdered in chilly blood and completely no iota of justice has been served greater than a yr after. How can there be peace with out justice?”
Pressinformant is happy that Nigerian youth can now stand on the power of their convictions. Whereas Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Peace Stroll just isn’t solely a nasty thought, the timing is fallacious and reeks of placing the cart earlier than the horse. We laud the EndSARS activists who would moderately see justice finished to victims of EndSARS incident than take part in a phantom closure to what created a deep harm in most Nigerians. Little doubt, peace and concord are vital to the survival and development of any society, however justice reigns supreme in relation to guaranting a peaceable society.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Peace Stroll train to heal the injuries of Lagosians who had been affected by the October 2020 unrest is nice however he ought to have interaction extra to get the buy-in of principal EndSARS campaigners. For the reason that Lagos State Authorities’s White Paper on the Judicial Panel of Inquiry has adopted a number of the suggestions inside its remit, we name on the Sanwo-Olu authorities to instantly go for the low-hanging fruits just like the issuance of public apology moderately than finishing up a Peace Stroll which can be counterproductive.
The truth that rights activist, Mr. Segun Awosanya, aka Segalink, Lagos State college students and youth teams are able to Stroll for Peace with Governor can’t make up for the apathy of main champions of the EndSARS protest. It’s certainly incumbent on the Lagos State Authorities to make sure that it’s actually a Peace Stroll by getting all stakeholders on board. The federal government will probably be nicely suggested to fulfill the traumatized youths midway by implementing the studies of the judicial panel report that are very specific to them. This will probably be extra useful than papering over cracks as if to create the peace of a graveyard which Lagos can’t afford!
Pressinformant expects that Governor Sanwo-Olu’s quest for the restoration of peace and concord within the nation’s industrial capital will probably be dealt with in such a method {that a} slightest provocation gained’t re-open the injuries of the EndSARS and Lekki tollgate incidents seared within the coronary heart of Lagosians. We additionally hope that with this Peace Stroll, the federal government gained’t be paranoid to militarize Lagos State when on October 20, 2022, youths arrange themselves to mark the second anniversary of what the judicial panel of inquiry agreed was Lekki tollgate bloodbath. Having correctly positioned civic engagement over and above the peevishness and vanity typical of constituted authorities in Nigeria, we encourage Governor Sanwo-Olu to go the whole hog in therapeutic this harm of Lagosians.
Peace Stroll: Lagos Doesn’t Want Peace Of The Graveyard
