Razaq Bamidele
Succour seems to have come the way of the Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu on his planned Walk for Peace aimed at dousing the tension the report of the Panel of Enquiry on the ill-fated 2020 #EndSARS protest that shook the state to its very foundation.
The protest got to a disastrous speak at the Lekki Toll Gate axis on October 20, 2020 where the protesting youth were allegedly shot by the military. The uproars generated by the alleged action of the military compel Governor Sanwo-Olu to set up a Judicial Panel of Enquiry, headed by a retired Justice, Honourable Justice Doris Okuwobi to find out what happened and recommend to the governor what to be done to forestall future reoccurrence.
“As a matter of good faith and a sincere commitment to uncovering the truth, we constituted a panel of individuals that we believed were independent, credible, and representative of the various stakeholder community interested in the movement against police brutality,” Sanwo-Olu said while justifying setting up the Panel.
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To showcase his inclusiveness policy in governance, the worried governor said no section of the community was excluded in the constitution of the panel, explaining that, “Apart from the Chairman of the panel being a respected retired jurist, various stakeholders including the youths, #EndSars protesters, the police and civil society groups were represented on the panel.”
However, the report of the exercise was hardly presented to the Governor that its contents were said to have leaked to the public and temper rose to the high heaven with allegations here and there about the authenticity, accuracy or otherwise of the report.
The rising tension must have compelled the governor to do the needful by addressing his people on November 29, where he tried to douse the tension by urging them to keep calm that all the necessary steps would be taken to heal the wound of the past. Hear him:“My dear good people of Lagos State, It is with great sense of responsibility that I address you today on the reactions that have trailed the release of the #EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry Report submitted to me two weeks ago, and how it has played out in public discourse since then.
“I believe — and have always been vocal about this — that we owe it to you, the people of Lagos, to constantly speak and engage with you. In easy times, in difficult circumstances, we will never shy away from making our case to you, while also ensuring that we listen to you.
“I will start by saying that we, as an administration, are determined that the next steps that will be taken in this process of coming to terms with the events of October 2020, must bring closure to a painful episode in the history of our State, with the release of the White Paper later today.”
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While regretting that, “the leakage of an unauthorized version of the report have generated much tension and had sadly reopened a deep wound,” Sanwo-Olu however commended the panel for undertaking its task to the best of its abilities.
Feeling visibly touched and concerned, the governor expressed displeasure on “the heated exchanges among various shades of opinion on the report,” which he lamented, “have unfortunately put us all at the risk of missing the larger picture,” reinstating “the fact that what we all seek in common is a land in which we are all safe and secure, law enforcement agents are trusted, and justice is guaranteed for all!”
So, it was in the course of the speech, that the governor announced that, “In December, I will be leading A WALK FOR PEACE to herald the healing of our land,” and thereby used the occasion “to extend an open invitation to our youths, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups, students and the media as well as other stakeholders to join me.”
Sanwo-Olu specifically mentioned some names of the invitees to include, “Folarin Falana (FALZ), Debo Adebayo (Mr Narcaroni), Dele Farotimi, Temitope Majekodunmi, Segun Awosanya (SEGALINKS), Adetoun (JUST DETOUN), Seun Kuti, CP Hakeem Odumosu and CSP Yinka Egbeyemi.”
The Governor concluded thus: “Join me on this historic march for our dear Lagos. Nobody will build this city for us. Let us show the world who we are. We are Lagosians. A pople of great renown, driven by the irrepressible spirit of Lagos.”
Ironically however, as patronizing as the governor’s invitation sounded, no sooner he delivered it than some of the invitees turned the invitation down giving one excuse or the other! Mr. Marcaroni was the first invitee that turned it down.
It is however gratifying to note that, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Right now, as we are writing this report, over a hundred of various human right groups, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), pro-democracy groups as well as students of the state own Lagos State University (LASU), have signified their preparedness to walk with the governor for peace.
Setting the ball of surport rolling is no other person than the renown activist, public commentator and political analyst, Comrade Razaq Olokoba, who has assured the governor of a Coalition of at least 70 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that will take part in the Walk, saying, “anything about peace is always given priority by our organization.”
Olokoba, who is the National President of the Campaign for Dignity in Governance (CDG), on behalf of others accepted the governor’s invitation to Walk for Peace asserting that, “the Coalition would always be in the forefront of any initiative that bothers on peace, harmony, peaceful co-existence, security and development of the society and the Sanwo-Olu’s Walk for Peace squarely fits into the group’s area of jurisdiction.”
Having accepted the governor’s speech, the Coalition asserted that its members will fully participate in the walk and even mobilise en mass for the exercise, commending the governor for the novel initiative and commitment to the laudable process of politics of inclusiveness.
Echoing Olokoba’s voive is another is another pan Lagos indigenous organization, Egbe Omoluabi Eko (Egbe), that has also signified its readiness to partake in the proposed Walk for Peace, saying, as bonafide indigenes of the state, “we cannot stand aloof and watch our fatherland go backward.”
In a statement written in Yoruba language and signed by its leader (Olori), Ogbeni Ekundayo Ibrahim, assured the governor that, “we are 100 per cent behind him on the peace initiative,” telling him to, “bank on our support whenever the policy is about the welfare and wellbeing of the generality of the people in the state and beyond.”
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Not left out is another NGO, the Youth Advocacy Initiative, that has accepted Lagos state Governor Babajide Oluso;a Sanwo-Olu’s invitation to be part of the Walk for Peace, saying, “as our name implies, anything about peace, get us involved and on this, we are tagging along with the governor.”
This is contained in a statement signed by its leader, Comrade Adekunle Akinde, in which the group expressed the conviction that, Sanwo-Olu’s initiative on the exercise is a clarion call to join hands together to build the state and foster unity and togetherness, urging all the categories of the invitees to turn up to honour the governor in his desire to ensure that peace reign supreme always in the state.
The NGO, for the umpteen time insisted would be part of the Coalition of 70 Civil Society Organisations pulled together by the Campaign for Dignity in Governance (CDG), under the able leadership of that renowned human right activist and public commentator, Comrade Razaq Olokoba. Asserting that, “the Peace Walk is a project all well-meaning Nigerians should be part of.”
A pan Lagos socio-cultural and political organisation, Epe Youth Forym (EYF), under the leadership of Ogbeni Olawale Oladipupo also jump on the bandwagon of other willing colleagues to be part of the exercise saying, “we are solidly behind the workaholic governor on all the steps he plans to take to douse tension, heal wounds and facilitate peace in the state.”
According to him, it was against that premises that the Epe based Forum has resolved to partake in the Walk for Peace the governor has declared to embark upon this December, saying, “Hello, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu (BOS), you can bank on us over your proposed Peace Match and there is no going back on our preparedness over that.”
Capping it all is an all an all women pro-democracy group, Women for Change Initiatives (WCI), that has given kudos to Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu on his speech delivered to the people of Lagos State on Tuesday, November 29, 2021 where he spoke on the Lekki Tollgate incident of last year October 20, 2021 and expressed the need to heal the wounds of the past with a view to strengthening the spirit of co-existence already operational among the people.
A lawyer and leader of the group, Eyitope Success-Adekunle Esqr, was reported to have said in a chat with a correspondent in Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday, that the Governor’s speech touched the heart and served as soothing balm to accelerate the healing process of the last year’s sad episode, commending the governor for a speech well written and perfectly delivered.
It was against this background that the woman lawyer was reported to have accepted the governor’s request for a Match for Peace whenever it is slated to take place assuring that, “members of our organization, as the name implies, are mothers of the nation who love their children to be well treated and cared for with the aim of making them comfortable and at peace.”
According to her, it would be ironical for an organisation of all women to see an opportunity to strengthen peace and foster peaceful co-existence and shun it, assuring the governor that, “on the Walk for Peace we stand as mothers of all.”
The woman activist described as gratifying, Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to facilitate better communication between the youths and the state’s security machinery to resolve issues before they become intractable, expressing the delight that the governor’s administration would make We will it easier for young people to initiate formal complaints on human rights violations through the Ministry of Justice.