The Southeast Governors says the forum will engage with the youth to address their peculiar concerns within the zone.
The Chairman Southeast Governors forum and the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi made this known in a communique after a closed door meeting held at the Government house, Enugu.
According to Governor Umahi, the southeast Governors sympathises with the families and victims of the post EndSARS protests noting that the governors ensure the security of lives and properties.
Various stakeholders in the region both the National Assembly and Federal Executive Council members and other religious and traditional leaders were present during the meeting.
Nigerian Army has berated Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his team for not saying the truth about the invasion of Lekki Toll Gate by soldiers on October 20 to disperse #EndSARS protesters.
The Army, in a statement by its Acting Deputy Director, Public Relations, Headquarters 81 Division, Osoba Olaniyi, said the decision to call in the military was taken by the Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State Government after a 24-hour curfew was imposed.
“From the onset of the #EndSARS protest, there was no time personnel of 81 Division of the Nigerian Army Lagos were involved. However, the decision to call in the military was taken by the Lagos State Government (LASG) after a 24-hour curfew was imposed.
“This was as a result of the violence which led to several police stations being burnt, policemen killed, suspects in police custody released and weapons carted away.
“The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy.
“The intervention of the military followed all laid down procedures for Internal Security operations and all the soldiers involved acted within the confines of the Rules of Engagement (ROE) for Internal Security Operations,” the statement explained.
On the allegation of massacre at Lekki Toll Gate, the statement said: “The attention of Headquarters 81 Division Nigerian Army has been drawn to a viral video on social media in which it was alleged that civilians’ protesters were massacred by soldiers at Lekki Toll Plaza.
“This allegation is untrue, unfounded and aimed at causing anarchy in the country. At no time did soldiers of the Nigerian Army open fire on any civilian.”
The Army reiterated that in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities, it did not shoot at any civilian as there are glaring and convincing evidence to attest to this fact.
“This allegation is the hand work of mischief makers who will stop at nothing to tarnish the image of the Nigerian Army.
“The general public is hereby enjoined to discountenance this allegation as there is no iota of truth therein,” the statement said.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd) has accused the #EndSARS protesters of using the social media to spread subversive contents that escalated the tension and looting that followed the protest by Nigerian youths, which is widely adjudged peaceful.
The NSA disclosed this when he spoke at the Multi-Stakeholders workshop for the Validation of the Draft National Cybersecurity Strategy 2020, in Abuja.
He said: “We are witnesses to the use of social media to disseminate subversive content to incite violence and heightened tension, causing unrest and sparking widespread looting and destruction across the country.”
The national security chief also revealed that the Federal Government plans to unveil the National Cyber security Policy and Strategy (NCPS) 2020 to check digital threats and enhance national security and economic growth for the over 200 million population.
In his keynote address, the NSA said the government has been proactive to develop policies that will check threats from the use of cyberspace.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Aliyu Ganda Mohammed, the retired General recalled that his Office inaugurated a multi stakeholders committee on September 10, 2020 to review the NCPS 2014.
He noted that the review is aimed at strengthening the existing cyber policy, which is meant to be reviewed every five years, as stipulated.
Monguno further stated that: “There is no gainsaying that cyberspace has become an engine for the enhancement of Nigeria national security, economic transformation and national development.”
While he admitted that the sophistication of cyberspace comes with inherent challenges, the NSA said: “The threats posed by cyber terrorists, and the use of the internet has brought social media circulation of hate speech and seditious messages. It is almost impossible to overstate the challenges.”
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami who was represented by the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Inuwa Abdullahi, said never before has cybersecurity become more critical than it is today and that it was due to convergence between offline and online lives.
“Anybody that uses any device that connects to the internet needs to understand and protect himself and have to join the cyber security campaign.”
He said the agencies under the ministry are leveraging on this to protect people. “We can collaborate to do it together,” he urged the participants.
Also speaking at the Multi-Stakeholders workshop, the Chairman of the NCPS 2014 Review Committee, Mr Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, warned that a non-regulated cyberspace, as exemplified in recent times with fake news in the social media, could result in civic unrest.
“The current draft document is a result of multi stakeholder efforts with due cognizant of a whole of society approach while leveraging technology for the well-being of Nigeria and for Nigerians.
“I assure our commitment and resolve to delivering an implementable policy for Nigeria”, Ajijola stated.
Senate Committee, ICT and Cybercrime Chairman, Hassan Ibrahim Hadejia, who also spoke at the event expressed excitement that Nigeria is taking the issue of cybercrime very seriously.
“In ICT, if you are reactive, you are finished, you always have to make sure that you are one step ahead”, he said.
in order to effect change in the sector, he proposed that both government agencies and the private sector collaborate.
The British High Commission (BHC) has expressed concern over the continued looting of private and public properties, including pockets of violence in some parts of the country.
In its statement of concern, which was posted on twitter, the BHC said: “We remain concerned by acts of looting and violence in Nigeria and urge security services use restraint as order is restored. Working with all stakeholders, judicial panel of inquiry must investigate all incidents, including #Lekki and ensure accountability for crimes. #EndPoliceBrutality”
Meanwhile, in an effort to bring back normalcy and stop continued looting in some part of the country, men of Nigerian army have deployed more soldiers on the streets.
The Army High Command decided on Monday stating that troops will prevent the continued looting of public and private properties by miscreants and criminals across the country, a situation that was a fallout of the #EndSARS protest hijacked by hoodlums.
The decision was taken during a meeting between the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai and principal staff officers, General Officers Commanding and field Commanders at the Army headquarters on Monday.
In a chat with newsmen after the meeting, Acting Director of Army Public Relations Col. Sagir Musa, disclosed that Gen. Buratai recalled that “the events of the past few days in our dear nation have shown the determination of some unscrupulous individuals and groups to destabilise Nigeria by all means having hijacked the peaceful #EndSARS protest marches resulting to widespread violence, acts of wanton destruction and looting of public and private properties in many parts of the country. These acts led to the imposition of curfew in many states”.
Musa stated further that Gen. Buratai directed its men and officers to respond “quickly and decisively” to any attempt by “elements or destabilising agents” to cause a breach of the law and order.
In a charge, the Army attempted to disabuse its personnel not to fear being reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as they are performing their constitutionally-assigned duty of defending the nation and its citizens.
For the avoidance of doubt, the army gave assurance that it remains committed to democratic governance “as the only panacea for development and progress.”
Gen. Buratai said the military had lost 10 AK-47 rifles and personnel to the violence, adding that the Army was aware of efforts to drag it into the protests with a view to “discredit” it and the government.
The Chief of Army staff was said to have also warned that troops on internal security or on guard duties outside the barracks to know that they must be at maximum alert at all times in order to be able to ”deal decisively with any attack on their duty locations.”
”Any act of arson or attempt to kill or maim any military or security personnel and other law-abiding civilians must be responded to quickly and decisively,”
He alerted them of potential security threats resulting from the burgling of security armouries by the hoodlums, adding that”the recent activities of the “unscrupulous elements have shown their desire to acquire arms and ammunition at all cost from security personnel.”
“No less than 10 AK-47 rifles have been lost to these miscreants in the past two weeks across the country with attendant loss of lives of personnel,” the COAS warned.
“Right from the onset of the #EndSARS protests, the NA has been aware of the grand design by the sponsors of the protests to draw it into the crisis.
“The plan was to embark on massive propaganda to discredit the military and the government so as to set the people against the NA once it is called out to aid the civil authorities.
“The NA being aware of the devilish plan was careful not to be dragged in and issued the initial warning through a press release on October 14, 2020 of our resolve to secure and safeguard a united Nigeria.
“Now, the detractors alongside their local and international collaborators have mischievously and deliberately misrepresented troops’ efforts to ensure compliance with the curfew imposed by legitimate civil authorities in Lagos and other states.
“These agitators are falsely accusing the NA of being responsible for the activities of the miscreants despite glaring evidence to the contrary. They have continually threatened to report the NA to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and also threatened various forms of sanctions against personnel and their families.”
Buratai said: “despite all these, the NA has continued to exercise restraint by applying all the Principles of Internal Security Operations and fully abided by the internationally recognised rules of engagements….
“The Nigerian Army is determined to ensure democratic stability in Nigeria. The best system of governance is democracy and we must all ensure that Nigeria’s democracy remains stable and steady. We will not allow any force, elements or destabilising agents in or outside our country to set our beloved country on fire.
“We remain resolute in doing everything possible to ensure that subversive elements, detractors and other enemies of this great nation do not achieve their aims and objectives of destabilisation.”
“There is no choice between a democratically united, strong and prosperous Nigeria and a nation disunited in a state of anarchy and retrogression.”
“We must all strive for a united, strong, stable and progressive Nigeria,” he admonished.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has sanctioned three major broadcast stations over their alleged roles in escalation of violence across the nation .
The regulators fined Arise TV, African Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television between N2million and N3million.
The broadcast regulator had accused the stations of escalating the unrest that followed the #EndSARS protest in Lagos and some other parts of the country by airing unverified images of the alleged shooting.
The #EndSARS protest, championed by youths from across the divides, was peaceful until Sunday, October 18, 2020 when thugs, alleged to have been sponsored unknown powerful people began to attack protesters, which later peaked at Tuesday night’s alleged shooting of unarmed peaceful protesters by men of the Nigerian army.
Although, authorities in the Nigerian army had denied shooting at protesters, the wide reports of the alleged shooting triggered widespread violence, looting and arson in Lagos, Osun, Ekiti and Ibadan.
Many states experienced wanton destruction and looting of public and private properties.
Following the unrest, looting and destruction of private and public properties that peaked the #EndSARS protest in Lagos State, Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu says it will need not less than N1 trillion to rebuild Lagos State.
This was revealed by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiaila, when he visited Governor Sanwo-Olu in Marina on Sunday to sympathise with the state, which quickly became the epicenter of last week’s pandemonium that brought down shops, court, business and transport assets, and the palace of the Lagos Monarch, Oba Ridwan Akiolu.
Gbajabiamila, who visited along with members of the House of Representatives from Lagos, said: “The governor was telling me just now that it was going to cost about a trillion naira to rebuild Lagos. That makes my heart heavy. And I asked the governor what’s the budget of Lagos State? What are you planning? And he told me that they’re planning a budget of about a trillion Naira.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila visits Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo_Olu, Sunday October 25, 2020, at the State House Marina. The Speaker sympathizes with the residents of Lagos State over the unrest, arson and looting that followed the alleged shooting of unarmed peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.
During the pandemonium, arsonists had burnt down public assets that include 89 new buses of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) that were parked in Oyingbo and Berger. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso, had put the cost of each of buses at about $200,000.
Other public assets destroyed are the multi-million naira forensic and DNA centre, the Igbosere High Court, local government secretariat buildings, and hundreds of other vehicles. These also include some other public buildings scattered across the state and street lights.
According to the Speaker of House, the destruction of properties is sad and should not occur again: “I came in from Abuja today, not just to stand in solidarity with him, but by extension the people of Lagos State. These have been very difficult few days. It has even been more difficult for me in the last hour. Driving in from the airport and sitting with the governor to watch the documentary here put together, that evidences of the carnage we all witnessed. It makes us all very sad.
“This, certainly, is not the Lagos of our dream that we all talk about. And I know deep down, and I believe no matter how brave a face one puts to it, that even the protesters have their regrets that things went this far, because from my understanding and from what I’ve seen, both those who are pro-protest and those who are anti-protest, were all affected.
“There’s very little I can say. But, I know that standing with me is a man of courage, a man of destiny. Because it’s very unusual for you to come into office, and within a year a few months, you witnessed two calamitous events: first, you were in the epicentre of COVID-19, which you dealt with to the admiration of all.
“Whilst we were still grappling with that, you now became the epicentre of the protests. I want to encourage you to lift your head high, because you discharged your duties as a governor of a state that was troubled in the last few months, or close to one year,” he said.
Furthermore, Gbajabiamila stated that he did not wish the incident to take an ethnic dimension, having heard a lot of conspiracy theories about it.
“Let us shut our ears to those things. Let us focus as one people, whether you’re Igbo, whether you’re from the North, whether you’re from the South. This is the mantra that we have in the House of Representatives because if you talk about nation-building, we say it is a joint task.
“I want to also use this opportunity, in a way, to be grateful and commend our brothers and sisters from the North. I said this because if the North had been a part of this, I don’t know if we’ll all be standing here today. That’s why I commend our brothers and sisters from the North.
“On Tuesday, we talked in the House about compensation. I want to reiterate that the House will do all it can to make sure that everybody that has suffered from police violence – whether you’re from the North, from the East, from the West, because everybody in Nigeria has suffered from police violence, not just those of us from the Southwest. That will be applicable to all, including policemen that lost their lives in these unfortunate incidents.
“So, Your Excellency, we bring you good tidings and good wishes from Abuja. We stand with you. Whatever the House can do to help in rebuilding, not just Lagos State, but other states that have been affected as well from whatever part in Nigeria, the House will definitely join hands. Because we’re now in the situation of reconstruction.
“I want to encourage our young men and women out there that you fought a good fight, and I’m sure deep down, you’re not happy with what you’ve seen. The government listened, the president listened, the House listened, the Senate listened, the governors listened, it is now time to take stock and make sure this never happens again”.
“Your Excellency, the ground zero of what happened here is Lekki…that was what precipitated the violence and the carnage the following day. It is important to me, as I know it is important to you and to everybody, to know what exactly happened.
“A judicial panel has been set up, and I hope those who say this is what happened will have the courage to go before the judicial panel and say this is what happened and give credible evidence. And if that was indeed what happened, then, the law must take its course. But, if that was not what happened, the law must also take its course. Either way, the law must take its course”, the Speaker said.
Former president Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the “use of deadly force” on #EndSARS protesters in Lagos state.
Protests against the defunct police special anti-robbery squad (SARS) turned violent in many parts of the country leading to loss of lives and property.
President Buhari joined by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Former Head of State Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Head of Interim Government H.E. Chief Ernest Shonekan and Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar during a Virtual Meeting with Former Heads of State in State House on 23rd Oct 2020
Men dressed in army fatigue were alleged to have shot at protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, a claim the Nigerian army has since denied.
Such actions would only worsen the situation, calling on all parties to embrace dialogue, Jonathan said in a statement on Thursday.
He asked security agencies to ensure maximum restraint was applied in carrying out their responsibilities and also asked young Nigerians to “give peace a chance especially now that different stakeholders have demonstrated the willingness to investigate the various allegations of excessive use of force on citizens and address the culture of impunity by security personnel”.
President Buhari on Wednesday held a nationwide broadcast, and reiterated that government was meeting the demands of the protesters.
Earlier on Thursday, he met with the country’s former presidents, including Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo.
The meeting was held behind close doors as details of the discussion is still being awaited.
Barely 24 hours after he presided over the National Security Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja and later addressed the nation, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday at a meeting with Nigeria’s former presidents and heads of state reiterated that the well organised and peaceful protest by Nigerian youths under the label of #EndSARS though well-intended, was hijacked and misdirected.
At the meeting which was virtual, President Buhari explained to former leaders that his government will not fold its arms while miscreants and criminals perpetrate hooliganism.
President Buhari in Virtual Meeting with Former Heads of State in State House on 23rd Oct 2020
Present at the meeting were all living past leaders, including Gen. Yakubu Gowon, President Olusegun Obasanjo, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Gen. Abulsalami Abubakar, and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the President recounted the initial concessions made by his administration on the demands of youths protesting against the excesses of some members of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), a tactical unit of the Nigeria Police that was recently disbanded by the government.
He recalled that the youths had demanded that the squad be disbanded, and further articulated the additional demands, including: “the immediate release of all arrested protesters, justice for deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensation for their families; setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of Police misconduct within 10 days and psychological evaluation and re-training of all disbanded SARS officers before they can be re-deployed; and increase in Police salary.”
President Buhari in Virtual Meeting with Former Heads of State in State House on 23rd Oct 2020
“We accepted all the demands and proceeded immediately to scrap SARS and started the process of addressing the other demands,” Buhari said.
“Unfortunately, the protesters refused to call off the protest and engage the Government to address their grievances. Instead, they became emboldened and gradually turned violent.”
President Buhari expressed concern that in the mayhem that ensued, many lives have been lost, a number of public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised.
President Buhari in Virtual Meeting with Former Heads of State in State House on 23rd Oct 2020
Reiterating his pledge to Nigerians from the nationwide broadcast Thursday, the President reaffirmed he will continue to improve good governance through our democratic process including through sustained engagement.
“We shall also continue to ensure that liberty and freedom, as well as the fundamental rights of all citizens are protected. Here, I want to also reaffirm our commitment to preserving the unity of this country,” he told the former leaders.
The President thanked the former Heads of State for attending the meeting and their invaluable comments, observations and advice, adding that ”Nigerians expect nothing less from responsible statesmen.”
Each of the former leaders commended President Buhari for steps taken so far to restore calm and order to the country and also applauded the presidential broadcast of Thursday as detailed and soothing to the country.
“I commend the speech of last night. The nation had been waiting. You made points that I believe need to be commended. Peaceful demonstration is part of democratic practice. The demands of the genuine protesters were accepted, and you are working on implementation. We commend you,” former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said.
The former heads of state were unanimous in their view that generation of employment and growing the economy including through direct foreign investments were critical to checking youth restiveness.
Expressing their condolences to the bereaved families of civilians, policemen and soldiers killed as a result of the violent protest, the former leaders reaffirmed the commitment to respect the fundamental rights of citizens, including for peaceful protest as enshrined in the Constitution.
They unanimously condemned and called for an end to the use of divisive and inciting pronouncements by separatists, Femi Adesina stated.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wish you had done the comparatively little thing someone had asked of you instead of dilly dallying to the point when the person vexes and says, “forget it, now I want it all?” Or, “I’m not even doing again?” If government had adequately tackled the SARS issue after repeated complaints by the people in the past, the current crisis may never have occurred. Now, the government has come out to propose a new outfit, giving assurances on how they’ll operate strictly by the book but with a loud voice the people have responded, “this is not enough! We want more.”
In a small segment on CNN titled CNN Modern Explorers, I heard Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss psychiatrist and arguably the world’s most famous balloonist, say something remarkably profound. For a man who happens to be the first to ever circumnavigate the globe non stop in a hot air balloon, I was surprised to hear him remark that the modern day explorer is not one who searches out new territories but instead is one who seeks new ways to bring better meaning to human existence and improve the quality of human life. It surprised me to no end that a man who also holds the record of being the first to successfully fly around the world in a solar powered plane, would relegate the thrill and novelty of such an astonishing achievement to second place, in terms of his motivation. The impetus that drove his ambition can therefore be better traced to finding ways to surmount issues which trouble the wellbeing of much of humanity than to discovering new frontiers. His submission gave me a refreshingly new perspective to Edmund Burke’s quote which says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
Following the embarrassingly acrimonious US Presidential debate between President Trump and former Vice President Biden which took place recently, and where Trump, in typical Third World dictator-style, seemed to be preparing the electorate’s mind to the possibility of him not accepting the election results, Thomas Friedman offered the country a stark warning. He said, “when extremists go all the way, and moderates just go away, the system can break.” He based this on what he witnessed as a foreign correspondent when he covered Lebanon’s second civil war. While not repudiating Mr Friedman’s submission in any way, kindly permit me to direct this statement to the Nigerian situation in a way that’s relevant to this discourse.
For the sake of this article, let’s apply the “extremists” term to those who go all out to make sure they grab political power at all cost in Nigeria. The often better qualified in terms of character, ability and noble intention, whom we can refer to as moderates, on the other hand, refuse to struggle and are not given to making any sacrifices for what they want; and what the country obviously needs. Unwisely, they remain in the shadows. They “go away” as it were and when the time comes to vote, they either don’t bother to vote or finding themselves faced with a lack of credible alternatives, they end up voting for one of the very same people who put us all in this mess in the first place. Funny thing is that that won’t stop them from complaining when the leopard proves he’s still a leopard and is unable to change his spots. And the sad cycle continues. It was Christian D. Larson who once said that, “To keep any great nation up to a high standard of civilization there must be enough superior characters to hold the balance of power, but the very moment the balance of power gets into the hands of second-rate men and women, a decline of that nation is inevitable.”
Rafael Nadal, my favourite tennis player, is a phenomenon by any standard. Born right handed but converted to left handed as a child by his uncle and coach,Tony. Uninhibited by any cultural or social considerations, uncle Tony, as he’s fondly called, made what could only be described as a cold and very incisive calculation. Having done extensive research, he discovered that left handed tennis players proved very difficult and tricky to play against and so he set about his plan to convert his young nephew, who had shown visible promise and who undoubtedly possessed an impressive tennis brain, into a left handed player. He wasn’t wrong. Because of that singular move, Rafa escaped the distinct possibility of growing up to become a good but forgettable right handed tennis player to becoming a living legend. His uncle’s gamble paid off. To prove it, he recently equalled Roger Federer’s record of winning 20 Grand Slams. That’s an extremist right there, if ever I saw one. His motivation however is infinitely more noble.
The one track minded, vigorous, unrelenting pursuit by our second-rate men to ensure they fill all meaningful decision making positions in our political space and the complicit, lackadaisical attitude of our most competent men, tilted the balance of power to the detriment of our society a long time ago. But are we currently witnessing the precursor to a seismic shift? Is this the eve of a new day? I guess only time will tell.
If we’re to be guided by those who went before us though, it may appear fitting to close with the timeless words of one of history’s most revered freedom fighters, Martin Luther King Jr who cautioned, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” When all the proverbial dust settles, I hope those without a voice won’t turn on those of us who do, but were never seen or heard to have used them. There’s something I’ve always said and it’s this. The problem isn’t that people don’t know what the problems are, it’s that they don’t see themselves as part of the problem. Ponder on that for a moment. We all have a part to play.
#ENDSARS….what do they say about an idea whose time has come? It’s unstoppable!!!
Changing the nation…one mind at a time.
Oladapo Akande is a Surrey University (UK) English graduate with a Masters in Professional Ethics. He’s an alumnus of the National Institute for Transformation and a two time author; The Last Flight and Shifting Anchors. He writes from Lagos.
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