#ENDSARS White Report controversy: Sanwo-Olu sues for reason, harmony, engagement
…Extends fellowship to youth campaigners
…Set to convene peace walk December
By Moses Adeniyi
Against projection of rejection and distortion of the Lagos State Panel of Inquiry and Restitution report following the controversies and arguments that trailed the leaked document of the Panel, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has sued for reason, harmony and engagement, calling for all to jettison unhealthy rivalry.
In his speech to the people of Lagos State on the Lekki Tollgate Incident delivered on Tuesday, at the State House, Ikeja on Tuesday, a development trailing the Justice Doris Okuwobi-led Panel report, Governor Sanwo-Olu said to achieve the Greater Lagos dream, residents of the State must learn to live in harmony, even amidst inevitable disagreement.
Mentioning that his Administration has “no intention to engage in histrionics or further inflame passion on a matter that has generated intense interest and controversy nationally and internationally,” he said the decisions and actions would rather “be based entirely on the law, the weight of evidence and an unblemished respect for the truth.”
Arguing that, “It is far too easy to take sides and choose emotion over fact, even when the truth is to be found in shades of nuance,” he maintained that “to become a champion of prejudice is to own a fleeting and false victory” rejecting what he described as the path of “a victory of rancor over reason, of vengeance over justice, of anger over compassion.”
He added that with the choice confronting the State presently, between restoring greater harmony or doing greater harm, he would “choose harmony over harm.”
Imploring others to follow same path, he called on the government, the youth, protesters, the police, and other security agencies to “learn the appropriate lessons from the #EndSARS protests, particularly the Lekki Tollgate incident, with a view to averting any recurrence to the detriment of our dear state.”
He lamented that the heated exchanges among various shades of opinions on the report have unfortunately put all at the risk of missing the larger picture, which according to him is a common vision “of a land in which we are all safe and secure, law enforcement agents are trusted, and justice is guaranteed for all.”
Following the release of the White Paper on Tuesday, he said as an Administration, his Government has determined that the next steps that will be taken in the process of coming to terms with the events of the October 2020 #ENDSARS movement, must bring closure to a painful episode in the history of the State.
Arguing that no State took the advocacy for police reforms and justice in the face of documented brutality more seriously than Lagos, he reiterated that so far a sum of N420million has been paid in compensation to victims of police brutality, in line with the recommendations of the panel.
His address states in part: “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.
“This, in my view, is a moment that beckons us to define who and what we are as a people.
“To be a Centre of Excellence, we must be a Centre of Truth. To be a smart city, we first must be a just one. To be a prosperous state, we must establish ourselves as a peaceful entity. And to achieve the Greater Lagos of our dreams we must learn to live in harmony, even amidst inevitable disagreement.
“In times like these, with anger and animosity too quick and fast at hand, it is easy to hide behind our own prejudices, treating them as deeper truths instead of the superficial lies they are.
“It is far too easy to take sides and choose emotion over fact, even when the truth is to be found in shades of nuance. It is easy to choose darkness over light; to take perverse delight in playing unhelpful games of cynicism and suspicion; to cling to beliefs that do not carry the weight of verifiable evidence.
“To become a champion of prejudice is to own a fleeting and false victory. It is a victory of rancour over reason, of vengeance over justice, of anger over compassion.
“Today, I stand before you to declare that I reject this path; and I invite you all to do same.
“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.”
Reiterating that “no member of the panel can claim that the state government made any attempt to influence them in any way throughout the duration of its sitting,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said “While I commend the panel for undertaking its task to the best of its abilities, it is however regrettable that the panel’s work and the leakage of an unauthorized version of the report have generated much tension. Sadly, a deep wound has been reopened.”
“Let me at this juncture say that I have never been in any doubt as to the sincerity, patriotism and noble motivations of both organizers of and participants in the movement to see an end to the human rights abuses by the now disbanded Special Anti – Robbery Squad (SARS),” he said.
On the measures his Government would institute as responses to foreclose a reoccurrence of the aggression that visited the State, he said: “Going forward, dear Lagosians, we shall facilitate better communication between our youths and the state’s security machinery to resolve issues before they become intractable. We will make it easier for our young people to initiate formal complaints on human rights violations through the Ministry of Justice.
“We will also improve the coordination between the State Government and the security agencies, including the police and the military. In this vein, we are studying how to improve security policy formulation, information sharing, and clarifying rules of engagement in times said of social unrest.
“Just as we have established a mechanism to compensate all those who lost homes, businesses, and livelihoods to the violent destruction of October 2020, we shall also establish a detailed procedure for the just compensation of citizens with verified claims of police brutality committed during the protests.”
This is just has Governor Sanwo-Olu declared his intent to lead “a walk for peace” this month (December) in company of youths, civil society organisations and security stakeholders.
Invited to join the walk are, Folarin Falana a.k.a Falz; Debo Adebayo a.k.a Mr. Marcaroni; Dele Farotimi; Temitope Majekodunmi; Segun Awosanya a.k.a Segalinks; Adetoun a.ka. Just Detoun; Seun Kuti; Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, and the Lagos RRS Commander, CSP Yinka Egbeyemi.
“Join me on this historic march for our dear Lagos, he said,” mentioning that “Nobody will build this city for us.”
“In December, I will be leading A WALK FOR PEACE to herald the healing of our land. Let me use this 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.
“It is a testimony to our strength and resilience as a people that, despite the huge losses incurred because of these terrible incidents, we have bounced back, with our economy as vibrant and virile as ever. I have no doubt whatsoever that our prospects are as bright as ever and the best lies ahead of Lagos State and Nigeria.
“The testament to the resilience of our spirit rests in how we rise after every adversity. This is who we are. This is the true spirit of Lagos
“Our resilient and irrepressible spirit also propels us to show our empathetic nature in the face of tribulations has long defined us as a people; and is also at the root of the just clamor for an end to Police brutality,” he said
Recall that in the aftermath of October 20, 2020, alleged Lekki Toll Plaza shootings, Governor Sanwo-Olu gave direction to expand the mandate of the Panel to include investigating the controversial occurrence at the Lekki Tollgate.
Also recall that following the leakage of the report of the Panel, controversies over its credibility have been on a top burner. While some have questioned its reliability and credibility, others as the Federal Government have discredited it, as argument over the legality of the panel itself has been put forward for challenge.
Following the submission of the report by the Panel on the 15th November, Governor Sanwo-Olu had constituted a four-man committee led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, to vet the report for a White Paper upon which the Government would act.
