Nigeria: Regional Leaders Meet To Avert Future #EndSARS Protests

TAIWO ADELU

The recently nationwide protests against police brutalities by the Nigerian youths and the resulting violence in the wake of the protests have sent jittery in the spines of political leaders in the country. This has forced them to wake up to the reality that concrete steps must be taken to stop future occurrence of the revolt from the younger generation.

The past one week has seen series of regional meetings across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria where political office holders, state governors, traditional rulers and opinion leaders were meeting to x-ray the socio-political situation in Nigeria after the October’s #EndSARS protests across the country.

The meetings, at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari, were organised to douse the tension created by the protest of the youths, who were demanding for an end to the excesses of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force. Buhari’s delegation to various regions was led by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

“This is the time for us to retrace our steps and a period to ask questions about the country’s future. The purpose of this engagement is to find out what the federal and state governments have done and can do. The Buhari administration is set to address what brought us to this level.

“The government would make effort to ensure inclusion of youths in governance and maximize their participation. The government is committed to police reform and community policing that can resolve some of our issues,” Gambari told a meeting of the stakeholders in the southwest region of Nigeria held in Lagos at the weekend.

Speaking at the meeting, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, said that southwest, especially Lagos State, witnessed a monumental destruction during the #EndSARS protest, adding that there is need to put “our region forward after the destruction we witnessed, we are on a journey of rebuilding South West and Lagos”

Chairman of Southwest Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, who is also the Governor of Ondo State said the region had a worrisome experience during the protest, hence the need to take holistic approach to avoid future occurrence.

He said: “In the recent past, our experience has been most worrisome, everybody is concerned, we have to sustain the peace we have started noticing.

“We are worried. What we are seeing in the last days shows that something needs to be done. What we have witnessed in the South-West is a great attack on our heritage. We must have collaboration across the board. We need the cooperation of the federal government so that this does not repeat itself.´´

Adegboyega Oyetola, the Governor of Osun State, who escaped an assassination attempt on his life during the protest in Osogbo, the state capital, was emphatic of the need for the leaders to always put the youths into consideration in government’s policies, as the younger generation won’t allow themselves to be taken for granted anymore

The Governor said: “The #EndSARS protest has certainly awoken our youths to their civic power, and we need to convert that power to positive advantage.

“With their huge population and the technology advantage, our youth constitute a major political force and we cannot afford to take them for granted.

“There is urgent need for us as leaders, to urgently fashion out ways of not only catering for the interest of our young people in governance but also ensuring their active inclusion in the development t. process.

“In Osun STate, as a youth-friendly government, we’ve developed a robust Youth Policy christened ‘The 4 Es’ – Youth Empowerment, Youth Engagement, Youth Entrepreneurship and Youth Education. We shall soon unveil the policy and work towards its full implementation.

“Also, in our 2021 Budget, which we are taking to the House of Assemblythis week, we have designed programmes for the engagement of Osun youth in Agriculture, Mining, ICT, Culture and Tourism and Commerce among others. We remain committed to the growth and development  of our young people,” the Governor stated.

Ogun State’s Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun said that the southwest meeting was a solidarity convergence to “assess the security situation of our geopolitical zone as a whole, particularly in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest.

“It was our common stance that the youth need to be further empowered, employed, trained, supported and revered, towards averting a recurrence of the violence that visited Lagos and some other cities during the recent protests.

“We must commend the Presidency’s response to the call for an end to police brutality, as well the proposed federal initiative of empowering and support scheme for youth employees, but called for sustained deliberations such as this parley among us.

“It is important we review reports of the constitutional conferences already held, including that of 2014, specifically as regards national security and human rights.”

While appreciating the role of religious leaders, such as the Ulamas, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and others for their positive interventions in resolving the #EndSARS conflicts, the Northern Governors’ Forum during their meeting, commended the roles of His Eminence, Royal Highnesses and other Royal Fathers in ensuring that the protests did not escalate significantly in the North by adopting sentimental issues such as ethnicity and religion, the Forum resolved to continuously engage with their Royal Highnesses in addressing this challenge.

“We appreciate the roles of National Assembly in engaging the youths and other critical stakeholders of the Nation in resolving the #EndSARS conflicts and the roles played by Mr. President and his Cabinet for the quick intervention in meeting the demands of the protesting youths. We have resolved to give the President the maximum support as he rolls out measures to address the lingering challenges of youth unemployment, banditry and Boko Haram insurgency in the country.

“The Forum also appreciates the roles of the youth for their response to the #EndSARS, in curtailing the spread of hooliganism, thuggery and other separatist tendencies.

Leaders in the eastern part of the country rose from their meeting at the weekend to reinstate their commitment in championing the unity of Nigeria.

“lgbo leaders stand for an indivisible and united Nigeria, built on love, fairness, equity and justice. We believe that under this platform, we are bigger and stronger.

“We thank Mr. President for the speed and restraint with which he handled the demand of peaceful ENDSARS protesters, especially his commitment to drive Police Reform and mainstream youth empowerment and also for his courage to deal with hoodlums, criminals and those who hi-jacked the initial protests, to hide under the peaceful protest and kill, maim innocent citizens, security agents and public and private properties,” the Igbo leaders said.