Govt warns against repeat of #ENDSARS experience

The Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, has urged residents to avoid violent protests that could lead to the destruction of public property, as seen during the 2020 #EndSARS protests.

The SSG gave this advice on Tuesday while speaking to journalists after a routine security meeting with the secretaries to the local governments at the state secretariat in Alausa, Lagos.

During the 2020 protest, where youths demanded the dissolution of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad, several public properties, including a Bus Rapid Transit terminal, were set ablaze by hoodlums, and lives were reportedly lost.

Due to the rising cost of living and staple foods, some Nigerians are planning another protest expected to kick-start on August 1, 2024, and run till August 10.

The protest tagged “End Bad Governance in Nigeria” is to draw the Federal Government’s attention to hardships being faced by citizens.

Affirming that every Nigerian has the right to express themselves through protest, Salu-Hundeyin advised residents not to allow violent demonstrations to disrupt the peace the state has been enjoying.

She said, “This is the state that does not owe any pensioner a Kobo. If you retired today, you should be expecting your pension immediately. The Lagos State Government is doing so much.”

Is it the Ilera Eko, the New Insurance Medical Schemes, the university we are building, the blue line rail, and others?

“It is a legitimate right for citizens to protest; there’s nothing wrong with it. The only thing people should worry about is that we do not want violence because the nascent peace we enjoy in Nigeria now and the development we are seeing, particularly in Lagos State, should not be truncated.

“We do not want anything to tamper with all that the state is currently enjoying. During the last protest (EndSARS), we saw the destruction that happened. They have a right, but their rights should not be for destruction.”

The chairman of Scribe 57 and Ikeja SLG, Akeem Dauda, raised the same alarm and described the planned protest as “unnecessary,” noting that local people would be engaged to discourage participation.

“We have resolved that the protest is uncalled for and unnecessary based on what Lagos State, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has done in the last year. We feel strongly about educating them about why the protest in Lagos is unnecessary.

“As local government people, we will tell our children, family members, and communities that what we have now in the country is something that we must protect jealously. We will continue to tell the government what the people want,” he stated.