• Students, activist to join Walk for Peace
By Adebisi Onanuga, Robert Egbe And Oyebola Owolabi
The row generated by the White Paper on the #EndSARS report is yet to abate.
Some aggrieved women who claimed to have lost loved ones in the October 20, 2020 Lekki Tollgate incident stormed the Ikoyi residence of Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, in protest yesterday.
Also yesterday, activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) argued that the White Paper committee was unknown to law.
The women were led by Adetoun Onajobi, popularly known as Justdetoun, one of the #EndSARS protesters Governor Sanwo-Olu invited for a peace walk.
Students of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, assured Sanwo-Olu of their readiness to participate in the proposed peace walk.
#EndSARS campaigners, including Folarin Falana aka Falz and Debo Adebayo aka Mr Marcaroni, had rejected the governor’s invitation to a peace walk for “the healing of Lagos” this month.
The students gave their assurance when the governor opened the new students’ arcade at the Ojo Campus. The arcade is said to be the largest Student Union Building (SUB) in any Nigerian tertiary institution.
The governor also donated two large buses to the Students Union Government (SUG) as well as other gadgets and equipment for commuting within the campus.
President of the SUG, Comrade Oladipupo Badmus, and Speaker of the Students Representatives Council (SRC) Mustapha Adejuwon led students to welcome Sanwo-Olu, describing him as ‘a Youth-Centric Governor’.
Badmus said: “Sir, it is what you signed up for but we are indebted to you. Rest assured that whenever you walk, we will walk with you. We will be by your side. Whenever you run, we will run with you to the end.”
A rights activist and member of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Consolidated Report on General Police Brutality Cases and Report of Lekki Incident Investigation, Mr. Segun Awosanya on Thursday said he will join Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in the proposed Peace Walk, which is one of the steps being taken by the Governor to herald the healing of Lagos to bring closure to the last year’s EndSARS protests and the Lekki toll gate incident.
Awosanya who is currently in London, said he will join Governor Sanwo-Olu for the Peace Walk if he is Nigeria at the time of the walk because he is more concerned about a peaceful society.
“Because I am an advocate for peace, justice, equity and fairness, I will walk with anybody who wants peace,” Awosanya, popularly known as Segalink told Seun Okinbaloye during a live interview on Channels Television when he asked whether he would join the Peace Walk proposed by Governor Sanwo-Olu to kick start the healing process.
Awosanya while speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television on Thursday, said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration is doing everything possible to ensure peace in Lagos and the government should be encouraged for a peaceful society.
He said the decision of Lagos State Government based on its White Paper to accept 11 recommendations, reject one, accepted six with modifications and forwarded 14 to the Federal Government for consideration out of the 32 recommendations made by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry, is a good development that should be encouraged.
Awosanya said “injustice is what we should insist must be corrected” and going by the White Paper released by the Lagos State Government, some of the issues raised in the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry have been addressed.
He said the decision of the Lagos State Government to forward to the Federal Government, the recommendation of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry that October 20 should be made a national day is commendable.
Awosanya, who started the #EndSARS online, also advised that those who are dissatisfied with the Lagos State Government’s White Paper should approach the court to express their grievances against the government decision.
Also speaking during the programme, a Constitutional lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, said the White Paper released by Lagos State Government is commendable because it shows that the State Government only rejected only one out of the 32 recommendations made by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry.
He said the claim by the White Paper in respect to the deceased at the tollgate as against the the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry is in order because evidence can only be based on facts.
