As we await #EndSARS white paper, will Sanwo-Olu fail the youth?

BY TOSIN ADESINA

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state governor, is in the eyes of the storm. The governor of the economic capital of the country is currently at the centre point of the nation and beyond and this is not farfetched. In October 2020, Nigeria witnessed one of its largest protests in history — the #EndSARS protest. It is a protest against police brutality in general and the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the force renowned for massive human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.

The protest, which was peaceful, ended on a bloody note on the evening of October 20, 2020, when military men stormed the Lekki toll gate under the cover of darkness to shoot at #EndSARS protesters who were sitting down and waving the Nigerian flag while singing the national anthem. They were killed and injured in the process. This killing, which has now been declared a massacre by the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the Lagos state government, has cast a shadow over the state and the personality of the governor who was alleged to have invited the military to the Lekki toll gate as contained in a report by the panel.

The panel under the leadership of Justice Doris Okuwobi, on Monday, submitted its report after more than one year of sitting. While receiving the report, the governor commended the panel and immediately set up a four-man committee to produce the white paper of the report for the state to act on. This committee led by Moyosore Onigbanjo, the state attorney general has a 14-day deadline to produce the white paper.

While we are waiting till November 29 which is the end of the 14 days deadline, it is important that the governor is reminded to keep to his word and produce the white paper as all eyes are on him. The #EndSARS protest was more than a protest; it was a movement against bad governance, poverty and hunger that have held down the youth of Lagos and Nigeria. These young individuals abandoned by the government chose other legitimate means like tech, crypto, fashion, entertainment among others to earn a living were subjected to various forms of abuse by SARS operatives, which led to the protest.

There is an existing wide gap of trust between the leaders and the led in Nigeria. A quick attempt to close that gap is the timely production of the white paper in the next 12 days from now which is expected to lead to a full implementation of the recommendations in the report. The governor cannot afford to fail the youth constituency at this point in time, considering that the report of the judicial panel is now accessible to all Lagosians. Sanwo-Olu is advised to ignore any dissenting voice that may advise him to withhold the hands of justice on this report.

Several reports have been submitted to the government in the past with nothing to show for them as they all ended up in the dustbin. However, the world and the Nigerian youths, in particular, won’t allow this to happen to the #EndSARS report. That report contains justice, peace and progress which is important for the safety of the Nigerian youths. While we wait for the next 14 days, I ask: will Sanwo-Olu fail the youth?

Tosin, host of @ActivismSpaces on Twitter, writes from Lagos