Lekki shooting: Group kicks against demand of south-west ministers

The Coalition of Northern Patriots (CNP) says south-west ministers have displayed gross disloyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari with their demands in the aftermath of the Lekki tollgate shooting in Lagos state. 

Describing the act as a “show of shame”, the coalition advised the ministers to apologise honourably.

Among others, the ministers had demanded that the federal government support businesses affected by the arsons and lootings in Lagos as well as commence a probe into the involvement of the military in Lekki.

At a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, Nurudeen Dodo, leader of the Coalition of Northern Patriots (CNP), accused the ministers of pursuing regional political agenda.

The coalition said the cabinet members’ demands are “extremely outrageous, insensible and a blackmailing stunt of the Presidency”, especially after they have abandoned their primary mandate.

It, however, warned that the Nigerian military can not be used as political punching bags or diabolical manipulations.

The statement below:

The Coalition of Northern Patriots (CNP) views with serious revulsion and objections from the outset to the position and demands of the forum of Southwest Ministers serving under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR in the aftermath of the #EndSARS violent protests which rocked some parts of Nigeria, particularly Southern states.

The Southwest Ministers were mandated by President Buhari to relocate to their home states to dialogue with aggrieved youths protesting over Police brutality and the excesses of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The Ministers were also mandated to pacify the restive youths and meet with other stakeholders have morphed into a pressure group who have jointly placed certain demands before the Federal Government as reparation for the deliberate damages inflicted on these areas.

We are informed that the Southwest Ministers tabled to  President Buhari at the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting demands such as initiating an investigation in the alleged shooting incident at Lekki Toll Gate with focus on the role of the Nigerian Army in the saga and should assist businesses affected by the arsons and lootings by the insane and violent #EndSARS protestors. But the Minsters were silent on the prosecution of the perpetrators.

Furthermore, and most uncharitably, the Ministers also imposed on the FGN the burden of supporting  Lagos State to replace damaged facilities particularly the ones concerned with the administration of justice and also, consider short to medium term support to small and medium businesses affected by the looting and arson which took place in Lagos among a motley of other demands.

The Coalition of Northern Patriots is stating that based on the prevailing economic crunch precipitated by the negative hangover effects of Covid-19 pandemic on global economies and scarce national resources, these demands are extremely outrageous. Not every struggle is achieved through violence and that’s why most Nigerians deemed the magnitude of the #EndSARS protests and its attendant violence unnecessary. 

Conscientiously, we shall not bow to regional emotions or agenda by persons or groups and stampeding the Presidency with such illogical demands is most inappropriate at this time.

Worse of all, when the #EndSARS protests overly turned bloody, some veiled and overt political forces urged them on, instead of preaching peace and cessation of the mayhem. It is unfair and counter-productive to further stress a government already at the point of fiscal suffocation.

Nevertheless, we empathize with families of those who lost their lives in the mayhem and Nigerians whose businesses/investments were torched by the “protesting” hoodlums and vandals. 

The Coalition of Northern Patriots is hereby calling on the Southwest Ministers to honourably resign their positions from the cabinet of President Buhari to face the cherished individual and regional interests. Their actions have lucidly demonstrated that they cannot be trusted by the Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria.

If these Ministers fail to willingly resign with 14 days, the Coalition of Northern Patriots would not hesitate to call on President Buhari to sack them from his cabinet hence they have proved themselves as black sheeps in the fold.