Tag: White Paper

Why we have revenue constraints – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has alluded to reasons why his government is having revenue constraints, stressing this is mainly a result of the theft of crude oil, a major contributor to Nigeria’s revenue base.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports President Buhari as saying this is compounded by the global economic downturn as a result of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.

Buhari made this known when he received the Central Working Committee of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) at the State House, Abuja, on Friday when he assured that the Orosanye White Paper Report will be implemented, after review.

According to him, the public service remains the engine room of the government and should attract the “best and brightest” that will fuel policies with fresh ideas.

He said: “I have directed that the Orosanye White Paper Report be subjected to immediate review to enable Government take the most appropriate decision on its general recommendation. I am aware that the review is about to be completed.

“While some may complain about the length of time it has taken thus far, the outcome of the various review teams would lead to some fundamental changes in the structure of our Civil Service and as such it must be subjected to rigorous review and scrutiny before presentation and implementation”.

According to the president, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will submit the harmonised white paper once it has been concluded. He assured that the administration remains focused on strengthening the service and ensuring it helps the government fulfill its objectives.

The president noted that the government understands the role of the Civil Service in policy formulation and implementation towards the provision of socio-economic and political benefits to our citizens.

“This administration remains focused on strengthening the service and ensuring it helps the government fulfill its objectives. The Civil Service must not be seen as a dumping ground for job seekers, but must attract the best and the brightest who will contribute fresh ideas and a determination to solving our socio-economic problems,” the president added.

Buhari appreciated civil servants for their role in realising targets of the administration.

“The role and importance of the Civil Service cannot be over emphasised. A strong Civil Service is the bedrock on which good governance, policy execution and pathways for the delivery of democratic dividends can be achieved.

“I am further delighted to note your acknowledgement of the giant strides this administration has made since its inception in repositioning the Federal Civil Service for greater productivity and enhanced performance.

“I take note of the various milestone achievements you have listed which symbolises our commitment to the Civil Service in spite of the many challenges that we encountered from the beginning of this journey,’’ he said.

President Buhari addressed the issue of the revenue constraints when he spoke on the request for salary review for civil servants by the committee while acknowledging the urgent need for a general salary review in the Federal Public Service due to worldwide problems of high inflation amidst general economic disruption.

“However, I wish to urge you to appreciate the revenue constraints being presently faced by Government which is caused mainly by the activities of unscrupulous citizens through the theft of our crude oil, a major contributor to our revenue base.

“This is compounded by global economic downturn as a result of the on-going Russian – Ukrainian war, which has led to price increases not just in the costs of goods and services globally, but also in the transportation of these goods and services across the globe. You are also aware of the enormous burden placed on our finances by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Furthermore, let me note the significant investment we have had to make in security over the last seven years, which means other sectors of the economy have not been able to receive as much funding as we would have liked.

“Only when our country is secured, that we are able to proceed and take on other aspects of our economic challenges,’’ he added.

Buhari explained that investment in security assets had been at a huge cost, after several decades of negligence.

“However, my confidence in the Nigerian Armed forces is unshaken, and I have tasked the Chief of Defense Staff and his service chiefs to take the war to these criminals who have made life difficult for many Nigerians.

“Recent reports have shown the message is now being heard and the dividends of our seven years of investments are now maturing.

“I implore our forces to continue with the current effort and determination until we rid our land of these miscreants.

“I also wish to reiterate that we will not allow a few criminals to have unfettered access to the nation’s crude oil supply hence I have directed our security agencies to speedily bring to a halt the activities of these vandals in the Niger Delta,’’ he said.

He said that criminal activities on seas, where large vessels seek to hide in neighboring countries will be checked.

He stressed that “there should be no hiding place for such criminals, and our cooperation with neighbouring countries in halting these crimes is being strengthened and tightened.’’

Buhari told the Central Working Committee of ASCSN that request for restoration of the payment of gratuity to public service employees was one of the landmark provisions addressed in the 2004 Pension Reform Act.

“Therefore, implementing your request for the payment of a bulk sum of gratuity to retired civil servants would negate the intent and provisions of the Act.

“It should be acknowledged that a change in the implementation of the Act would require an amendment by the National Assembly.

“But more importantly, the Pension Reform Act is a better designed and robust system that allows for safety of pensioners funds and its payment.’’

On the harmonisation of salary in the Public Service, the president said a committee was set up for that purpose, under the Minister of Finance which was still working.

According to Buhari, a report is expected to be submitted at the conclusion of its assignment, which would be studied for appropriate action.’

The president said the Head of Service of the Federation had been directed to liaise with other relevant government agencies to see how the 2023 budget estimates could accommodate an increase in the budget of Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board.

“Let me thank you once more for this visit and to reassure you that this administration would not tolerate any policy that would destabilise the service.

“I therefore implore you to always acknowledge your very important role as the engine room of government no matter the political party that is in power. This is the main reason why you must remain non-partisan in the discharge of your duties,’’ he said.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said members of ASCSN had been supportive in actualising programmes and policies of the administration.

He described the leadership as mostly public servants that were vast in civil service procedure, “so when you negotiate with them it is easy and when you make the right point they know’’.

In his remarks, the President of ASCSN, Dr Tommy Okon, noted that the administration had been “worker-friendly’’ with implementation of far reaching reforms.

He said such reforms included regular payment of salaries and allowances, increase in minimum wage, extension of retirement age for some workers, like teachers, and sustenance of the size of public service in spite of constraints of financing.

Okon however called for an increase in salaries of civil servants, following increasing cost of living, restoring full payment of gratuity at retirement, harmonisation of public service salaries and allowances, and increase in the budget of the National Housing Fund.

He said the increasing cost of living had made it difficult for many public servants to carry on in spite of the minimum wage review, advising that benefits of all public servants should also be harmonised for fairness.

“There should be equal pay for jobs of equal value,’’ he added.

The president of ASCSN commended Buhari for ensuring access and inclusivity in governance, noting that it is the first time the association was meeting with a president of the country.

August 20, 2022
ENDSARS Panel and the LASG White Paper, By Carl Umegboro

By Carl Umegboro

The ‘ENDSARS’ nationwide protest warranted by the ruthless and extrajudicial killings of security agencies particularly the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit in the Nigerian Police then, which is endemic in Nigeria has continued to take different dimensions. During the protest, monumental losses were recorded by the governments, public and private sectors. Several policemen were killed. Police stations, government vehicles including eighty (80) newly acquired BRT buses provided for mass transit by Lagos state government valued at a whopping N3.9 billion were asininely set ablaze. Two major Correctional centres were attacked and inmates freed. Acts of sexual violence were also reported. NPA headquarters in Lagos, banks, courts and others also got their share from hoodlums’ attacks.

In the private sector, part of the Oriental Hotels at Lekki which was then rumoured to belong to the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his Television Continental (TVC) were openly, irrationally damaged which changed the narrative as settling political scores. Invasion of the palace of Oba of Lagos, others’ houses and looting of many shopping malls were also encountered in the mobs’ actions. What remains baffling is the connection between these individuals being ‘bloody-civilians’ like the protesters and the police brutality. These incidents suggest the protest was hijacked to settle scores.

At the initial stage, President Muhammadu Buhari backed the protesters to freely express their grievances albeit in a peaceful manner as a conventional best practice over incessant police excesses, and in solidarity, instantly scrapped SARS. That done, but rather than the protest subsided as expected, it advanced and rapidly transformed to ‘End-Buhari’ revolution with politicians funding and reinforcing the mobs which attracted the security operatives to arrest the situation. Conversely, scrapping the SARS was ill-advised. Disciplining the bad eggs in SARS should have practically achieved a better result instead of complete scrapping of the unit as insecurity in the country has overtly worsened following the action.

Then, following claims and counter-claims of massacres at Lekki tollgate in Lagos during the protest particularly by the Cable News Network (CNN), Buhari through the National Economic Council directed state governments to set up independent panels to investigate, report findings alongside make recommendations. Consequently, the ‘Lagos State Panel of Inquiry on Restitution of Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Related Matters’ was birthed to independently handle the tasks efficiently. On November 15, 2021, the panel submitted its report, but by mission or omission, it was leaked. Next, an alleged death threat of a member of the panel spread intensely all over the media space. Many believe the leakage was shadily planned to overshadow the anticipated White Paper.

From the panel’s report, it submitted that at least 46 unarmed protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullets or assaulted by security forces at Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020 and penciled names of nine dead persons but without details including circumstances that led to their deaths. Logically, the term ‘either’ in the panel’s report after a one-year intensive investigation makes it neither here nor there. On account of the inconsistencies, the White Paper released by the LASG endorsed only 11 out of the 32 recommendations and separated those statutorily under federal government’s control. It also rejected the list of nine dead persons purportedly killed at Lekki tollgate except one which was witnessed during the uproar as no details supported others. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos governor however leaves the door open for proof to contenders, and plans a peace walk. Though a good idea, however, the rally should be critically reconsidered against further civil disorder particularly in December.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed had earlier described the report as ‘fake and tales by moonlight’. It was also rumoured that one of the deceased among the purported murdered persons in the report died a year prior to the ENDSARS protest. Now, looking at the intention of the government for considering an investigative panel, perceptively, it was targeted to a redress where necessary provided it reflects the true positions of what transpired during the protest. However, the government argues that no family showed up when corpses could be traced, identified, examined or autopsy conducted and those allegedly injured with gunshots be verified at the hospitals. It further argues that death certificates of the alleged slain protesters are necessary to ascertain the date, location and cause of death. These are strong arguments any day.

Suffice to say that the panel failed to credibly determine the claims of alleged massacres and police brutality during the protest at Lekki tollgate. Possibly, the panel enthroned emotions above objectivity leading it to rest on speculations and assumptions. The panel’s conclusions without proof are debatably prejudiced. The first task should have been to visit the alleged bereaved families and injured persons in the hospitals for verification as everybody living or dead is traceable to a family. Essentially, the panel ought to adduce death certificates and medical reports from hospitals that treated injured persons as it is a standard practice that hospitals do not treat persons with gunshots without a police report prior to or while undergoing treatment.

The way forward is; as Babajide Sanwo-Olu astutely leaves the door open demonstrating his neutrality, the allegations of extrajudicial killing of nine persons and brutality of the unarmed protesters will rest on nothing, lacking strong argument to challenge the White Paper if without proof. And sensibly, no accountable government will do otherwise. The alleged massacres and brutality must be substantiated by the victims’ families as well as those treated in hospitals of injuries linkable to the military and police brutality during the protests in October 2020. Thus, the onus rests squarely on CNN and those that adduced the panel with claims of massacres and brutality during the Lekki tollgate protests to substantiate them. If there are no proofs, on a serious note, CNN owes the country unreserved apologies for misrepresentation. The truth matters more than propaganda.

Umegboro is a public affairs analyst and social advocate.

December 7, 2021
White Paper: Bit-by-bit responses of Lagos Government to 32 recommendations of #EndSARS Judicial Panel

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday evening released and published two White Papers on the Judicial Panel of Inquiry it set up to investigate matters relating to police brutality (#EndSARS) in the state.

One of the White Papers focused on the JPI’s report on the Lekki Toll Gate incident of October 20, 2020.

A leaked version of the JPI report had indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos state government in the killing of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate and a subsequent cover-up.

But, in its White Paper, the Lagos state government maintained that there was no massacre at the Toll Gate and denied orchestrating a cover-up.

Below are the 32 recommendations of the JPI and how the State Government responded:

1. The Panel recommended that the police should be adequately funded, effectively trained, and provided with the requisite accouterments and equipment. It also recommended a better and more harmonised communication system with all security apparatus of the state; and better welfare packages for police officers, including improved salary, well-equipped offices, provision of decent accommodation, and transportation

LASG says it notes this recommendation and will forward this recommendation to the Federal Government and other necessary agencies. It adds that it has supported and will continue to support the Lagos Command of the Nigeria Police Force through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

2. The Panel recommends disciplinary action to the following officers – Lt Col S.O Bello and Major General Godwin Umelo, who refused to honour its summons in order to frustrate the investigation.

LASG notes it will forward this recommendation to the Federal Government, the National Economic Council, and Nigerian Army for their consideration.

3. The Panel recommends that all officers (excluding Major General Omata) men of the Nigerian Army that were deployed to the Lekki Toll gate on October 20, 2020, should be made to face appropriate disciplinary action, stripped of their status, and dismissed as they are not fit and proper to serve in any public or security service of the nation.

LASG notes that the Nigerian Army is an organisation that has its own disciplinary procedures and processes as set down by law, over which it has no control. Nevertheless, it will forward this recommendation to appropriate authorities for their consideration and action.

4. The Panel recommends that all those arrested in the course of the protest should be granted bail, prosecuted for any offence that may be alleged against them, or where no prima facie evidence of culpability is disclosed upon due investigation, they should be released forthwith.

LASG notes that the issue of grant of bail is a matter within the exclusive preserve of the Judiciary, but notes the recommendation.

5. The panel recommends that the Nigeria Army be discouraged from intervening in internal security.

LASG notes that section 217(2)(c) of the constitution states that the Armed Forces may “intervene to suppress insurrection and also to assist civil authorities to restore lawful order” which had clearly broken down in Lagos between 19th – 21st October 2020. Such intervention must however be with clear rules of engagement, it adds.

6. The panel, having found that the use of social media played significant role in escalating the crises and appeals for restraint in spreading unverified pieces of information to the general public.

LASG agrees with this recommendation and notes that the incident at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, was exacerbated by indiscriminate dissemination of unverified accounts of the events of that day. It says it will launch a campaign to sensitise the public on the use of social media and the inherent dangers in its abuse.

7. The Panel commends several hospitals and all the medical personnel that attended to the victims of gunshot wounds at the Lekki Toll Gate and treated all of them free of charge. The Panel recommends them for special awards by the Lagos State and Federal Governments.

LASG notes that it commends all medical personnel and hospitals that treated citizens who suffered injuries during the protest. However, it disagrees that hospitals treated victims of gunshot wounds from Lekki Toll Gate in the light of the evidence before the Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JPI), that only one person suffered gunshot injury from Lekki Toll Gate at 7:43 pm on October 21, 2020.

8. The Panel recommends that the commitment made to the hospitals by the Lagos State Government through the Governor and the Commissioner for Health for the payment of the hospital bills of the #EndSARS protesters should be fulfilled.

LASG notes that it has paid all hospitals. It however commends Reddington Hospital which rendered its services free of charge.

9. The Panel recommends that the DPO of Maroko Police Station along with policemen deployed from the station on October 20 and 21, 2021 be prosecuted for arbitrary and indiscriminate shooting and killing of protesters.

LASG notes that even though the evidence before the JPI does not establish arbitrary and indiscriminate killing of protesters at Lekki Toll Gate, it will request the police to further investigate the matter and furnish the Director of Public Prosecutions in Lagos State with the case file of the matter within 90 days. It also enjoined members of the public who have credible evidence of the allegations against the DPO of Maroko Police Station and policemen deployed from there to submit such evidence to the office of the DPP within the same time frame.

10. The Panel recommends that a Grievance Address mechanism should be improved upon to engender speedy attention and action.

LASG accepts this recommendation and will intensify its effort to engage the youths as it has been doing through the Youth/Police Dialogue and Youth Peaceful Conflict Resolution programme.

11. The Panel recommends that Government should engage regularly with youths and be proactive and responsive when tense situations arise.

LASG accepts this recommendation and will intensify efforts to engage the youths and be proactive in all situations. It adds that dialogue with youths is ongoing and is a continuous process.

12. The panel recommends that curfew regulations should be widely publicised.

LASG accepts this recommendation.

13. The panel recommends reorientation and training of police and security personnel on the handling of crime scenes.

LASG notes that it will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government for consideration and also reaffirms its commitment to resuscitate the Lagos DNA & Forensic Centre (one of whose components is a Crime Scene Lab) looted and destroyed during the October 21, 2020 carnage.

14. The Panel recommends that Coroner inquests and autopsies should be done in cases of suspicious death within a maximum of one month of occurrence of the incident.

LASG notes that there is already in place a robust Coroner Systems law in the state.

15. The Panel recommends that there should be guidelines and standard procedures for mortuaries on information to be requested and documentation is done in cases of bodies brought to them.

LASG says it notes that it has in place standard operating procedures for mortuaries, but in the light of lessons learned during the protests and its aftermath, it will improve on its SOPs in line with best practices.

16. The Panel recommends training of health officials, particularly LASEHMU.

LASG says it accepts and will provide further training and capacity building for its health officials, particularly Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (LASEHMU).

17. The Panel recommends training and retraining of all security officials, including Civil defense, Police and the Army on rules of engagement and management of protest.

LASG notes it will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government for consideration. It adds that it is committed to continuous training of its law enforcement agencies.

18. The Panel recommends that the situation of the integrity of the scene of the incident must be preserved and items of physical evidence should not be removed between the time-lapse from the incident and scene examination in any other situation.

LASG accepts this recommendation and will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government for consideration. It also reaffirmed its commitment to resuscitating the Lagos DNA & Forensic Centre.

19. The Panel recommends that the Lekki Toll Plaza be made a memorial site for #EndSARS protest, by renaming to ‘#EndSARS Toll Gate.’

LASG notes that it will designate a park in the State and name it ‘Peace Park’ to serve as a reminder to citizens of the peaceful protest all over the State against abuse of human rights.

20. The Panel recommends that October 20 should be designated as “Toll Free Day” at the Lekki Toll Gate as long as the tollgate exists.

LASG notes that in the spirit of healing and reconciliation, it accepts the recommendation.

21. The Panel recommends that October 20 should be made #EndSARS day nationally for the remembrance of our fallen youth.

LASG notes that it has no powers to declare any day as a national day and adds that the recommendation will be forwarded to the Federal Government.

22. The Panel recommends that for the purpose of restitution, healing, and reconciliation, the Federal Government needs to publicly apologise to the youth for abruptly undermining the protest with their state actors.

LASG says it notes and will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government for consideration.

23. The Panel recommends that the government should do all it can to bridge the gap of distrust with the Youth.

LASG accepts this recommendation and notes that the process has already commenced.

24. The Panel recommends that a monument memorialising the lives lost and those injured at the Lekki Toll Gate with the names inscribed on the Monument.

LASG notes that this recommendation is not acceptable to it because it is unable to accept the finding that nine people died at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020. It also notes that there was no massacre at Lekki Toll Gate, contextual or otherwise. It adds that the finding of the JPI that nine people died from gunshots fired by the Military are based on assumptions and speculations.

25. The Panel recommends the establishment of a standing committee to bridge the gap between the society and the police via information gathering, community engagement, youth sensitisation, prompt intervention on issues that require intelligence-led policing, and community policing principles for the review and action of the State Commissioner of Police.

LASG notes and will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government and National Economic Council.

26. The Panel recommends that the scrutiny of all disciplinary processes of the Nigerian Army and the police be made transparent and outcomes made public periodically.

LASG says it notes and will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government and National Economic Council.

27. The Panel recommends that the Complaint Response Unit of the Police at the FHQ must be reinforced to scale up its national responsibilities in prompt engagement and treating public complaints against erring officers across the country to avoid conflagration.

LASG says it notes and will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government and National Economic Council.

28. The Panel recommends that any data that may have been generated over the years on the impunity of the police across Nigeria be studied and deployed as early warning signs (EWS) mechanism.

LASG says it notes and will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government and the National Economic Council.

29. The Panel recommends that compensation to the victims in cases emanating from the Lekki incident of October 20 be facilitated and promptly distributed to ensure justice is served and seen to be served for accelerated healing to win the peace and build public trust.

LASG says it notes and will forward the recommendation to the Federal Government and the National Economic Council.

30. The Panel recommends a special trust fund for compensation of victims of the Lekki Toll Gate incident of October 20, 2020, and other established and proven human rights abuses.

LASG says it will take steps to forward the recommendation to the Federal Government and the National Economic Council.

31. The Panel recommends that the Lagos State Assembly should set up a standing Human Rights Committee or Tribunal made up of representatives of the Nigeria Police, Ministry of Justice, National Human Rights Commission, Office of the Public Defender, Legal Aid Council, CSOs, and other relevant stakeholders with a mandate to receive and make determinations in respect of complaints made against the Nigerian police and other security agencies.

LASG notes that it will take appropriate legislative actions to establish a standing Human Rights Committee comprising of members of civil society, the Nigerian Bar Association, Office of Public Defender, and security agencies.

32. The Panel recommends that all petitions filed before the panel but that could not be heard due to time constraints should be channeled through the Ministry of Justice to the Standing Human Rights Committee or Tribunal.

LASG says it notes and accepts this recommendation.

December 1, 2021
White Paper on Lekki massacre report, By Sonnie Ekwowusi

By Sonnie Ekwowusi

Most of those who run our affairs in Nigeria are minutely making us a laughing stock before the civilized world. Most of us admit this unpleasant fact about our country. In his classical essay entitled, Common Sense, Tom Paine maintained that the English government was evil. “Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness: the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is patron, the other punisher”, he opined.

To a striking degree in line with Tom Paine’s thought, our government in Nigeria is an engine of fraud if not complete evil. For example, the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up to investigate the 2020 Lekki Toll Gate Massacre (#Lekki Massacre) has recently submitted its Report to the Lagos State government. The Report is a damning incitement on the Buhari government as well as the Lagos State government.

Not unexpectedly, the Federal government through Information Minister Lai Mohammed has rejected the Report of the Panel. Why? Because the Report indicts the Federal government. The Report finds the Nigerian soldiers and policemen culpable in the massacre of young protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate despite the fact that some of them were waving the green-white-green Nigerian flag as a testament to their national pride and unalloyed patriotism and loyalty to their country. Perhaps the saddest aspect is that right now some members of the Panel are either receiving death threats or are being physically assaulted in broad daylight in the streets for letting truth and justice prevail or come to light in the Report of the Panel. I can’t understand this country. If one waves the Biafra flag or the Oduduwa flag one is hounded and killed by blood thirsty and trigger-happy State agents. Now if one waves the green-white-green Nigerian flag one is also shot at and killed by the same blood thirsty and trigger-happy State agents. So what is happening in Nigeria? What should a true Nigerian patriot do in the face of oddities? Stand hands akimbo, jaw dropped and watch the oddities unfold? Must the truth offend?

At first the Federal government washed its hands off the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry Report on the illogical contention that it was purely a Lagos affair. Now the Federal government argues that since none of the relatives of the murdered protesters has come before the government to claim compensation, the Report lacks merit and therefore should be rejected. This is laughable. It is also an infantile afterthought. It is on record that the soldiers, police, other State agents and the Federal government itself freely submitted to the jurisdiction of the Judicial Panel. They freely participated in the proceedings of the Panel. Each was represented by a lawyer of its choice. Each was given ample time and opportunity to argue its case before the Panel. Each called its witnesses, examined them in chief, re-examined them as well as cross-examined the opponents’ witnesses. Why is the Federal government through Lai Mohammed rejecting the Report of the Panel simply because it indicts the Federal government? The refutation of the truth contained in the Panel Report by the State may be an instruction that our country Nigeria is built on criminal foundation otherwise why should anybody in his right senses continue to say that the shooting, killing and maiming of Lekki young protesters which we all watched on that live streaming in the night of October 20 2020, is “a massacre without bodies”.

At the Press Briefing organized last week by Civil Society on harassment and intimidation of the members of the Lagos Panel, an NGO called the Corporate Accountability & Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) distributed one of its publications where some of the Lekki Massacre survivors gave detailed accounts/testimonies of what transpired during the shooting. Hear them. “We were hinted that soldiers were coming…we began to hear gunshots…My friend was shot in the chest in my presence” (Edwin Augustine Ekene); “They were shooting up and down, and suddenly they began to shoot towards our direction. They said they used rubber bullets but how can that lead to amputation(Faleye Olalekan, an amputee); “Patrick Ukala was by my side when I was shot. We have known each other for a long time before the protest. We live in the same area. When it happened, I turned to him saying, Patrick they don shoot me o…The blood of protesters lost in the struggle is crying for justice” (Nicholas Anthony); “They shot my son in the forehead” (Ayedungbe Olufunmi); “They came to kill, not to scare protesters away” (Ajumobi Olajide); Soldiers will tell people to run and as they go, they shoot at them” (Dabira Oluwa); “My brother was killed at Lekki Tollgate”;(Nathanial Solomon); “We were still singing our national anthem and holding our flags but the worst happened at exactly 6.14-6.40 pm, the soldiers attacked. They started shooting at us straight, they said it was blank bullets, how can a blank bullet penetrate and kill somebody, how can a blank bullet pull someone’s skull up?” (Ibeh Perpetual Kamsi). I can go on reeling out the Lekki Massacre victims’ accounts.

The foregoing evidence and the evidence contained in the Report of the Panel are overwhelmingly incriminating. Where in any civilized world are agents of the State dispatched to kill or main peaceful protesters? Where in any civilized world are agents of the State dispatched to carry out a nocturnal raid of the residences of the Supreme Court justices or, indeed, the residence of any citizen for that matter? Mind you, the Lekki shooting and killing of unarmed civilians is not the first and certainly would not be last of its kind in Nigeria. The Nigerian soldiers and Nigeria police have gained notoriety across the world for opening fire and killing unarmed civilians. If the military only fired blank bullets in the thin air as Lai Mohammed claims, how come there were mutilated human corpses lying in the pool of human blood after the shooting? If the military didn’t shoot at the protesters, why were the Nigerian flags carried by the protesters smeared with human blood? If the military didn’t fire live bullets, why was the scene of the crime littered with bullet casings and pellets after the shooting and murder?.

Therefore the Lagos State government is humbly advised to release the White Paper on the Lekki Massacre forthwith. The Paper, firstly, should commend the Judicial Panel for a job well done. The White Paper should order that all those culpable in the Lekki Massacre, whether soldiers, police, personnel of the Lekki Concession Company, big men or big women, should be brought to justice forthwith. Nobody is above the law. It should order that all the relatives of those who lost their loved ones and victims of the Lekki Massacre in general, including amputee Faleye Olalekan, should be adequately compensated. Considering that the commercialization of the Lekki Toll Gate further prompted the Lekki Massacre, the White Paper should ban further collection of tolls at the Lekki Toll Gate and recommend that the Toll Gate should be converted as a national monument in remembrance and immortalization of the victims of the Lekki Massacre. The White Paper should also order that no member of the Panel should henceforth be harassed, intimidated, visited with death threats or otherwise be made to suffer any disadvantage or inconvenience or fatality. Finally, the Paper should recommend that October 20 of every year should henceforth be declared in Nigeria as #EndSARS Remembrance Day in honour of the victims of Lekki Massacre. The Lekki Massacre has cut deep into the heart of the nation. No Lai Mohammed lie, denial, or dirty politics or pseudo-rationalization can erase away the murder from our collective memory.

December 1, 2021
#EndSARS: Lagos releases two-part White Paper; accepts 11 of 32 recommendations, modifies six, rejects one, to forward others to FG [Documents Attached]

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday night released the White Paper on the #EndSARS Panel of Inquiry report.

According to the government, 11 out of the 32 recommendations made by the panel, have been accepted, six others were accepted but with modifications, while one was rejected.

The document also says 14 of the recommendations fall outside the powers of the state and will consequently be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.

A leaked version of the report had indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos State Government in the killing of unarmed protesters and a subsequent cover-up of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

But after the panel submitted its findings to Governor Sanwo-Olu, he set up a four-member committee led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), giving them two weeks to raise the White Paper on the reports submitted by the panel.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, the Governor said the leakage was “regrettable”.

“While I commend the panel for undertaking its task to the best of its abilities, it is however regrettable that the panel’s work and the leakage of an unauthorized version of the report have generated much tension. Sadly, a deep wound has been reopened,” he added.

The governor, however, assured Lagosians that his administration remains committed to justice and truth.

Speaking further, he announced that he had initiated a peace walk as part of efforts to ensure harmony in the state.

“To quicken recovery and engender a better understanding, I will lead ‘A Walk for Peace’ in December to herald the healing of the land.

“I have extended an open invitation to the youths, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups, students and the media, as well as other stakeholders to join me in this peace walk,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Below is a copy of the 22-page White Paper on the report of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, and a second report on general incidents of police brutality in Lagos State.

White Paper 2 on the report of general police brutality in Lagos State.

December 1, 2021