Hunger protests postmortem: Lagos comes on front burners amidst citizens’ engagement

IBRAHIM QUADRI

 

As protests over hunger and hardship is fizzling out, Lagos State has once again demonstrated its leadership posture amongst the 36 states of the Federation.  A new engagement platform has not only been created but activated for amicable dialogue and fashioning out opportunities for residents especially the youths.

 

In its resolve to force Government to reverse the removal of subsidy and liberalization of exchange rates policies as well as reduce the cost of governance, protesters declared 10 days (days of rage), which started from August 1 to press home their demands.

 

The 12-point demands sought to address various socio-economic and political issues plaguing the nation which include the following:  Revert petrol pump price to N100/litre;  Combat insecurity and hunger; Close all IDP camps and resettle the campers and Total electoral reform.

 

Others include, Independent probe into the electoral budget of N355 billion; Immediate release of ENDSARS protesters still in detention; Implementation of living wage (minimum wage of N300k); Compulsory free education from primary to secondary school.; Children of public school holders must attend public schools in the country; Government must patronize made-in-Nigeria goods; Transition to unicameral legislation and Judicial and constitutional review.

 

In the wake of the protests, the Lagos State Government has expressed appreciation to the protesters in Lagos for their peaceful conduct and their announcement of an end to their action following the broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 4th August.

 

In this wise, the State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu praised the leaders of the protest in Lagos, saying: “Your stoppage of the protest today is a crystal clear affirmation of the fact that you know the government has heard your collective voice. What you have done is not only noble but the civilized thing to do.”

 

In demonstration of the Lagos State Government’s commitment to continuous engagement with the youth, the Governor has therefore directed that despite the stoppage of the protest, the dialogue and engagements that the State government initiated prior to the action must continue.

 

Consequently, the Ministry of Youth and Social Development; Ministry of Information and Strategy and Office of Civic Engagement would immediately open wider channels of engagement with various stakeholders, including the protest leaders.

 

The state government came up with Citizens Access Lines where Executive Council members in charge of the Ministries are to engage with the citizenry. The dedicated lines are, Office of Civic Engagement – +234 802 522 4347; Ministry of Information & Strategy – +2348119655788 and Ministry of Youth & Social Development +2347077178295.

 

“Now it is fit and proper to, once again, warn our citizens to be very vigilant. Those who seek to divide us are yet to give up. They may continue to post fake news via audio and video channels. Lagosians must never give room to warmongering, scaremongering and rumour mongering. That is not our way; that is not who we are. That is not our style.

 

“Mr. Sanwo-Olu, once again, praised Lagosians for rejecting anarchy and embracing peace. He praised the professional conduct of all security agencies, the Police Command, the Department of State Services, the Military, Civil Defence, and Neighbourhood Watch,” a statement from the state ministry of Information and Strategy stated.

 

Additionally, the Governor noted with great pride the roles of our traditional rulers, Civil Society Organisations, Community Leaders, Religious Leaders, Student Leaders and others, who ensured Lagos remained peaceful during the hunger protests.

 

Speaking in line with his principal, the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat said that the State Government would continue to engage, interact, and communicate with the youths believing that this would enable them to collaborate and partner with the government in achieving the set desired goals and programmes.

 

Speaking on Arise TV Programme, “The Morning Show” Dr. Hamzat added that the Lagos State government has been engaging the youths across different sectors to get them involved in how things are done and run in the country.

 

He said Lagos is committed to providing the youth with ‘cutting-edge’ facilities and technology, thereby, empowering them to reach their full potential, including the desire to drive innovation and growth in the state.

 

The Deputy Governor highlighted some of the initiatives the current administration has put in place to ensure that  youths are engaged and can unleash their potential for prosperity, noting that some of the youths in the state are being sponsored to different countries to see how things are done.

 

Hamzat stressed that there is no local government in Lagos that the present administration is not doing tangible projects on a regular basis. He reiterated that Lagos is the only sub-sovereign in the world to build rail on its balance sheet, adding “We think that we cannot be a metropolitan state without a rail and finishing the blue and red line is our target. Let us be able to move our people conveniently. Now we have moved from conveying 70,000 people per month to about 288,000 people. We are also building jetties among others”.

 

While calling on the private sector to participate in the different projects the state government is doing, Hamzat stressed the state’s commitment to enhancing local agricultural production, which will foster economic growth, address food price inflation, and promote food security.

 

According to Dr. Hamzat, in Badagry the state is producing enough tomatoes that will feed over 20 percent of Lagosians, and the government is keen to scale up the production further, aiming to make this essential commodity more widely available to consumers across the state.

 

The Deputy Governor condemned the comment made by “Lagospedia” on X formerly known as Twitter, with the hashtag #Igbomustgo#. The bile campaign which has generated controversy reared its ugly head during the nationwide protests.

 

Hamzat said there is no room for ethnic bigotry in Lagos State, adding that such a comment has no place in the policy direction of the present administration in the state as Lagos is a place where people of divergent tribes coexist-peacefully and the government will not allow faceless people to divide them.

 

Hamzat said that though some people are trying to do whatever it takes to divide the state, but the government will never allow that to happen, noting that sometimes, some of the people who put this type of thing out on social media are not even in the country.

 

According to him, the unwavering commitment of the present administration to protect the lives and property of all Lagos residents, is not negotiable, emphasising that the government under the leadership of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is working with security agencies to fish out the people behind the tweet and assured the citizens of their safety.

 

His words, “These faceless people just came up and said the Igbo must leave, this is absolute nonsense which is why the Governor immediately denounced it. Lagos is accommodating and that is who we are. Even when we were young, we’ve all lived together peacefully and there is no need for people to become ethnic bigots.

 

“The ongoing engagement with youths is expected to bridge the gap between the youth population and foster a collaborative approach to governance. This is Lagos. We will always choose dialogue above violence, which is never our way.”

 

Speaking further on the government’s initiatives, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso maintained that the Sanwo-Olu administration would continue to empower youths and students by providing training and equipment to those who opt to become entrepreneurs.

 

“The ongoing engagement with youths is expected to bridge the gap between the youth population and foster a collaborative approach to governance”, Omotoso said.

 

Interestingly, Lagosians have keyed into the channels of engaging with the government  going by the huge response to the state Government’s introduction of three telephone lines on which residents interact with officials.

 

In a release by the state ministry of information, within 24 hours of unveiling the telephone numbers, an average of 200 calls were received by each Ministry. Callers acknowledged the peace that existed during the recent protest and urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to sustain the programmes put in place to reduce the present economic burden on Lagosians.

 

Top on the list of requests is the return of “Ounje Eko” Sunday market across Lagos State; the 25% rebate on fares paid on all state transportation platforms and concessions in the health sector.

 

A resident said; “Please, we are asking Governor Sanwo-Olu to return the discount on BRT bus fares. A trip from Ipaja BRT, which was reduced from N800 to N600, is back to N800, but we would appreciate it if the Governor directs the BRT Operators to take it down again. This will help us reduce our daily cost of transportation”.

 

Ayomide Olarinmoye, a student from Ekiti State University, enquired about accessing Federal student loans. Nkechi Azubike highlighted hunger and suggested a temporary subsidy for six months to alleviate economic hardship.

 

As part of his responses, Omotoso said: “This is the way it should be. This is Lagos. We will always choose dialogue above violence, which is never our way.”

 

The peaceful conduct of Lagosians with an accompanied channels of communication to engage with the youths by the State government gives a pleasing postmortem of the hunger protests that came to the fore in the last few days. Now that Sanwo-Olu administration has taken this bold step. Decisive actions are needed to implement citizens’ demands. However,  most importantly, the Federal Government should urgently address citizens’ sufferings, as delay may be dangerous!.

 

 

For a better society

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