The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has disclosed that he would join other good intentioned Nigerians to require the youth’s EndSARS agitations serious, saying he had been a victim of police brutality within the past.
This was because the Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari would listen and implement all the stress made by the youth during the EndSARS protest.
The duo spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the capital , on Sunday, during an interactive session held by stakeholders’ on the recent #EndSARS protest that resonated panic across the country.
Governor Fayemi said the case of police brutality was one issue that affects every facet of the society, revealing that he was a victim before the 2014 governorship poll within the state while seeking re-election.
Fayemi, who was defeated within the summer solstice , 2014 election by his predecessor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, had before the election was allegedly teargassed by a team police operatives at Mugbagba area of Ado Ekiti while some APC governor were prevented from entering the state to campaign for him having been allegedly stopped by security agencies at the borders.
Describing the youths because the engineering of the nation’s economy, Fayemi stated that there was a requirement for the governments in the least levels to partner the youth for sustainable peace and development.
Read also: Governor Fayemi presents 2021 budget.
He said: “I am a victim of police brutality myself. you’ll all recall what happened to me during my election of 2014 once I was teargassed. But some policemen had also rendered good services to me, so not all of them are bad.
“The EndSARS protest was a noble course. it had been supported here in Ekiti not due to those involved, except for the rationale behind the action which we believe would help the police to try to to theirs.
“The youth protest in Ekiti was well-intentioned and peaceful. Right to peaceful protest is an inalienable right. For the primary time, we’ve a panel of inquiries at every level of state to tackle our issues. We must not resort to violence as an answer to our agitations. We must all speak in unison against violence as we did in unison against Police brutality.
“Our youth are angry because as they were beginning of the closure of faculties over coronavirus pandemic, they entered into ASUU strike, then there’s hunger within the land and therefore the harsh economic situation in our country.
“The government has done many intervention programmes and had proscribed SARS and introduced youth investment fund and lots of others as a response to the youth agitations.
“I commiserate with the families of these who paid the supreme price. We identify with them. The panels that we found out will check out the explanations behind the protest and the way best to deal with the problems raised because EndSARS protest had placed an ethical burden on all folks that we must be vigilant.
“Police must be motivated to try to to well. Policemen must be remunerated. There must be good motivation for the police to be ready to discharge their duties effectively.”
Also giving reassurance that President Buhari will implement all the problems raised by the youth, Adebayo said: “The purpose why we are here today is that, all the Ministers working under President Buhari got a presidential order to carry interactions with the people. Mr President listens to people. He wanted to use this interaction to feel the heart beat of all Nigerians.
“We appreciate Governor Fayemi for setting us a panel to inquire about police brutality and other issues that are connected. As your representative at the FEC, i will be able to still do my best to represent Ekiti well.”
He advised the youth to always apply for any youth-oriented programmes being unrolled by the federal and stop having the erroneous impression that they won’t be enlisted as beneficiary, saying, “apply first and see what happens.”
In his contributions, the Assistant military officer of Police, Zone 17, comprising Ondo and Ekiti, Mr David Folawiyo, said the EndSARS protest had actually exhumed fundamental issues indicative of the rots within the system.
“Ultimate power belongs to the masses, especially the youth. The EndSARS agitations didn’t state that the police were bad, but they said the SARS operatives were bad. We agreed that there have been bad eggs within the SARS but in most cases, people were those requesting for SARS services.
“We know that we’ve to restructure the police which are going to be done. But we should always all work together to form police effective. we should always all be patriotic and once we’ve this spirit, there won’t be SARS again. The police must be equipped and ultimately, we must all collaborate to finish SARS.”
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