EndSARS Protests: Buhari moves to save his government

As the Federal government continues with its measured response to the ongoing nationwide #EndSARS protests, President Muhammadu Buhari and leadership of the National Assembly, on Sunday, assured protesting youths of speedy implementation of policies to halt Police brutality.

The meeting which is viewed as part of a desperate move to save his government had in attendance leadership of the National Assembly.

This is coming as the EndSARS protests took a new dimension on Sunday with Christians of the various denominations throwing away their differences to intercede for the souls of the victims of Police brutality across the country.

They also offered a minute of silence for the departed souls.

A leading Pastor of one of the new generation Churches who did not want his name in print, said “ the Church was mandated to observe a minute silence for the departed souls as their struggle was for the future benefits of humanity.

“ There is no revolution without the shedding of blood. Go and check history. What these people have will not go in vain. They are fighting for the safety of our future,” he said

The meeting which took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja was conveyed as part of plans to end the nationwide protests that have crippled economic activities across the country.

The Special Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, in Twit @Bashir Ahmad, said the meeting was attended by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Both Senate President, Lawan and the House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, speaking after the meeting, appealed to Nigerian Youths to end protests across the country

They both noted that “ Government has heard and accepted their genuine demands and is working to address all of them”
“ Since the issues raised by the protesters have been accepted by the government, the time has come for the protests to stop, the government needs to have time to implement the demands of the protesters”

An Abuja based constitutional lawyer, Mike Ileogben, while speaking of the government response and several meetings by the President, said “the government was shaken by the protests”

He advised President Buhari to carry out “more fundamental reforms “ to quickly regain his pre-2015 rating amongst Nigerians “

“Without sounding as if I am unappreciative of the President’s response so far, I think that my honest advice to him now is for him to carry out more fundamental reforms”

“These protests are deep-rooted and as the President of this country, I am sure that he must have been receiving briefings daily from his security officials.

“Why have they not been able to check and halt killings in communities, who gives out these arms, is the President saying that Nigeria is too big for the security agencies to cover?

He also urged the President to rejig his economic policies, because, according to him, “ Nigerians are hungry and there is a maxim that says, that a hungry man is an angry man”