• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

#EndSARS: Sanwo-Olu puts children of slain policemen on scholarship, to set up rebuild Lagos trust fund

Lagos raises budget, constructs roads to connect more communities

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the Lagos State government will be setting up ‘Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund’ in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest and massive destruction of public and private properties that followed.

He also promised the government would offer scholarships to children of policemen killed during the protest, to the university level, compensate their families, foot hospital bills of injured officers, take care of their burial expenses, replace all damaged personal and official vehicles of police officers as well as work towards insurance policy for Lagos police officers.

The governor made the promises when he visited the Lagos Police Command, Ikeja, on an interaction with police personnel on how to effectively police the state.

Sanwo-Olu at the event acknowledged and thanked the personnel for their support, dedication to service to the people of Lagos, describing them as galant and a source of joy.

He said the interrraction with was to heal their pains, saying he takes full responsibility for what happened, as his government would start implementing some of their demands immediately.

“You have not been truly acknowledge but I want to thank you. You’ve been gallant. You have shown how critical you are in our society. We might come from different backgrounds but we are all humans created by God. The Lagos State Police Command has been a delight inspite of our differences and inadequacies.

You did not create the problems, these are institutional problems. As your governor, I acknowledge what you do and stand for,” he told the officers.

He added: “How do we take Lagos forward, how do we heal our wounds? It’s about not looking back but looking forward. Lagos would not look back again. As your governor, I take full responsibility for what happened and has not happened. I will not shy from it. We will foot all the hospital bills of injured policemen.

We will pay compensation to the families of deceased officers. We will take over the burial arrangements of fallen officers. We will consider replacement of your vehicles and motorcycles that have been burnt. We will look at the numbers of policemen in Lagos as regards insurance policy.”

All the children of fallen officers will be given scholarships so they can have a decent education. We will upgrade the police cottage hospital.”

The governor warned those “using social media to foment trouble” to desist.

Earlier, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Southwest, Leye Oyebade, said there was the need to go back to the drawing board, adding that the way forward was to re-address the method of policing in the country by embracing community and digital policing.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu commended Sanwo-Olu administration’s for support.
Odumosu, however, appealed to the governor to further provide the command with security equipment.