#EndSARS: Youths have reasons to demand better future – Sanwo-Olu

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says Nigerian youths have various reasons to demand for better life and future.

He spoke on Tuesday at a symposium organised by the Lagos State ministry of youth and social development with the theme, “rebuilding for greatness, peaceful conflict resolution” held in Ikeja, the state capital.

The symposium was organised to engage over 1,500 youths drawn from voluntary, uniformed, and non-governmental organisations and the Lagos chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.

According to Sanwo-Olu, the demand by the youths has been heightened by their inability to live and prosper due to prevailing socio-economic and political situations in Nigeria. He said the symposium was a platform for the youths to network and learn ways of contributing their quota to the rebuilding and attainment of the greater Lagos dream.

Governor Sanwo-Oluwu who recalled the #EndSARS protest staged by about this time last year to condemn police brutality in the country, noted that the incident saw a majority of the youth population participating in one of the largest movements since the country’s democratic transition in 1993.

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“The protest culminated into wanton destruction of government facilities and individual properties across the nation after the riot on October 20, 2020, forever known as the Black Tuesday.

This incident sparked global outrage and hoodlums took advantage of the situation and went on rampage looting and burning down government properties and facilities. In what seemed like a calculated attack, the hoodlums ravaged the city of Lagos leaving many parts of the state with burnt buildings, looted shops and destroyed properties worth billions of naira. The economy of the country that was already in decline due to many factors suffered a huge setback,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu, however, added that despite the massive destruction of properties and the economic downturn occasioned by the COVD 19 pandemic, the state was able to cope with the challenges.

‘’We embarked on rebuilding the city of Lagos gradually, not only the physical structures but the citizen’s hope was also rekindled with various palliative measures,” he said.

Wahab Elias, the deputy vice-chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), who was the guest speaker at the symposium, explained that conflicts were inevitable in any society, but how they are managed that matters.

Elias advised the youths to always negotiate their demands with the authority, adding that engaging in conflicts that are not progressive could destroy any society.