Category: Editorial

For Nigerians who may have been victims, either directly or indirectly, of the prevalent scourge of kidnapping for ransom, the news that Chiemeka Arinze, an associate of Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, the alleged kidnap kingpin, has died in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services, may be seen as comeuppance. After all, if the allegations against Evans and his co-accused were proven before the court, they would be held responsible for many deaths and traumatic experiences suffered by innocent Nigerians.

Yet, despite the ill-feelings, we need to interrogate the circumstances surrounding the death of Arinze in the custody of the correctional services, so as to forestall similar fate for other persons in custody. More so, our constitution deems an accused person innocent, until proven guilty in a court of law, constituted in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality. And even when convicted and sentenced to death, the convict can only be executed in accordance with the pronouncement of the court.

So, it is important to find out what caused the death of the accused person in the custody of the correctional centre. The media report is that he died as a result of cardiopulmonary arrest, and was suffering from complicated advanced HIV. We note that while HIV is a deadly disease, there are medications which, if applied prudently, could save the afflicted from death. So, the relevant authorities need to find out whether the deceased was availed of medical treatment while in custody. If he was not, what were the reasons for such unlawful step?

If he was not given medical attention early enough, who was responsible for such lapse. Furthermore, if the correctional services had no facility or the procedure to avail him of medical attention, there is need to change such a narrative, in the interest of the those still in custody or those who may still go there. Of course, we are aware that secondary and tertiary medical facilities are grossly insufficient even for free private citizens, but if a person is kept in custody by the state, he must be availed of basic medical needs because, unlike free citizens, he has no access to other means of treatment, even if he can afford it.

We are aware that funding remains a major challenge for many organisations of government, and the correctional services cannot be an exception. Perhaps, it is time to tinker with the ownership structure of the centres. Considering the paucity of funds, enabling laws should be put in place to entitle states to build their own correctional centres, where those charged with state offences or sentenced to imprisonment by state courts would be remanded. This, in a sense, is also a way of advancing the cause of federalism as well as addressing the problem of overcrowding in our correctional centres. As a matter of fact, there is nothing wrong if we begin to look toward private ownership of correctional centres as is the case in some other countries.

We have had too many issues with our correctional centres these days, including several jailbreaks, that we have to start reviewing the present state of things there. Definitely, the prevailing circumstance where the Federal Government owns all the correctional centres is not helpful. It is just like its involvement in some other aspects of our lives, like the police, etc, which has not been particularly helpful.

By the death of Arinze in custody, the state, the victim/s and even the deceased have been robbed of the opportunity to be handed justice in accordance with the law. Moreover, if indeed the accused was into the business of kidnapping, the state might have benefitted some privileged information useful in dealing with the challenge. Now, that opportunity is lost. Also, the opportunity to determine whether the accused was guilty as charged or not has been lost forever, and we believe all of the three parties would not be satisfied as things turned out. We also note that if justice had come to the deceased early enough, perhaps he would not have died of the disease.

It is important to emphasise that our correctional centres are regrettably overcrowded, and are breeding grounds for diseases. We consider it unconscionable that those who are accused even of minor offences are left to rot in the centres for years, sometimes longer than the maximum term of imprisonment for such offences. We reiterate our advocacy that federal and state officials work out plans to decongest our correctional centres. The death of Chiemeka Arinze in custody, should serve as a wake-up call.

Less than one week after Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (ADB) told the world not to punish Africa for the Omicron COVID-19 variant and other mutations that are randomly being detected all over the world, the sanctions have started coming. “Africa should not be labelled and penalised for COVID-19 variants and mutations that occur randomly elsewhere in the world. Africa is not the source of COVID-19”, the ADB boss said.

But the United Kingdom on Saturday slammed its gratuitous door against Nigerians by adding the country to its Red List of countries whose nationals can no longer enter its territory because of the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Nigeria thus joined Malawi, Lesotho, Angola, Zambia, South Africa and Namibia that had similarly been blacklisted. Only British and Irish nationals travelling from Nigeria would now be allowed into the United Kingdom. Even then, they must isolate in a government-managed quarantine centre.

 It is difficult to understand where some of the countries that have taken or would still take such decisions are coming from. We know Britain has lost about 145,000 persons to the pandemic, of the 10.4 million confirmed cases in the country. Though far less than the COVID-19 fatalities by some other countries, it is nonetheless significant. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was himself admitted into hospital after testing positive to the virus.

We are however appalled at this turn of events even if COVID-19 seems not in a hurry to leave. That appears to be the message with the discovery of the Omicron strain of the pandemic. Since the disease is now better managed with the development of vaccines now used to treat it, we don’t see why some countries are singled out, especially in Africa, for punishment. The United Nations secretary general aptly called it “Travel apartheid.” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says it is not right to punish his country for isolating the strain and exposing it to the world. We agree. It is wrong to slam a ban on a people for being the messenger. It is racist, and there is no other language to describe it.

It is a vote for fear, and not for cooperation. It signals a prejudiced world. Covid-19 ban is a new way of externalising western bias and contempt for Africans. It is unfair.

WE know the Federal Government has alerted Nigerians not to lower their guards yet. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who doubles as Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said last week Monday during the committee’s national briefing that “The world has been hit with a new COVID-19 Variant of Concern, called Omicron, as announced by the WHO.

“This variant is potentially dangerous, and Nigerians and residents are required to exercise extra caution and vigilance in practice and enforcement of preventive measures.”

We also know that COVID-19 preventive measures have been observed globally for long and so should not require any special persuasion to embrace. In spite of that, we see vaccine divide in the world where western governments and pharmaceutical companies have privileged profit over health, and have been slow in making them available.

We know there are problems in Africa. Unfortunately, here in Nigeria, preventive practices had to be enforced, with governments imposing lockdowns before many Nigerians could comply. That was at a time when thousands were dying daily in the world as a result the devastating impact of the disease. If this was the situation when COVID-19 was seriously devastating the globe, we need no one to tell us that it would require a Yeoman’s effort to get many Nigerians to comply with the COVID-19 protocol now that its impact seems to have subsided; at least so humanity had thought, before the new Omicron strain.

Yet, the government’s alert to Nigerians and residents in the country is desirable. There have been reports about the presence of the variant, which was first discovered in South Africa, in Nigeria. Indeed, Mr. Mustapha spoke against the backdrop of the report that Canada had detected its first cases of the new strain of COVID in two people who had travelled recently to Nigeria.

But it is not only Nigerians that have to be counselled on the need to sustain the COVID-19 protocol, governments at all levels in the country have a great role to play in this wise, too.

Here, we refer to challenges of low testing rates occasioned by shortage of human resources, and other challenges such as inadequate testing kits and laboratories, inadequate ventilators, etc. Although the governments have tried to improve on some of these aspects, the fact is, the efforts cannot be said to be commensurate with the magnitude of the problem. Still at the level of government, there appears a lull in the activities concerning the pandemic. Western countries also face similar resistance in significant sections of their citizens.

There is no doubt that we are too casual or lackadaisical about many things and just as is evident in western countries. Yes, we cannot rule out racist sentiments in some of the actions of the developed countries against us, either as Nigerians or as Africans.

However, Africans should wake up from their slumber. We have to begin to do something about the continent’s problems rather than keep on whining about the developed countries not coming to our aid in virtually all areas of life.

Governments at all levels must ramp up their campaign on COVID-19 protocol as well as urge Nigerians to go get their jabs. Our research institutes must be assisted to develop the capacities to manufacture our own vaccines as well as other tools needed to reduce our dependence on others in combating COVID-19 and our other challenges.

While we make efforts to take charge, the west should not make scape goats of African nations.

As the world prepares for the Yuletide festivities, it is disheartening for large numbers of Nigerians abroad that they will most likely be unable to travel back home to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with their families and loved ones. This is because of the difficulties many of them are having renewing their expired international passports at the Nigerian missions in the countries where they are domiciled. It has been reported that students, workers and professionals in different fields of endeavour are the most severely affected by this problem. The issue is said to have been complicated by the shortage of passport booklets as well as problems in obtaining the National Identity Numbers (NIN) from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), a requirement that is mandatory for the issuance and renewal of the document. For example, about 1,000 Nigerians are estimated to be stranded in Atlanta, United States, as a result of their inability to renew their passports.

Many of those facing this challenge had their stay abroad extended due to restrictions on movement across national borders caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, leading to the expiry of their passports.

But this problem predates the pandemic.

We find it inexplicable that there is a scarcity in the first place of such a critical document as the international passport, which is vital in the conduct of international relations among countries. Keeping track of the trend in the demand for the country’s passport and ensuring adequate supply at all times to meet this need is certainly not rocket science. All it requires is meticulous planning, attention to detail, serious- mindedness and efficiency in discharging their duties by the officials in charge.

Of course, beyond the issue of not being able to come home for the seasonal holidays, the sight of large numbers of Nigerians abroad  besieging our missions in a futile quest to renew their passports is a public relations embarrassment to the country. For instance, last month, the Nigerians in Diaspora Network (NDN), staged a protest in Oberhausen, Germany, which was widely publicised on social media. Chairman of the group, Mr Victor Ojeabulu, was apprehensive that if not urgently addressed, the situation would create more problems for Nigerians, including the risk of deportation from their countries of residence. One of the protesters lamented that, “The sad story is that we book appointments for Nigerian international passport with Nigerian embassies; we travel unimaginable distances, sometimes across international borders, to pay and be captured for the passport. Thereafter, we are made to wait indefinitely on the ground that booklets are not available”.

The reality is that without valid, up-to-date international passports, it is virtually impossible for Nigerians abroad to undertake many routine activities and live normal lives without fear. Many times, they need the international passports to urgently renew their residency or go through crucial documentation procedures in their respective countries of abode. Those working may need to renew their passports to continue in employment. Women who are required to get their children registered officially by their host states may be unable to do so without valid international passports. The kind of avoidable hardships these citizens are forced to go through by the perennial insufficiency of passport booklets further alienates them from the authorities of their country and cannot engender in them the spirit of patriotism, which is crucial for national development.

At a time of serious economic downturn from which Nigeria is just recovering, it is astonishing that the nation is not availing herself of the enormous revenues that can be reaped from the issuance and renewal of her international passports, especially given the large number of Nigerians in diaspora who need this service. Of course, we acknowledge that the Ministry of Interior is taking steps to tackle and resolve the problem as stated by the Minister, Mr Rauf Aregbesola. As he said, “This year alone, the ministry approved a special deployment of over 600,000 passport booklets, the largest of its kind ever done to cushion the effects of shortage being experienced”. He revealed further that a total of 2,742, 207 passports of different categories were issued between 2019 and now.

However, we have an emergency on our hands on this issue. Much more should be done to immediately address whatever may be the root causes of the shortage of passport booklets. We urge the minister to quickly follow up on his promise that new production and capture centres would be opened to ease access by Nigerians all over the world as well as take necessary action on his observation that “The year-on-year increasing growth rate is however putting a lot of pressure on the current processing structure and resources and further justifies the need for a reform in the passport application and processing system in line with the current reality”.

We are neither surprised nor even alarmed at the disclosure that a whopping 84 per cent of the N4.4 trillion debts owed the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) is without collateral. If anything, it is merely a window on the pervasive impunity for which the financial services sector is now renowned, as it is of the collapse of ethos that has defined the traditionally conservative banking profession.

According to AMCON’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Kuru, 350 outstanding obligors account for 83 per cent of the total Eligible Bank Assets (EBAs) balance. Of these, 244 are said to be in various courts – apparently to forestall foreclosure on pledged assets – even as collateral coverage is said to be only 16 per cent of the total exposure.

One immediate implication flowing from this must be the fact that few, if any, lessons have been learnt from the gale of sanitisation which swept across the industry in 2008/9. Given how that particular exercise not only shook the industry to its foundation but also reconfigured the financial system’s landscape as a whole, the disclosure would ordinarily qualify as a tragedy. No less concerning of course is the implicit suggestion that AMCON in all of these years has achieved practically little in terms of being able to lay the ghost of the bad debts to rest.

Are these new loans or carryovers from that sordid era? AMCON, unfortunately, fell short of providing an answer, if only to enable Nigerians make an informed judgment. If these loans are new, it certainly would speak to how little things have changed in the sector in the last decade. On the other hand, if these are carryovers from the past era, then one will be dealing with a different kettle of fish – something that would require fresh thinking and expectedly a new strategy, by AMCON. Either way, it speaks to the character of Nigeria’s monied class, particularly their penchant to borrow from the financial system without any plans to pay back. More than that, it also offers an insight into how those charged with the business of credit administration actually subvert the rules in favour of a privileged few. In all, it is a reflection of the mortal weakness of the institutions expected to effect restitution when things go wrong.

One-half of the tragedy is that the entire N4.4 trillion might well be gone for good. The other– no thanks to the frustratingly slow judicial system and the weak credit administration infrastructure environment – is that these class of delinquent debtors are still strutting the financial services landscape as if nothing happened, without any real threat of dire consequences.

Yet, it’s hard to think of any meaningful closure without the key dramatis personae – the delinquent borrower and the complicit lender – being called to account. Here, one is not just referring to the borrowers only but also those that improperly executed the credit.

By now, AMCON ought to be done with endless whining to moving speedily to take them on. Why not focus on the known as against the unknown? One refers here to those obligors said to have succeeded in taking their assets outside the ambits of their obligations. These are, after all, not only familiar names but big-time operators in the financial system. So, what will it take AMCON or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for that matter, to exclude them from further accommodation in the financial system until they have either made good on their debts or, at least, demonstrate good faith in respect thereof? In any case, we expect this to apply to all chronic debtors as well.

As for their co-travellers in infamy – those who deliberately flouted and thereby abused the credit guidelines – why not come up with an industry’s hall of shame where the names of the ignoble operators would be conspicuously displayed? Given the drastic nature of the debt problem, it seems to us that extraordinary remedies would be required to stand any chance of making a difference.

The world has become a global village; technology and the internet have reduced global news and travels to clicks from finger tips. The rest of Nigeria and the world did not need to travel to Nigeria’s South East to observe the devastation of the youth population through the random consumption of Metamphetamine or Crystal Meth now popularly known as Mkpuru-Mmiri in Igbo language, the language of the region of the country that is now plagued by thousands of youthful addicts across genders.

There is however a sadly profound paradox in the semantic unbundling of the local slang for the deadly drug that has been causing a considerable level of concern and outrage to communities in the South East. Piecing out the two-word slang shows the sociological and linguistic influences the consumers or dealers deployed to glamourise the deadly hard drug.

Mkpuru in Ibo means seed, mmiri means water, so, the combination of the two words gives the new social lexicon, Mkpuru-Mmiri literally translating to ‘seed of water’. This slang comes both from the physical appearance of the deadly drug which often comes off as pieces of crystal or ice cubes. Nothing is known of the originators of these names but it is obvious that the intention is to glamourise the deadly product – in marketing, branding is everything. The name seeks to euphemise the death and mental devastation that comes with its consumption.

Ironically, in African linguistic cosmology, water has no enemy as the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang. The genius in the name seems to be to make it harmless. If anything, that marketing strategy seems to have worked; thousands of youths in the South East (for now) seem to be hooked on the drug and expectedly, the effects are all over: there are deaths, the crime rates have increased in the last few years, some families are devastated by the effects on them and their children, the very few psychiatrists are reporting phenomenal increase in youthful patients, especially students of all tiers of education; primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. No gender is spared. The streets have experienced more mentally deranged youths, communities are trying their best to arrest the drug epidemic, but like all such cases in the past, not much is being achieved.

The communities and families are ill-equipped to fight drug wars. It is a tough call. The effects are overwhelming to the families, region and country as it is an affirmation of the changing socio-cultural paradigms in a globalised world, with developed economies like the United States and some European countries seemingly fighting a losing battle with opioid and other drug addictions.

We see the recent social ill as one too many to a region that is already on its knees economically and socially, given the fallout of the arrest and detention of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. The region has literally been brought to its knees socially and economically as cases of forced sit-at-home for several days in months have rendered the youthful population almost idle and, as they say, ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop’. To add the unchecked inflow of this new and lethal drug is akin to the last straw for the destruction of the region and others which, like all societies, rely on the energy and industry of its youths for development.

Read Also: Mkpuru Mmiri: NDLEA, Anambra govt, others step up fight against meth scourge

We recommend that this issue be handled as a health emergency because, if history is anything to go by, this comes on the heels of other regional cases of drug abuse. Just a few years ago, the BBC did a riveting documentary on the effects of codeine abuse in the North. The revelations shook Nigeria to its roots. On the heels of that, the story of the effects of Tramadol consumption surfaced and the country has seemingly not recovered from those, in addition to some other drugs that existed before, like Indian hemp and cannabis, amongst others.

A cocktail of these addictive and lethal drugs is definitely an ill-wind that blows no one any good. There is a tendency for Nigerians to regionalise any form of emerging social ill as though we are still living in the tenth century where movement and technology were limited. Today, these drugs enter the country from other continents/countries, which means that an internal distribution network brings it to the door steps of those in their houses literally. Today, the whole country is suffering the effects of kidnapping that started from the Niger Delta with the kidnap of expatriate oil workers. The abuse of Codeine and Tramadol shows in the level of terrorism and banditry that started in the north. The youth population are the most productively mobile so, even though the Mkpuru-Mmiri seems to be concentrated in the South East, it would be delusional for the people and governments to refer to it as a South East problem. That is a flawed analysis.

For now, we feel that community efforts to arrest and beat up the consumers of the drug  is neither here nor there. Governments at all levels must wade in at this point. The Federal Ministry of Health must sit up, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) must seek out a way of working with communities to fish out the drug kingpins. Just arresting the consumers is like scratching the problem on the surface. The sources of these drugs are known and must be tackled with all seriousness. Indeed, NDLEA must re-strategise for better efficacy.

Government establishments like the ministries of internal affairs, health, foreign affairs; Customs and Immigration must be more alert to their duties. In most cases, those lethal drugs come in from outside the country, how many arrests are being made? Why are our borders some of the most porous globally?  Again, the policing aspect of Nigeria’s social life must get an upgrade. The idea of communities torturing consumers of Mkpuru-Mmiri must be discouraged through effective police interventions. Addicts are already in dire mental state, torture exacerbates their already desperate situations.

The Mkpuru-Mmiri epidemic must not be allowed to add to the socio-economic woes of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Urgent action must be taken by governments and communities to stem the tide. Unemployment and bad and visionless leadership make these social deviations attractive to the most productive demographics – the youths. Finger-pointing cannot solve this huge problem. Nigeria must solve her problems. Attention must be on job creation and social reorientation prograammes. Seeing Mkpuru-Mmiri scourge as a regional problem is akin to putting fuel near a neighbour’s house that is on fire. Both houses might just turn to ashes. We must begin to view and solve problems as national issues in a globalised world. Mkpuru-Mmiri is just an Igbo slang for the deadly crystal Meth, soon, other language variants would emerge and the drops would turn into an ocean that can drown the country irretrievably. This is avoidable.

If there is one country where the wealthy are venerated, almost worshipped, and the poor denigrated and almost trampled upon, it is Nigeria. The rich wear objects of their wealth about to attract acclaim. One of such objects is ownership of private jets. It is no more fashionable among the rich, be they pastors or businessmen, to fly first class by the general commercial planes, nor is it even distinctive enough to hire private planes, they must have their own jets, be free to move about as deemed fit – even if at great cost.

However, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has exposed the failure of the “big men”, to pay the state due rates and fees that would keep the system running. The service pointed out in June that this class of the nouveau riche had been mandated to come forward with relevant papers for verification. The service said many of them have not paid import duties over the years. They were said to have cleverly dodged payments by opting for interim import with a view to slashing off much of the duties. This was largely confirmed when they failed to respond to the 30-day ultimatum to get their papers verified. Only six were said to have complied.

Five months after, the NCS said it had obtained the permission of the Federal Government to ground the jets of as many as have failed to comply within the window allowed for perfection of their papers. Ninety-one fell within the category and the NCS wrote to agencies in the aviation sector to ground them. But, just before this could be done, the Federal Ministry of Aviation placed a stop order on the communication. By that, none of the agencies could go ahead with the memorandum sent by the Customs. This appears all too familiar. At a time when Nigeria is confronted with a biting economic crunch caused mainly by inability to generate sufficient income, the aviation ministry is blocking efforts to rake in N30 billion by those who have owed the country over the years. It is curious that the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, waited till the last minute to countermand the memorandum from the Customs. He was aware all the while that the Customs issued the ultimatum to get the private jet owners to perfect their documents, yet waited for the order to be placed before taking this seemingly unpatriotic step.

We call on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, who has the duty to ensure that government’s decisions are implemented speedily to ensure that the minister does not stand in the way of raking in sorely needed fund into the government coffers.

Light should be promptly beamed on the activities of agencies under the Ministry of Aviation, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), with a view to ensuring that no one stands in the way of collecting rates, dues and fees as appropriate. In recent times, it has been revealed that many of the commercial airlines as well as owners of the private jets fail to pay the Value Added Tax, parking charges and annual rates as due, with the authorities doing nothing about it. This should stop. If government decides to assist operators in the industry, this should be a clear policy duly communicated to them, with the period specified.

Mr. Sirika who supervises the sector is a respected professional who should understand the implications of non-payment of the requisite charges by the jet owners. Anyone owing must be made to pay. In the case of the private jet owners, these are luxury goods for which there should be no waiver. They are described as billionaires and Very Important Personalities and should not be allowed to feed and feast on the public. A convenient point to start is to name and shame those involved since they failed to comply with instructions to perfect their papers within the time allowed for such.

It should be noted too, that allowing people to fly about in and out of the country without due registration is fraught with danger. At a time that the country is confronting security challenges, we should not be so negligent.

Finally, the Lagos State government has cut through the cloud of rumours and released the white paper on the findings of the Doris Okuwobi panel it set up to investigate police brutality in Lagos and Lekki Toll Gate shootings of October 20, 2020. This was the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests that erupted across the country; the report was specific to the incidents in Lagos State.

It substantially rejected the premise and demystified the promise of the panel that claimed the shooting at the toll gate at Lekki was a massacre. For its about 300 pages, the findings could not support its claim that nine persons were killed by the Nigerian Army and police that night. Its claim of massacre was neither borne by fact nor logic. It was a massacre only in the context of its imagination.

It exposed the report as a slew of contradictions and inconsistencies. If it says nine persons perished, why did it accept the report of the pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa, that only one body of the three presented came from Lekki toll gate.

“It also follows that the irresistible conclusion to be drawn from the JPI’s acceptance of Prof Obafunwa’s testimony that only one person died of gunshot wounds at LTG on 21 October 2020, is that there was no massacre at LTG, contextual or otherwise.”

The report also noted that one Nathaniel Solomon that was reported to be among the deceased was alive and well, and one of the names was actually killed in another part of town.

The panel played down the government’s award of over N400 million in damages, but only one of its nine alleged deaths had their loved ones awarded damages. In what looked like a parody, it awarded N10 million to one Serah Ibrahim who was neither a complainant nor petitioner.

“Serah Ibrahim testified on oath that she did not have any petition before the panel; neither did she have any claims for compensation. This award to Serah Ibrahim is also contrary to the provisions of section 13 Tribunal of Inquiry Law 2015 (Cap. T6 Laws of Lagos State) which prescribes that only witnesses requested or summoned by a Tribunal of Inquiry are entitled to witness fees subject to consent of the Attorney General. Serah Ibrahim did not testify at the request or summons of the Tribunal.”

Was it a compensation without justice or a memory loss? But if true, a collective amnesia, especially of this sort, cannot be excused in such a solemn matter.

It reflected, from the white paper position, that the panel either did a deliberately skewed performance in order to will an uncoordinated conclusion or exposed its lack of attention to details. A pathologist is a scientist and the panel at once reflected its deference to science by asserting that Prof. Obafunwa’s conclusions were unassailable and yet abandoned it as a show of its tendentious inclination to conclude without evidence.

“The inconsistencies and contradictions in the entire JPI Report concerning the number of persons who died at LTG on 20th October 2020 and their cause of death rendered the JPI’s finding and conclusions there upon totally unreliable and therefore, unacceptable,” noted the white paper.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu extended an olive branch to all and called for healing. It did not matter if one person or 100 persons passed away. Any death is sacred, and that calls for all to mourn. Hence, we support the governor’s peace offensive and his admonition for healing. The peace walk is a tranquil corrective of the #EndSARS eruption that almost tore the city apart when hoodlums took over peaceful protests and precipitated arson, murders and wholesale robberies that cost the state billions of naira.

International organisations and western countries should weigh facts before conclusions. The west led the world to a scientific turn of mind, and they should rise to their own normative standards.

The white paper said the government would implement seven and another seven with modifications, of the 32 panel recommendations. That is a way to the future. Lessons ought to be learned from the unfortunate affair.