Category: Special Report

From banking, insurance, manufacturing, oil and gas to information technology, there has been serious economic headwind triggered by COVID-19 pandemic and drop in crude oil prices. These challenges have led to Nigeria’s second recession in five years based on the National Bureau of Statistics data released at the weekend. COLLINS NWEZE writes that how long the recession lasts will depend on responses by government and private sector operators driving the economy

Global economies, especially oil-producing countries, have been grumbling over the continued plunge in prices of crude oil since 2014.

The price of oil, which averaged $110 per barrel from 2010 to mid-2014 has continued to hover around $40 per barrel at present.

While Nigeria was battling the collapse of oil prices and how to keep the economy running, COVID-19 pandemic struck. The impact of the pandemic on the economy was underestimated at the beginning but not anymore.

Every sector of the economy has been adversely impacted. Many businesses have closed shops and the unemployment rate rose to 27.1 per cent in the second quarter meaning about 21.7 million Nigerians remain unemployed.

No sector – banking, telecoms, manufacturing, e-commerce, insurance, to mention but a few are exonerated from the losses, uncertainties and rising cost of operation triggered by the pandemic.

Hence, when the National Bureau of Statistics released its third-quarter 2020 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report showing that the economy officially plunged into recession as the GDP

The NBS said the performance of the economy reflected residual effects of the restrictions to movement and economic activity implemented across the country in the early first quarter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For instance, the oil sector contracted by –13.89 per cent (year-on-year), indicating a sharp contraction of –20.38 per cent points relative to the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2019.

The non-oil sector also contracted for the second time as the economy continues to reflect the impacts of Covid’19 pandemic. The non-oil sector grew by –2.51 per cent in real terms during the reference quarter, which is –4.36 per cent points lower than the rate recorded in the third quarter of 2019 but 3.54 per cent points higher than in the second quarter of 2020.

IMF Prediction before the recession

One of the shocks on the state of the economy came from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which had predicted that the drop of Nigeria’s oil and gas export caused by COVID-19 pandemic will lead to the loss of $26.5 billion.

The Fund officials told Nigeria that the sharp fall in international oil prices and reduced global demand for Nigeria’s oil products have worsened the fiscal and external positions.

It said the oil and gas exports (84 per cent of total exports) are expected to fall by more than $26.5 billion.

The Fund had asked for the unification of all Nigeria’s exchange rates to the Investors’ and Exporters’ (I&E) Forex Window rate and advised the authorities to urgently present a supplementary budget to parliament, reflecting the oil revenue shortfall, higher health spending and an additional targeted and temporary package to protect the businesses and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly given the large size of the informal sector which is estimated at 60 per cent.

IMF Head in Nigeria Amine Mati, said the economy would contract by almost 3.5 per cent in 2020, representing a six-percentage point drop relative to pre-COVID-19 projections, pointing out that the already high downside risks—particularly from sharper and protracted falls in oil prices declining oil production from future OPEC caps, or inability to sell oil cargoes and more protracted disruptions to economic activities due to a more expansive effect of the pandemic—have heightened.

The official said the country faces an immediate balance of payments need, given the sharp contraction in oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic, which, if not addressed, in its opinion, would result in immediate and severe economic disruption.

“There is also a high degree of uncertainty on the duration and scale of the COVID-19 impact, which imply that an upper credit tranche (UCT) quality programme cannot be quickly put in place,” the IMF chief said.

What went wrong

Aside from the IMF, other stakeholders had predicted a gloomy picture of the economy in the face of the pandemic.

In a report, the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), an international tax and audit firm, said all sectors of the economy are facing the adverse impact of Covid-19 at certain degrees. The banking sector has to contend with rising bad loans, the telecom sector, although the ongoing shift to remote work is driving demand for networking infrastructure and connectivity, the demand could also strain the system and lead to public perception issues if reality the right technology, which requires heavy capital outlay is not provided.

The PwC explained that excessive demand on mobile and communications networks — including temporary suspension of data caps — could affect service quality, creating a ripple effect as companies across various sectors implement remote-work plans.

PwC says the crisis underscores the need for more flexible, resilient business models, that does not include draining liquidity through taxes from the telcos, banks or manufacturers.

It said several telcos have high debt loads, which could put pressure on their debt-reduction programmes.

Former Executive Director, Keystone Bank, Richard Obire, said it was no surprise that the economy has once more slipped into recession.

“We seem to be borrowing to finance debt repayment and to pay salaries of a bloated public bureaucracy. Investments in education, health and business enabling physical infrastructure is grossly insufficient. Increased security challenges have severely affected farming leading to lower output and higher food and raw material input prices for consumers and industrial producers,” he said.

According to him, the forex management regime has seen a decline in foreign exchange inflows and a heavy decline in the value of the naira.

Then there was also the prolonged lockdown response to Covid-19 which had a heavy toll on the economy, hence a recession was therefore expected.

On how long the recession would be, Obire said the outlook does not seem pretty. He said there was a need to see two things happening together or individually.

First, is to see consumer demand for goods and services going up to stimulate increased production leading to more jobs and income growth. Secondly, production going up because of lowered input costs leading to lower prices which then drive increased consumer demand stimulating further increased production.

“Both prospects look very bleak in the short to medium term as forex price rises continue which together with increased fuel and energy costs have the effect of raising price levels generally and therefore lowering savings and consumer demand. We don’t seem to have much wiggle room on the fiscal side either,” he predicted.

According to Obire, there are also concerns on how to raise taxes to finance expansionary investments in social and physical infrastructure in an environment where household and corporate incomes are heading south.

“It seems to me therefore that we are going to be facing some serious headwinds for some time. I am not seeing a short-lived recession,” he predicted.

Also speaking, Managing Director, Financial Nigeria International, Jide Akintunde, said the current economic recession was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: “It was an external causal factor, given that the pandemic did not originate in Nigeria; COVID-19 spread to the country. Likewise, the 2016 recession was caused by an external shock, in the form of the collapse of oil prices in the international market”.

“What this means is that the Nigerian economy is highly susceptible to external shocks. But this is not new. What is new is that the domestic policy environment has been especially weak to support resilience to the economic crisis. During the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, the country could rely on fiscal saving in the Excess Crude Account to support government spending. There is no fiscal buffer for the economy anymore. Rather, the country is highly indebted and spending over 60 per cent of government revenue on debt service”.

Akintunde said the country is also more politically fragile today.

“With widespread insecurity, agriculture is unable to support general output growth. So, the issue is not that the country is susceptible to external shocks. The issue is that there are acute weaknesses in the domestic environment. They make it impossible for the economy to withstand any significant headwind. It is uniquely a feature of the last five to six years, compared to any other period since as far back as 1999,” he said.

Continuing, he said the current recession will be short-lived. It has come after a spell of weak growth. “What would follow, however, would be another stretch of weak growth – like we had between 2017 and 2019. The real GDP growth rate of less than four per cent average in the next three years would mean poverty would be growing and not reducing. That would be disastrous. But that is the more likely scenario, given the weak policy environment”.

Vice President, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Adesina Adedayo, said that businesses are already facing major challenges, like inadequate infrastructure that has led to the high cost of operation.

According to the tax expert, and entrepreneur, the banking sector is also having its challenges. The sector’s revenue shrinking due to competition with financial technology firms offering banking services to both the banked and unbanked within the population.

He said that banks have also given out loans, that are threatened due to the pandemic, with 32,000 loans pencilled down for restructuring by 17 commercial lenders.

He said: ” The banks are also affected because of the interdependency of the economy. We expect to see more loan defaults in the sector, so now is not the time to ask them to pay taxes in advance”.

He said that with more options available to users of financial services, the competition on which platform to conduct transactions continues to widen, shrinking banks’ profit base.

An economist and Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, said banking industry attractiveness is deteriorating and rivalry intensifying. For him, transaction banking is being threatened and cannibalised by leading financial technology firms.

For the former Executive Director at Keystone Bank, Richard Obire, the economy is heavily challenged, and every segment impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He said even though the ICT resources were part of the tools used to adapt to the new normal, that does not exclude the sector from the negative impact the pandemic has had on the economy.

He said the sectors need more cash to improves their services, boost production and consumption which will help to reflate the economy.

He said the world has changed, including the way people live and do business. COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on people’s lives and businesses, hence the need for government, its agencies and private sector operators to take steps that would guarantee continuous profitability for companies.

How recession will impact businesses

Managing Director, Countryside Consult, Stevens Adoke, said companies can only have more money to grow their businesses in a growing economy. According to him, every business has the ambition to grow year-on-year, but that would be difficult to achieve under a shrinking economy.

Despite all the odds, he said all forward-looking companies should look at what would protect their revenues, by identifying and focusing on the healthy side of the economy.

He said: “For me, the brewery sector has done exceptionally well in the face of the ongoing downturn in the economy. The agricultural, and Information Communication and Technology (ICT) are fast-growing sectors that banks can tap into.

“The Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector is also a critical sector that lender can key into because, despite the state of the economy, people must eat.

“The non-oil sector is also areas to watch, because of their capacity to generate foreign exchange for the economy. The downstream oil sector has huge prospect given the increased cash-flow that came with the over 67 per cent hike in petrol prices. The upstream sector should be avoided for now.”

Adoke regretted that the banking sector lacks the strategy to create new investment opportunities, but are always looking out for short-term opportunities to explore and make immediate profits.

He said although the power sector is facing a huge challenge, it also presents huge business opportunities for lenders to explore.

He said: “It is only the power from traditional sources that are facing problems. What about developing and funding non-traditional sources like solar energy. Banks can go to countries where the solar option has worked and seen how it was financed to adopt the same strategy here. That would present a new opportunity for such a bank to earn sustainable revenues.

“The power sector is crying for new investments. Millions of Nigerians and industries are zealous to pay for power. Capital will flow to opportunities that are well established but, unfortunately, our banks are lazy and not creative.”

He said despite moves by the government to halt ongoing job loss in different sectors of the economy, companies will continue to downsize their workforce until there is full economic recovery.

Other analysts predicted that getting the economy and businesses working in the face of recession will require government collaboration with private sector operators and providing stimulus packages for businesses across all sectors of the economy.

The Federal Government’s N75billion Youth Investment Fund came at a time the youth’s clamour for good governance is on the front burner. Can this fund help? CHINAKA OKORO writes.

Two significant things happened at the Aso Villa Banquet hall on November 1. It was the day the country celebrated maiden edition of the National Youth Day where 15 young Nigerians innovators were also specially recognised for their talent, creativity and innovations. It was also the day the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development led by the minister, Sunday Dare, launched the N75billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund.

At the National Youth Day event with the theme: ‘Invest in the youth, secure our future’, President Muhammadu Buhari was represented by Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello who congratulated the young innovators on making the nation proud, assuring them that his government will continue to invest in entrepreneurship, skills and career development.

The Nigeria Youth Investment Fund has been described as the cornerstone and most ambitious intervention fund targeted at young people to become wealth creators. As precursors to the N75billion fund had been a slew of other youth-focused initiatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and that of Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development such as the N-Power that have engaged 500,000 young Nigerians in the last 5 years out of which 109,000 of the beneficiaries have become entrepreneurs. The Federal Government is targeting the first quarter of 2021 to absolve the next batch of 400,000 youths under the N-Power Programme, according to Aminu Nyako, Special Assistant to Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.

Some other youth empowerment initiatives domiciled with the Ministry of Youth and Sports are the partnership with Mastercard Foundation and Corporate Farmers which seeks to engage 50,000 young Nigerians in Sorghum farming. There is also a partnership with the IBM, a global technology giant to train 14,000 Nigerians in Digital Skills and Artificial Intelligence as well as the partnership the Minister, Sunday Dare brokered with Google to train over 20,000 youths across the country. Under the watch of the Minister, Africa Development Bank is also working in partnership with the Nigerian government to launch a special fund for youth.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Sunday Dare gave a panoramic view of the government investments in the development of young people as the future of the country. He noted that the recent youth-led #EndSARS protests across the country against Police brutality underscored the ability of the young people of Nigeria to demand accountability from leaders, most especially in matters that affect them.

Government, the minister said, will continue to celebrate the energy and talents of Nigerian youth adding that the National Youth Day celebration provided the rare opportunity for national introspection and more meaning engagement.

“Against the backdrop of all our country has witnessed in the past three weeks, there can be no better time than now to celebrate our youth and validate their contributions to national economic development.

And indeed beyond the celebration of the potentials, ingenuity, talents, innovativeness and resourcefulness of our youth in Nigeria and across the world, this event, the Maiden edition of the National Youth Day offers us as a people the opportunity to reflect, take stock and chart a new youth action plan that tackles headlong the issues that confront our teeming youth population,” the Minister said.

On the current challenges of youth unemployment and shrinking opportunities for socio-economic mobility, Dare revealed that his Ministry, at a multilateral level, is working on a more structured and sustainable way in conjunction with the African Development Bank on a new focus and vision that will unearth and accelerate ingenuity among the young people of Nigeria.

“Let me start with a direct reference to the new focus and youth vision of the African Development Bank led by Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina that the establishment of Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks will help to fully unleash youth potentials through technology and entrepreneurship. This assertion made in September 2020 first validates the strength of our youth and secondly demands from government and the private sector direct investments in the youth population with a de-risking mentality.”

While alluding to the exploits and impact-creating talents of Nigerian young people at home and abroad, Dare said the success of one young person is an enabler and a source of inspiration for others.

He said: “The exploits of our youth here at home and across the globe signpost the fact that for every 100 Nigerian youth that excels, there are hundreds of thousands more that can achieve the same but are unable. Why? There can be no single reason but a myriad. Lack of opportunities. Education that is not suitable for the jobs available. A huge unemployment popular market occasioned by a struggling and sluggish economy, lack of relevant skills, lack of credit and access to finance for youth enterprises and businesses, low investment from the public and private in the Nigerian youth among others. It is time we started to change this trajectory to one that is capable of lifting millions of our youth out of unemployment, underemployment, frustration with the system, dearth of opportunities and stunted growth. The dreams and careers of our youth must receive a new burst of energy and renewed hope so that as a country our future can be secured.”

Dare added that the Buhari-led administration has been the most remarkable in Nigeria’s post-independent history in terms of initiatives that were designed as springboards for young people to fully realise their life ambitions, saying the government in the last 5 years had initiated 25 programmes mainstreamed under various Ministries and Agencies.

“President Muhammadu Buhari since the inception of his administration has never taken his eyes off the ball when it comes to youth developmental issues. He believes Nigeria youth are given to hard work and must be given the opportunities to prove this. This government has initiated a slew of multifaceted youth-focused programs that are cross-cutting. At the last count about 25 of them undertaking by different Ministries, Departments and Agencies. Wherever the youth group is found, these programs target them. Indeed, when in July 22nd, 2020 the President in Council approved the establishment of the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund, NYIF, it was a culmination of all efforts geared at giving our youth the access to funds needed for the enterprise. The President, through the NYIF, demonstrated that Nigeria was in sync and agreement with the new thinking in youth development and that sees investing in the youth as a condition to unleash their potentials. As we speak, the NYIF has been oversubscribed for the 2020 half-year funding provided for. Over 1 million applications have been received with more expected to come.”

A major highpoint of the National Youth Day was the special recognition given by President Muhammadu Buhari to some youth innovators in Nigeria including the 20-year-old Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, engineering student Usman Dalhatu, who built a portable automatic ventilator to help people with breathing problems.

Dalhatu was among the five youth innovators in different fields showcased by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development at the occasion which also coincided with the African Youth Day Celebration. The Ministry had earlier organised a 60 Day App Challenge competition in which 10 winners emerged across the country.

Buhari, in his address delivered on his behalf by the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, assured all the 15 innovators and all Nigerian youths that his government will continue to invest in entrepreneurship, skills and career development.

Among the youth innovators, who received cash donations of N500,000 each from the Federal Government are Intissar Bashir Kurfi, Managing Partner, Ifrique Eco Solutions, a green Architect and environmentalist. Kurfi, in her late twenties, established a factory for upcycling plastic waste in Abuja. The factory would upcycle Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) such as pure water sachets, plastic bottles, polythene bags and others into Interlocking Tiles.

Surajo Ismaila, a 23-year-old indigene of Rubochi in Kuje Area Council in Abuja, is a tractor, toys, vending machines and remote control inventor. Adejoke Lasisi, founder of Planet 3R and Jokelinks Weaving School, an African fabric designer and environmentalist. She is the founder of Planet 3R and Jokelinks Weaving School – the first of their kinds in Nigeria.

Idris Bashir, 28, is the founder of Midrish Technologies Nigeria, credited to have developed an application to help farmers, small, medium and large businesses to reach out to their customers.

In the 60 Day App Challenge competition, 10 young Nigerians emerged winners including Anasiudu Ikechukwu, Elioenal Yomi-Agbajor, Adegoke Oluwatosin Amos, Daniel Osi, Isaac Isaac Ozioma, Yushau El-Sunais Sani, Adeniji Oluwaferanmi, Solomon Yakubu Zamba, Andrew Mogbolu and Olukayode Fadairo.

Dare revealed that thousands of entries were received for the App Challenge and after the detailed process by technical partners, 10 entries were selected to receive cash prizes of N1 million each while several others won laptops.

A food crisis is imminent in Nigeria as Nigerians continue to face challenges such as floods, climate change effects and insecurity. JULIANA AGBO examines stakeholders’ view on the need to take preventive measures and avert a looming food crisis.

About 9.8 million Nigerians are expected to be in a hunger crisis or worse between November and December this year, as 16 northern states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been identified in the Cadre Harmonise (CH) report on food security and nutrition analysis released on November 5, 2020.

The 16 states include Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe States as well as the FCT. It noted that the findings did not include those from

Zamfara State because they were still being finalised.

While it reported that about 13.8 million people will be facing acute food shortage crisis between June and August 2021, it said the number could grow to about 14 million if measures are not taken in time to avert the hunger crisis.

The report shows that more Nigerians in northern States are pushed to acute food shortage crisis mainly due to floods, climate change effects and the ongoing insurgency.

Cadre Harmonise analysis

The Cadre Harmonisé (CH) is a current regional framework aimed to prevent food crisis by quickly identifying affected populations and proffering appropriate measures to improve their food and nutrition security.

The CH analysis results in Nigeria which have become the major yardstick for estimating the areas and population of vulnerable people in needs of humanitarian assistance as presented in the annual Humanitarian Needs Overviews (HNOs) and the Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs),

provides early warning alert to national and state governments as well as development partners including the humanitarian community on looming food insecurity and nutrition gaps faced in the states and is used to galvanise support towards targeted actions.

However, the tool has provided opportunities for the governments and actors in food security and nutrition to continually monitor and track the progress made in improving food security and nutrition situations, particularly in the northeast that has been burdened by insecurity caused by a prolonged armed insurgency.

The CH analysis led by the Federal Government is facilitated through the National Programme for Food Security (NPFS) with financial and technical support from Food and Agriculture of the United Nations (FAO), the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), European Union, the French Development Agency and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Others members of the Cadre Harmonise Technical Committee are the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Oxfam, Administration for Children & Families (ACF) and Save the Children.

Analysing the need for the CH, FAO Representative in Nigeria and the ECOWAS, Fred Kafeero said the results of the analysis had exposed the need for urgent intervention by the government.

Kafeero said the exercise, which has now been adopted by the Nigeria Food Security stakeholders since 2015 aims at applying the outcome of the analysis in preventing food crisis by identifying the areas affected and the populations as well as proffering appropriate measures towards improved food and nutrition.

The exercise, which has now been adopted by the Nigeria Food Security stakeholders since 2015 aims at applying the outcome of the analysis in preventing food crisis by identifying the areas affected and the populations as well as proffering appropriate measures towards improved food and nutrition

This October/November 2020 CH analysis happens to be different from the previous years, as it took Into consideration the unprecedented impact of the COVID -19 pandemic on the various outcomes of FNS and the inference of the various FNS contributing factors.

“Despite the relaxation of the COVlD-19 lockdown measures, several households are still currently experiencing difficulties in accessing their basic food and nonfood needs due to disrupted livelihoods. This has resulted in reduced HHs opportunities for income and food and nutrition security”, he stated.

Regional analysis

The report shows that the most affected part of the country is the northeast region covering the Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states that are affected by the armed insurgency leaving millions of people without food and other livelihood means. The three States are classified to be in crisis and emergency phases of acute food and nutrition analysis.

It also reported that between now and December this year, it is only Adamawa State which has completely scored better results of being under pressure but without renewed concerted efforts, much of it will slide into a food security crisis.

Speaking on the report, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mua’zu Abdulkadir, said that the analysis is not just an early warning alert but an inevitable decision-making tool to guide points of action for ensuring food security and nutrition situation across all the States involved.

Dr Abdulkadir said the October 2020 CH analysis came at a time when households in the country were faced with economic stress due to lockdown and restrictive measures put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Nigeria.

“The results, therefore, are expected to reveal the number of those affected by the food and nutrition challenges for the period covered that is October to December 2020 and the projected June to August 2021,” he said.

Abdullahi Aliyu, a farmer based in Kano, said farmers should be encouraged and supported with financial resources, inputs and necessary implement to increase productivity.

While reiterating the need for the federal government to prioritise mechanised farming and train farmers subsequently on the use of mechanised equipment, he said urgent action should be taken to avert pervasive hunger.

Citing the need to take urgent action, stakeholders called on decision-makers develop and implement effective strategies for institutionalising the CH process through its inclusion in annual budget lines at the State and federal levels.

“The budget should include providing funds to the relevant structures for conducting food and nutrition security assessments, including market monitoring, to enable credible and reliable data for the CH analysis and other uses.

While noting that the report lays a foundation for planning effective interventions to prevent further deterioration of the food and nutrition situation in those vulnerable areas, the stakeholders called on the governments to intensify effort to improve the security situation, particularly in inaccessible and partially accessible areas, to provide an opportunity for reaching out to the vulnerable population for humanitarian assistance.

Also emphasising on the need to further mitigate the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and flood on food and nutrition security, it was recommended that stakeholders particularly, the government should sustain the implementation of relief measures among the populace.

“The efforts should consider the vulnerable population currently needing assistance to assist them with raw food items and farm production inputs.

“There is a need to sustain the current intensive public enlightenment and enforcement of the standard preventive and management measures and protocols set by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to mitigate further the active community spread of the country’s COVID-19 pandemic.”

The stakeholders while calling on the CH Coordinating agencies to develop and implement practical actions to further communicate the outcome of the CH analysis at various levels of government to trigger and guide appropriate responses for addressing food and nutrition challenges, said partners should sustain the joint support for Food and Nutrition Security assessments’ timely conduct to ensure data provision for the CH analysis, particularly in inaccessible areas within the northeast states and other states or communities experiencing banditry and form of security challenges.

Determined to return Lagos to its bubbling state before the recent crisis that left many public and private assets burnt or looted, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has set machinery in motion to rebuild the state and health the wounds, reports Associate Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” These immortal words from Nelson Mandela were perhaps what fired Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu into action last week. Exuding confidence and determination in his office last week, he signed an Executive Order to fast-track the rebuilding of the state that is home to over 20 million people after the ENDSARS crisis that engulfed the state last month, which left many public and private assets in ruins.

The governor was joined by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Moyosore Onigbanjo, at the signing of the Executive Order last Wednesday. Sanwo-Olu said it is time the state put behind the recent challenges behind it to be able to face the ‘daunting task of collectively rebuilding our Lagos.’ He said he is always happy and thrilled by the ability of ‘our Lagos’ to be the abode of several ethnic nationalities that cohabit peacefully and pursue their personal goals and ambitions.

“We believe that our culture, heritage, values and future are worth much more than the looting, arson and destruction, which we witnessed in Lagos State about two weeks ago. Instead of wallowing in our pain, we have chosen to positively move forward. We will embrace new standards of governance; we will build stronger partnerships, stronger people, stronger institutions, and a stronger state. Our strength lies in our uncanny ability to overcome the most complicated challenges because we have people who genuinely love Lagos State and will assiduously do all they can to preserve its peace and unity,” Sanwo-Olu said.

While disclosing that the state government has been inundated with local and global offers of assistance to rebuild the state and recover all that had been lost to arson and violence, the Governor said he feels further encouraged by the resilient spirit collectively displayed by all Lagosians and friends of Lagos after the needless destruction recently witnessed in the state. This, he added, has forced him to expedite rebuilding efforts so that all the wounds can be healed quickly, stressing that “we can no longer wait until the bill is passed. It is expedient that our enumeration, recovery, and rebuilding efforts start as soon as possible.”

The Executive Order has culminated in the setting up of an 8-man Lagos Rebuild Trust Fund Committee, tasked with the job of overseeing the recovery process. The 8-member board chaired by Yemi Cardoso has as members Prof. Kanyisola Ajayi; Gbenga Agboola; Mrs Bola Adesola; Sam Egube; Jimi Hotonu; Mr. Abubakar Suleimon and a member of an international donor agency. A bill has since been sent to the Lagos House of Assembly to pass the Trust Fund Bill into law. When this is achieved, Sanwo-Olu said the Lagos Rebuild Trust Fund Committee would be dissolved and its functions transferred to the newly established Trust Fund. Other committees to be set up to achieve the rebuilding and healing of wounds include the Business Continuity Committee, Assessment Committee, Planning Committee, Execution, Measurement and Evaluation committee, Security and Enforcement Committee, Communication and Community Engagement Committee.

“In these challenging but interesting times, we realise that we have the potent opportunity to reform our state and upgrade our structures. I urge you to trust us to continue to represent the collective interests of all Lagosians. At the centre of this decisive action to rebuild our state is the need to closely work with the people and organisations who call Lagos home: those who believe in the Lagos Dream, those who share our collective vision of a mega-city that thrives on peace and unity among all ethnic groups.

“The Trust Fund Committee will be responsible for getting the detailed cost of restructuring and rebuilding the destroyed properties, the identification of our state’s most critical needs and how they align with our THEMES agenda, how best to improve our emergency response service (Fire, LASEMA and Health), determination of the areas of the critical need to get affected agencies back to work, and the construction of a website to gather ideas from the public on the way forward.

“I believe this is the starting point of a new socio-economic process. I am also hopeful that this initiative will help us to seamlessly make the transition to a rebuilt Lagos with upgraded public structures, facilities and amenities. I know that the ashes that presently dot our landscape will birth modern and globally acceptable infrastructure. We will continue to optimize all resources at our disposal to further the interests of Lagosians. We will prioritize reconciliation, peacebuilding, and unity among the ethnic nationalities that reside in Lagos State. We are known as the Centre of Excellence because of our ability to outstandingly set the pace: our resilient spirit makes it impossible for us to compromise our unparalleled capability to implement radical social reforms.”

An unprecedented, massive destruction

It was not expected, but it happened and left many weeping. After the violence, Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, was left devastated by the nefarious activities of hoodlums that infiltrated the peaceful protests, ravaging and plundering the emerging megacity. By the time the mayhem subsided, many parts of the state were littered with the burnt buildings, looted shops and destroyed properties – public and private.

To the dismay of Lagosians, the hoodlums, who carried out attacks in different parts of the state, seemed undisturbed by the presence of security agents, as they carried out arson, destruction of properties and looting of valuables in the ever-peaceful state. By the time the arsonists were done after two days of unprecedented violence and looting, no fewer than 27 buildings, including police stations, media houses, government offices and secretariats as well the court were attacked and left in ruins.

In what many have described as a coordinated attack, mayhem started when hoodlums first attacked peaceful protesters in Lagos, with the armed thugs attacking protesters twice at Ikeja. For about two weeks, the peaceful protests staged by Nigerian youths had taken over the streets in the country to protest against police brutality, extrajudicial killing and extortion. They called for a comprehensive reform of the Nigerian Police, among other demands, which the federal government quickly accepted.

But the youths, having grown cynical of government, refused to stop their protests, despite promises by the government to look into their legitimate grievances. The hoodlums soon spotted an opportunity in the continued peaceful protests to pounce on the populace, as they carried out mob actions against the police officials and their families, destroying police stations before the unchecked violence snowballed into attacking and looting of private businesses in the state. However, the situation in the state became worse when armed officers reportedly opened fire on peaceful protesters at Lekki toll gate, leading to the death of at least two people and many injured.

Facilities burnt, vandalised or looted

By far, the police as an institution was the most affected as no fewer than 17 police stations were burnt by hoodlums. They started the looting and destruction of police properties at Iganmu police division, which was set on fire after police officers reportedly shot two people in the neighbourhood. Pronto, violence spread to other parts of the state, as police and hoodlums clashed at Mushin and Ojo, forcing the state government to declare a 24-hour curfew in a bid to check the activities of criminal elements in the state.

But this did not stop the arsonists who continued to burn down police stations in the state. The thugs also made away with all belongings found within the premises of the police stations, including vehicles. While many assets were destroyed, valuables such as weapons were carted away. According to the Lagos police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, 17 police stations were burnt by hoodlums in the state. He listed the affected stations to include Idimu, Igando, Layeni, Denton, Ilenbe Hausa, Ajah, Amukoko, Ilasa, Cele Outpost under Ijesha, disbanded SARS office under Ajegunle, Ebute-Ero, Mushin (Olosan), Ojo, Ajegunle, Ikotun, and Ojodu.

The crisis took a different dimension when hoodlums shifted their anger to the court buildings. The Federal High Court at Igbosere, Lagos, reputed to be the oldest court building in Nigeria, was razed down by hoodlums. That was not all, as many case files were burnt in the fire or stolen, while valuables, including desktop computers, air conditioners, refrigerators and chairs were carted away. Popular malls, banks and supermarkets in Lagos were also vandalised and looted by the hoodlums. Offices of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Vehicle Inspection Service in the Ojodu area of the state were set ablaze by suspected hoodlums. Several shops were also broken into in many areas and goods carted away by the hoodlums.

The state theatre at Oregun was not spared by hoodlums. Not done, hoodlums swooped on the palace of Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, and made away with his staff of office and other valuables, including cash and wristwatches. The dare-devil criminal elements also vented their insanity on the family house of Governor Sanwo-Olu, burning down the house located at Omididun Street, Lagos Island. Also razed in the bloody violence were down the headquarters of Television Continental (TVC) in Ketu and the office of The Nation newspaper in Mushin. Hoodlums soon turned their attention to public assets, burning BRT terminals at Oyingbo, Yaba and Berger.

Several buses at the Oyingbo terminus were set ablaze, while some parts of Yaba and Berger bus terminals were torched by the criminals. Local government buildings were also set ablaze, while vehicles and other valuables within the premises were burnt or looted. Beyond facilities owned by the state government, the office of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos was also burnt; while the dockyard at Apapa was attacked, with valuable items and vehicles and other properties set ablaze.

During his tour of damaged facilities, Sanwo-Olu described the scale of destruction in the state is akin to a war zone. But the state must recover from the destruction, he said, vowing that it is a challenge that will not be allowed to overwhelm the state. He has since set up an investigative panel to unravel what happened.

Commiserations, solidarity galore

After a tour of damaged public and private facilities in Lagos, members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) who hail from the Southwest and all Governors in the zone, they described the sad incident as a coordinated arson to undermine the zone’s economic advantage. The governors and the ministers, who were in Lagos to commiserate with Sanwo-Olu over the large-scale destruction of public and private facilities by hoodlums, sighed endlessly as they shook their heads.

The Southwest Governors’ Forum chairman and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who led the team, likened Lagos to a war zone because of the massive scale of the destruction they witnessed. There was an agenda beyond the youth demonstration against police brutality, he added. “We are deeply concerned with the ease with which public buildings, utilities, police stations and investment of our people have been burnt despite the proximity of security agencies in those areas. The development leaves us with no other option than to believe that there may be other reasons for continued protests, well-coordinated and funded.

“We are particularly worried that 48 hours after the unfortunate incident at the Lekki Toll Gate by persons adorning military outfit, there has been no definitive statement from the military authorities on the incident. Our anxiety becomes heightened by the categorical denial of the Governor of Lagos State concerning military deployment. No Governor has powers to authorise the deployment of military personnel in Nigeria. We commend Governor Sanwo-Olu for his administrative acumen. We note his patience and understanding in the face of unwarranted provocation by agents of darkness. We stand resolutely with him at this trying period. We urged our youths to rise and defend our land against diabolical incursion ravaging our space. We cannot continue to fold our hands and watch our heritage destroyed,” Akeredolu said.

Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola said the visit was at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari. He said words were not enough to describe the extent of the destruction. Other governors in the delegation included those of Oyo and Ekiti states, Seyi Makinde, and Kayode Fayemi. Other FEC members, who visited Sanwo-Olu, include Minister for Sport and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, Minister for Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Industry, Trade and Development, Niyi Adebayo, Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunimbe Mamora, Minister of State for Niger Delta, Omotayo Alasoadura, and Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite.

Apart from ministers and governors, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has also visited Sanwo-Olu, condemned the violence and destruction of properties in Lagos. Gbajabiamila, who was accompanied by members of the House of Representatives from the state, discouraged ethnic insinuations into what happened and vowed that the lower chamber of the National Assembly would do all within its power in rebuilding Lagos and other states affected by the violence. “This certainly is not Lagos State of our dream that we all talk about. I believe that no matter brave or face anyone put into it, even the protesters have their regrets that things went this far. From my understanding and from what I have seen, those who were for the protests and those who did not join were all affected. It is very unfortunate to see the level of destruction,” he said

Like their federal counterparts, Lagos lawmakers have also visited the scenes of destruction carried out in the state. The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, led other members to visit areas and facilities destroyed by hoodlums during the peaceful protest that later turned violent. “We are on the visit to see the level of destruction that took place in the state and this is shocking because Lagos had always maintained a respected place in the country and Africa. We must not forget also that Lagos is a mini-Nigeria and it harbours people irrespective of where they come from, irrespective of their political or religious sentiments. We, therefore, urge the aggrieved protesters to be conscious of the fact that rebuilding the state is a major task that must be done with unity. So, the House will also support the effort of the state government to see that something is done in relation to those who lost their lives as a result of SARS brutality,” Obasa said.

Agency Reporter

The media around the world have not been reticent in their attempts to place the historic American elections into context for readers, listeners and viewers. Some political figures around the world are also giving their views of the moment.

As the United States counts the votes of an election President Trump has already labelled fraudulent and threatened to challenge in court, the rest of the world is looking on with a mixture of uncertainty, concern and outright alarm.

World leaders have for the most part held back on weighing in on an election that is still America’s to decide. However, media around the world, hoping to place a historic moment into context for readers, listeners and viewers, have been less reticent.

Germany’s defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called the uncertainty surrounding the outcome “a very explosive situation.”

“This is a situation that can lead to a constitutional crisis in the U.S., as experts are rightly saying,” she told German broadcaster ZDF. “And it is something that must cause us great concern.”

The international edition of the Der Spiegel weekly ran a commentary from its chief correspondent in Washington declaring that Trump’s false declaration of victory and potential challenge of the results “is threatening to turn the vote into a farce.”

German parliamentarian Norbert Röttgen, seen as a potential successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, told NPR that Trump’s premature victory speech showed “a total lack of respect for the law.”

“[The] counting process is ongoing. Nobody has a basis or a right to declare victory,” he said.

In neighbouring France, the Le Monde daily led its website with a quote from French journalist Sylvie Kauffmann, who blamed the election impasse on “flaws in the electoral system.” She wrote that leaving the process to the states “creates a lot of disparities and complicates the counting of votes at the national level.”

In the United Kingdom, an analysis in Wednesday’s Times of London was brutally succinct: “It is hard to look at our closest ally this morning without concluding that it is a nation in trouble — with all that means for countries that, since the Second World War, have looked to the United States for leadership and protection as Britain has.”

Christabel Portuphy, who works for the government of Ghana in London, was concerned about the president’s false claims of victory and fraud.

“It’s going to get his supporters also believing that he’s won,” Portuphy said. “It creates chaos in the country. I think he should just wait, be patient and trust the system.”

The director of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs in Rome, Nathalie Tocci, said if a contested U.S. election ends up in the courts and leads to violence, it would further damage America’s standing and undermine democracy here in Europe.

“In an international system in which a confrontation is crystallizing between the U.S. and authoritarian powers, beginning with China (with Russia tagging along), a weakening of democracy in America, perhaps even more so than the policies of President Trump, would represent a blow to democratic Europe.”

In Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has enjoyed close ties with the president and where Trump gets high marks for the controversial decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the incoming ambassador to the U.S., Gilad Erdan, stressed that his country will work with whomever occupies the White House.

He told Israeli Army Radio: “Our partnership with whomever is elected is not a personal partnership, it is a strategic partnership. It is deep. … Any administration that will be chosen today or in the coming days, I think we, Israel will continue to be its strategic ally.”

Asked if he owned a store in the U.S. whether he would board it up as a precaution against possible post-election violence, he said he probably would.

Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot printed its cover page with two headlines. Right side up it says “Mr. President” with Trump’s photo. Flip the cover page upside down, and it says “Mr. President” with Joe Biden’s photo.

An editorial in Canada’s The Globe and Mail called the U.S. election a “referendum on America’s soul” and said the stalled results left open “two possibilities, neither of them ideal.”

“The first is that Mr. Trump is on the verge of re-election. The second is that the decision as to who has won could come down to mail-in ballots … which are likely to lean to the Democratic Party, and which in these states are not legally counted until after [Election Day],” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote. “That gives Mr. Trump every incentive to try to delegitimize the entirely legitimate counting of those ballots. He began a campaign to do so months ago.”

In Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the nationalist opposition Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, predicted that despite Biden’s likely win of the popular vote, Trump “will still emerge the winner because he’s done more for Americans than any president before him.”

“People are tired of anarchy throughout the country,” he said, comparing the situation in America to the “pogroms, looting and violence” in Russia’s past.

The chairman of Russia’s upper house Federation Council’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, alluded to U.S. intelligence claims that both Trump and the Kremlin have denied of Russian interference in American presidential elections. He said such claims were “never convincingly proven but enough to permanently attack [Trump],” adding that Moscow “benefits from any certainty in which the losers won’t need to resort to [claims of] foreign interference.”

In China, which has been a Trump administration target both over trade and for Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, officials are taking a wait-and-see approach, and news outlets are being told not to write about the impasse. Instead, top trending items on social media Wednesday included “U.S. backs out of Paris agreement.” China’s foreign ministry said: “The U.S. election is a domestic affair; China has no position.”

Even so, the official Global Times suggested late Tuesday that the bitterly fought election pointed to a broader U.S. decline: “The US has to some extent degraded,” it said. “In recent years, the US has ignored rules of the international community. Everything has been oriented toward maximizing American interests. Egoism has flooded both internally and externally.”

Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary, Katsunobu Kato, expressed reserve and caution, remaining tight-lipped when asked at a news conference when Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga might send a congratulatory message to the winner: “The Japanese government will continue to monitor the outcome and its potential implications with keen interest,” he said.

South Korea, meanwhile, is also keeping a close watch on the election, the outcome of which could affect the all-important military alliance with the U.S. as well as Washington’s ties with North Korea. The Foreign Ministry has organized a task force to plan Seoul’s response to the outcome of the U.S. vote.

“There is high possibility that the result of [the] U.S. presidential election will be the beginning of a new political situation” on the Korean Peninsula, Minister of Unification Lee In-young said Wednesday.

In a “special contribution” to the South’s Yonhap News Agency, Biden pledged to strengthen the U.S.-South Korean alliance “rather than extorting Seoul with reckless threats to remove our troops,” a reference to Trump’s attempts to compel Seoul to pay more for the cost of stationing U.S. troops in South Korea.

In the world’s largest democracy, India, where Trump has described Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “friend,” one commentator expressed astonishment that Americans were so impatient for results. In India, election outcomes frequently take days or weeks to determine due to the huge number of ballots and the country’s vast geography.

“Democracy, unlike candy, does not come out of a vending machine delivering instant gratification,” Indian radio commentator Sandip Roy said. “And that’s a good thing.”

An analysis in Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald said the U.S. president’s push to stop the vote count “has sought to undermine the democracy he leads and disenfranchise millions of his fellow citizens.”

Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu’s visit to Lagos on Tuesday availed him the opportunity to see the evil wrought on police assets, writes PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

He tried to show strength but his grief was palpable. Burnt police buildings, vehicles, decimated barracks, cracked walls, stripped roofs, broken bottles and debris all over the affected police formations visited were too much for Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu.

Unable to find the right words to describe the level of damage at police formations and the Palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, Adamu occasionally shook his head as community leaders, Divisional Police Officers and Area Commanders recounted their experiences.

From the airport where the IG was received, the convoy moved straight to the Makinde Police Station in Oshodi, where a young man, Oke Obi-Enadhuze, was hacked to death by the hoodlums said to have stormed the premises.

Soot, condemned wire, broken woods and glasses have overtaken the once red dry soil of the police station with the premises looking like a scene from a war movie. The sights were the same at Orile Iganmu, Ebute Ero Police Stations and the Oba’s Palace where the invaders not only looted and vandalised properties but also desecrated the throne by pooing inside it.

Our reporter observed that the monarch’s stool and other cultural symbols of power that were desecrated by the hoodlums have been placed outside while some of the pictures whose frames were broken still hung on the walls. Also, exotic vehicles in the palace that were damaged were also seen. Members of the royal family narrated how the hoodlums invaded a community healthcare centre and carted away properties belonging to pregnant women attending antenatal.

The IG assured Lagos Princes, including Oba Akiolu’s first son, Aremu, and his younger brother, Adeoye, that the police would fish out the culprits and bring them to book.

Prince Aremu Akiolu, who took the police chief round the palace, said the miscreants might have attacked the palace because of the monarch’s intolerance of hooliganism.

He said: “Kabiyesi is a very tough man and because he was a police officer before so he doesn’t tolerate nonsense. But for them to go to that extent is very uncalled for. Whenever we have an Oba in Lagos, we respect the Oba. Oba is very nice to the people so it is not nice at all.  We need to know how to behave in this country.”

Aremu Akiolu said: “They vandalised everywhere, took all the chairs and electronics. God just saved Kabiyesi. They didn’t return the staff of office but we have the original one with us and we went out four days later with all the traditional people. The main palace here is the target.”

From all the scenes visited, the tales were similar: Armed hoodlums who hijacked the #ENDSARS protests came guns-blazing, shot petrol bombs at the facilities and subsequently torched before looting them dry.

Residents relive experiences

Witnesses at Ebute-Ero said the attackers fired gunshots from atop the bridge, adding that they soaked bread in petrol and fired them to the station. They said it was after they attacked the station and carted away firearms that they moved to the Oba’s Palace.

The Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in Oshodi, Mr.  Femi Akeju, said he had never seen anything like that before. He lamented that the facilities destroyed took the PCRC 12 years to build, adding that they recently bought tiles, fixed windows and toilets.

“The hoodlums took advantage of this ENDSARS protest and they just came and put fire here. In fact, our DPO was disgraced. They wanted to even burn him inside the place. We begged them but they refused so the Air Force came in and rescued him.

“The hoodlums were here for over three hours. We tried our best to stop them but they were too many. It was a serious issue and then we discovered there’s nothing we can do because they were armed and large crowd of thousands.

“They surrounded this place. Initially they came with petrol bombs and were throwing to this place and firing so nobody could face them.

“The people that carried out this attack are not youths in this community. In fact, 90% of them are not youths in this community. The youths came from various places not necessarily Oshodi youths alone. In fact, for two weeks they were at the express on airport road; put their gbedu and they were beating their drums for almost two weeks at the centre of the road, it is from there they migrated to this place.

“Our real youths are not happy with what has happened. We have true and fake youths, the true youths are very sad with what’s happening, the community is very sad.

“We are going to appeal to the Federal Government; we know police issue is an exclusive issue so it’s the federal government that must come in to help us. We have done all our best we could and they have destroyed it.

The Chairman, Oshodi Local Government Area, Bolaji Ariyo, said the attackers were overwhelming.

He said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and his men waded off an initial attempt and secured the entrance to the station but the thugs attacked from the rear by destroying a fence and burning the barracks.

“Oshodi is a community that people always consider aggressive, troublesome but it’s not like that. We all know ourselves in this community very well. I can tell you for a fact, the entire youths here were not those who attacked. At that time, there was a restriction of movement everywhere, so, we were working on social media telling people not to destroy our own heritage. Some of our boys were here trying to stop the attackers. I was calling them and they were telling me the position of things. “I can tell you where these boys came from. The boys come from the expressway. There’s pedestrian bridge at the expressway, at night we have people that sleep there. These are the people that migrated from every corner of Lagos State and find a conducive place to sleep so these boys are not from here.

“They moved to the division because everybody feels that this is the time for them to loot and free for all. So, they believe that first of all they need to destroy the police that guard us so that they could be able to penetrate to other areas without being caught since they have destabilised the police.”

An Orile Community leader, who identified himself simply as Samsudeen, said the station was attacked by youths and road transport union members, adding that they even tried to burn his office.

“Kunle knows how many people that came to this area to come and burn here. They carried arms, I saw some guns. Some guys were at Alhaji Jimoh’s side. They are hoodlums, I don’t know them. That day, they were ready to kill me as well. They wanted to fight me. I just hid in one place, some hoodlums/unions were among them.

“We want police to come back. Since that day, we cannot rest in this community since then at all, they are just threatening us with gun.”

Straight from the heart

Addressing reporters after visiting Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the State House, Marina, the IG admitted Lagos was the worst hit by the violence from his observation, adding that he was in the state to commiserate with the government and people as well as access the level of destruction.

“The second reason for my visit is to see the police stations that were destroyed and then talk to officers and men of the Nigeria Police to encourage them not to be disturbed or demoralised by the events that took place and remind them they are specially trained to take such kinds of pains because by the nature of policing, you are always exposed to danger and now that this has happened, it shouldn’t discourage us from performing our constitutional duties.

“It is true that their morale has been dampened but the visit is to come and encourage them not to relent in performing their duties to protect lives and properties.

All of you have seen that apart from the police station that were destroyed a lot of government institutions were destroyed, private businesses destroyed even the palace of the traditional ruler, the Oba of Lagos was destroyed.

“So you can see that anytime you want to embark on a peaceful protest it is very important to set a protocol in order not to allow miscreants, hoodlums to hijack the protest. The moment you allow that the purpose and intent of the protest will be defeated as the case now with this peaceful protest that we witnessed.

“Nobody, no economy, no nation, no state will be able to bear the loss. That we have seen happened in Lagos. Even if we are able to bear, it will take a long time. So we hope in the future when we are going to join peaceful protests, we will observe some protocols so that we don’t experience what we experienced this time around.”

From the State House, the IG moved to the private residence of Oba Akiolu where for an off-camera visit; stopped at the Police Clinic, Ikoyi to see some injured cops still on admission before proceeding to the Command Headquarters in Ikeja to address officers and men.

Before the event commenced, a solemn moment was observed for the 22 cops killed across the country during the violence with all officers and men standing still as the band played the dirge.

A morale booster

Commending them for exercising restraint in the face of huge provocation, Adamu urged them to see what happened as more reason to prove the people wrong on allegations of brutality.

He assured them that President Muhammadu Buhari would improve the welfare of the police, adding that he was happy most Nigerians did not support the violent protesters.

The police chief noted that violence occurred in 14 states of the country, adding that the police as at Sunday had arrested 1,596 suspects.

“Nigeria police has support from the highest authority in this country so it is not that everybody dislikes the police. There are those that are finding it difficult to come out and speak but they call to say we’re behind you, you are doing a good job, please continue.

“So despite the fact that we have been attacked, some of us are in the hospital, the stations and the residences were attacked and burnt, personal belongings were destroyed, you remained committed to constitutional duties. You came out and continued to do the policing job of protecting lives and properties so thank you very much for that. As the protest and violence were going on, you made sure that a lot of people were arrested. As at three days ago, you’ve arrested 1,596 suspects all over the country.

“We are special Nigerians. We are special because we are police officers, we are special because we are specially trained to manage Nigerians and that’s why we are not easily provoked. For that reason we must be treated specially and I will tell you how government is treating us specially in the second segment of our discussion”

Call for posthumous special promotion

Lagos Police Commissioner (CP) Hakeem Odumosu appealed to the IG to award posthumous promotions for cops killed during the protest to boost the morale of others.

Odumosu appealed to the IG to equip the command with anti-riot equipment, non-lethal weapons like stunt guns in line with international standard of policing.

He also asked for four water cannons to make the management and control of riots easier and more professional.