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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Youths in Osun State on Thursday shunned street protest and converged on the hall to discuss issues in commemoration of two years of Endsars protest.
The event organised by the Civil Society Movement, had the government representative and other concerned bodies in attendance with the theme: Nigeria is Ours To Drive: A Better Narrative.”
The guest lecturer, Ibrahim Lawal Esq, decried the ‘sad end of the Endsars protest, saying the government should learn how to listen to the plight of the masses before it gets out of hand.
He said, “the ultimate lesson from the dark incident is the need for government at all levels to be attentive and listen to the voice of reason during times of peace.
“So many civil society organisations, intellectuals, cultural associations, etc. have been involved over the years in a plethora of workshops, lectures, publications, drafting of bills and produced very well-nuanced documentation on not just the need for police reforms but also the exact contours of what needs to be done.
“As usual, the authorities arrogantly refused to grab the opportunities provided by these free consultations to reform the Nigeria Police. Complaints upon complaints of violations of fundamental rights by the police were overlooked until the protests. The wrong message may have been sent by the government that until people protest strongly and ground national activities, no one would listen or act. The proper lesson is that government should not wait for any issue to get out of hand before initiating reforms once there is public consensus that a system is not working.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Ismail Omipidan, who was a discussant, maintained that the purported killing of two persons during the protest did not happen when the governor visited the barricade.
He noted that Osun is one of the three states that have paid compensation to victims of Endsars despite the attack on the convoy of Oyetola by the protesters.
