Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said he has learnt his lesson over the killings at the Lekki Tollgate during the #EndSARS protest in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu said this on Wednesday when he appeared on Arise TV morning show.
The governor said he has done a forensic analysis of the shootings that happened and he would like people to react based on the events that truly happened and not social media reactions.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said he was the first governor that met with protesters and gave their demands to the president in accordance with his role as a Lagos governor.
“In fact, the EndSARS protest had started almost three weeks before the incident happened. So, it had built up in different locations. People had come to certain locations, as a place where they can always advocate. I was the first governor that went there to meet with them nationwide. It didn’t start in Lagos, but when it got here I was the first because that’s the price of leadership,” he said.
“I was the one that took the five demands to the president with pictures. I was the first to set up a tribunal and panel for those who have been molested to come forward and get restitution,” Mr Sanwo-Olu stressed.
Mr Sanwo-Olu claimed that he was at his residence when the shooting happened adding that he went to hospitals in Lekki on the night of the incident but it was a different event from whatever was reported on social media.
“The incident on that night happened. I was in my house with some cabinet members when it happened. So we didn’t have an idea at all.
“In terms of questions they asked, who ordered the shooting. Who ordered for a CPS not to listen to me when I went to Magodo the other day. So you can see that in the elections last Saturday, there were more military out there than the police.
“It is not in my remit but if we just drop it for one second and just do a role play and ask what were my own actions before, during and after. I went out that night to all the hospitals that we could have patients. I went out at 12 midnight and I saw things for myself and I reported what I saw at 8:00 o’clock the following morning. At 10:00 am things could have changed but I reported what I saw and I would not deny what I didn’t see to what the people want me to say.”
Sanwo-Olu said he understands the anger of the youth and he would be the least “person that will disenfranchise or mess them up.”
The governor said the lessons of #EndSARS are not lost on him and he would have reacted differently to the shootings.
He added that the victims of the shootings have been compensated and he his administration has supported them.
“So, the lessons and the learning of EndSARS is not lost on me. Would we do a few things differently? Yes, we will but I just need to say that we need to leave this idea around. There was a big burst that happened.
“All of the people that claim that they were either injured or they were affected one form or the other. I have reached out to them. And I’ve supported them, I’ve given them jobs, I’ve given them empowerment and that’s why you don’t see anybody during this campaign trail coming out to say that I did not do anything.”
