EndSARS Protests-Nothing has Changed-Ex-Officio TUC

Two years after the EndSars protests on October 2o, 2020, across Nigeria, a number of state governments are yet to compensate victims of the protests. This attitude by political office holders has brought to the fore the mindset of those who represent Nigerians at all levels of public office. Families and communities are still mourning their loved ones who lost their lives as a result of the absence of the will to do the right thing by those who occupy public offices. Obviously, this is an eye opener for all and sundry. However, an Ex-Officio of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), who is also a former chairman of the union in the state, Comrade Andrew Emelieze asks some very important questions : 1)Why were the street lights at the Lekki toll gate switched off on the night of the protests? 2)Who ordered that the Close Circuit Television Cameras(CCTV) be switched off? 3)Who also ordered that the lights of the billboard advertisement be switched off? 4)Why were the security operatives deployed to the scene armed with rifles and live ammunition? 5) Where are the bodies of other victims of the Lekki incident aside from those deposited in the mortuary? Comrade Emelieze laments that lessons have not been learnt from the 2020 protests saying, '' two years down the line, all the events that led to the EndSARs protests are still with us today. There is police brutality everywhere. Nigerian police officers and rank and file are back on the streets collecting bribes from motorists. Youths aside from the criminally minded are the targets of extortion and molestation.''
Solomon Adewunmi is the Editor-in-Chief of New Federation (news2day.emyspot.com), People(2day.emyspot.com) and Federationewsday(one.emyspot.com) He attended Ajeromi Ifelodun High School, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos and the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. He possesses - * BBC/EC CERTIFICATE IN NEWS JOURNALISM (FEB. 2001) * CERTIFICATE IN ARTS AND CULTURE CRITICISM (NANTAP MAY 2001) * CERTIFICATE IN PEACE JOURNALISM (JUSTICE, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE COMMISSION) *CERTIFICATE IN CONFLICT ANALYSIS[UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAMME, OCT.2004] *CERTIFICATE IN INTERFAITH CONFLICT RESOLUTION( UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE, JAN. 2009).

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