The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed to residents not to allow external forces destroy the wellbeing and security of the state.
He spoke on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ engagement, tagged, ‘Internal Security and Conflict Resolution in Lagos State.’
The meeting, which held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, was also attended by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi; human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, among others.
Sanwo-Olu said the coordinated arson and destruction that trailed the #EdSARS protest was a wake-up call to all citizens and security organisations to be vigilant and move against actions that could affect the wellbeing and security of Nigeria.
He pleaded with residents to allow the seed of peace being sown to germinate, while also stressing the need to re-establish communication links between the government and the people.
He said, “We have to reignite the communication link between government and the people so that fifth columnists or conspiracy theorists will not be able to infiltrate and spread disinformation and misinformation that would jeopardise the future of our country or the opportunities available for our youths to contribute to the greatness of our country.”
The forum later moved into an executive session where discussions were held on ways out of the current situation.
The participants, in the 15-point communique issued after the meeting, called on the Federal Government to treat Lagos security as a national issue.
The group also called for increased intelligence gatherings by security agencies by working with neighbourhood security apparatus.
They urged job creation for the youth, including reintroduction of value-driven programmes, such as Boys Scout, Girls Guild, “in our schools to meaningfully engage young people.”