society
ENDSARS: Fresh stench from Sanwo-Olu’s mass grave (1) Tunde Odesola
ENDSARS: Fresh stench from Sanwo-Olu’s mass grave (1)
Tunde Odesola
It was the saddest night of October 2020. Nobody spoke except the shovels in their hands, heaping sand on slain bodies, bones and blood in a shallow mass grave. Secretly, they buried a great number of unnamed, unfortunate citizens in the still of the night. One, two, three…20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and more and more corpses. Did the Fulani-Oyo War kill that much?
After the indecent burial, the undertakers left for home, wiping sweat off their dirty brows, their heavy boots stained with blood-red earth. Compunction is not a function of their heart.
Theirs was a cycle of tragedy, the victims. They suffered while alive, died horrible deaths, and were dumped in a mass grave by the caring Lagos State Government.
On your mark, get set, go! A sprinter and a marathoner set out on a race around the earth. The sprinter shoots forward like a bullet and is gone out of sight. Unperturbed, the marathoner gets off the block – slow, steady and sure-footed.
Bullets don’t fly forever. But the wind does. After the trigger clicks, bullets soon lose their speed, poison and they drop flat. But the wind, silent and unseen, goes on and on and on like forever.
The sprinter-marathoner and bullet-wind metaphors are my picturalisation of falsehood and truth. Many a time when falsehood bolts out on a race, truth is in bed, snoring. Truth, never in a hurry, effusing its fragrance, is certain to overpower the odour of falsehood in the long run.
Another metaphor. Thunder and lightning! Both are energies: one is sound, the other is light. Falsehood rumbles like thunder, heard far and near. Truth is silent like lightning, its light travels 670 million mph in contrast to thunder’s sound which travels 768 mph. Like lightning, truth kills its adversaries, but thunder is impotent like falsehood – all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Who goes there? Friend or foe? I’m a friend; a friend to truth. I’m an enemy of falsehood, injustice and wickedness. But I’m not an enemy of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the little BOSs of Lagos, crouching behind the real BOSS, who departed Bourdillion to live on the Rock in Abuja. I’m an honest friend of the governor and the godfather. And, I’m here ready to defend the little BOSs against unhealable ENDSARS activities, activists and victims.
It’s sad the enemies of Sanwo-Olu won’t allow him to ‘drink water and keep cup’ since the bitter 2023 governorship election in Lagos State. It’s sad the ghosts of ENDSARS victims mowed down by government forces in various parts of Lagos won’t just rest in peace. It’s sad the legs of the corpses won’t stay buried in the grave, they just keep sticking out, pointing accusing toes at Abuja who sent out the messengers of death, and the little boss who did the dirty job of giving a descent burial to the wretched souls.
I’ll defend Sanwo-Olu. Yes, I’ll. What did the protesters expect when they laid siege to the city, and disrupted buying and stealing? Sorry, I mean, selling. Did they think they were in Ghana, the Benin Republic, US or UK? Didn’t they know that he, who said, “The dog and baboon would be soaked in blood,” was in power? Didn’t they know that the man who asked mourning Akure people to show proof that herdsmen killed their daughter, was eyeing the ultimate prize? Did they expect the government to fold its hands and watch political investments go down in ruin?
I’ll tell some truth. After jackboots cracked skulls, twisted ribs and broke limbs at the Lekki tollgate, a fidgety Sanwo-Olu washed his hands off the dastardly act, telling Nigerians he didn’t know who deployed soldiers to ambush the protesting youths. In a ThisDay story, Sanwo-Olu said, “I don’t know how the officers got it all wrong because the instruction we gave was that the police won’t be out until 10–10:30pm when all citizens should have gotten to their homes. This is totally against what we stand for.”
More words spew forth from his mouth, “The army does not report to me, I have reported the matter to the highest command in the military. It’s not something we are going to gloss over. A judicial panel will be set up to investigate it. I have escalated it to the highest level of the military.”
The BOSS of BOSs, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, during a visit to Sanwo-Olu, said, “If he (Sanwo-Olu) didn’t order the attack, who ordered the attack? That’s all I needed from him.”
But the Nigerian Army shot down the defence of Sanwo-Olu, saying the governor invited the military. The Army’s response wasn’t done in a hurry, like most of the actions of Sanwo-Olu. It took one week of measured silence for the Army to respond to Sanwo-Olu.
Reacting, then spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Major Osoba Olaniyi, in a statement, said the Lagos State Government invited it to the tollgate to enforce a curfew. “The decision to call in the police was taken by the Lagos State Government after a 24-hour curfew was imposed…The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy.”
After the rebuttal by the Army, the state government, in a volte-face, said the governor never denied calling in the Army. But he also never admitted to inviting them at all! So, who’s shifty here? Why make the Army look as if they came into the fray uninvited? That doesn’t show a chief executive with balls. That was cheap.
A Senior Special Assistant to Sanwo-Olu on New Media, Mr Jubril Gawat, later said, “Mr Governor never denied this. They were supposed to come after the curfew.”
When the truth got lost between the Army and the state government over who invited soldiers to Lekki, Nigerians would be foolish to believe the wolf cry by both institutions that no life was lost at Lekki.
I won’t taint Governor Sanwo-Olu with a bloody brush. I won’t allow uncouth youths and misdirected activists to malign him. So, I’ll charge the governor to release the Justice Doris Okuwobi panel report on the ENDSARS riots in Lagos. Since the panel was established in the interest of the masses, and the panellists were paid with taxpayers’ money, I advise the husband of Ibijoke to release the report and shame the devil. I’ll defend Sanwo-Olu and stand by him.
Before the governor heeds my advice, let me give a sneak preview of the report.
A leaked report published by Al Jazeera on November 16, 2021, titled, “Panel of inquiry finds Nigerian Army culpable in Lekki ‘massacre’,” said the Nigerian Army was culpable of shooting and killing unarmed citizens protesting police brutality at Lekki.
The report was the findings by the Justice Doris Okuwobi panel established by the state government to look into the ENDSARS crisis and proffer recommendations.
Quoting the report, Al Jazeera said, “At the Lekki Toll Gate, officers of the Nigerian Army shot, injured and killed unarmed, hapless and defenceless protesters, without provocation of justification, while they were waiving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem and the manner of assault and killing, could in context be described as a massacre.”
There was light at the toll gate before the soldiers moved in. There were surveillance cameras, too. When the soldiers from 81 Division left their barracks on Victoria Island and neared Waterloo, the lights and cameras went off. In the total darkness, light sparked from gun muzzles, faces contorted in horror, and guns sparkled. The government didn’t deny lights and cameras were switched off.
Who switched off the lights? And the cameras? Why switch off the lights and the cameras? America recorded the killing of Osama bin Laden and showed it to the world. I’ve seen videos of the Biafra War, Sudan War, Falkland Island War etc. Why switch off the lights and cameras just to quell a civilian riot? Then, where’s the video of the cleaning up of the Lekki tollgate after the beat stopped for many of the innocent and peaceful rioters? What’s the content of the camera recovered by a former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, at the toll gate?
* To be continued.
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @Tunde Odesola
Twitter: @Tunde_Odesola
society
Grace Nation PHDS : When a Seed is Compromised it Results into Generational Battles – Dr Chris Okafor.
Grace Nation PHDS : When a Seed is Compromised it Results into Generational Battles – Dr Chris Okafor.
…. Death sentence cancelled at the Prophetic Service
When Men slept, the enemies came to sow tears, when the enemy planted a negative seed it resulted into stangnancy, Sickness, Poverty, Backwardness and what have you but when you deployed all the Principles of Prayers both the negative seed and Weed planted by the enemies will give way.
Speaking at the Midweek Prophetic , Healings,Deliverance and Solution service of Grace Nation international, Held at the international Headquarters of the church situated in Ojodu Berger Lagos Nigeria, Senior Pastor Grace Nation Global Dr Chris Okafor said every negative seed of the enemies will not Produce any thing good but destruction, Backwardness, poverty, Sickness and instability
The Clergyman who was teaching the series “The Enemy has done this” said for you to break out of the evil seed of the enemies, your Prayer account must not be empty, emphasising that God has the ability and capacity to withdraw from your Prayers Account if there is need to settle where there is Emergency, the Apostle of altars also said Men need to always pray and not failed because one of the strategies of the enemies is to bring weed into your Life, therefore causing uncertainty.
The Generational Prophet of God Dr Chris Okafor said when you planted a good seed, you need to guide it to produce a good and better result therefore when your seed is compromised it might result in Generational Battles, where the same kind of pattern will travel from one Generation to another.
The Mighty Hand of God came down in another dimension at the service, the Prophetic hand of God through his servant the Generational Prophet of God went far and wide to set the Lawful captives free, Evil altars were destroyed , while God cancelled a death sentence program on a Man at the service, the servant was prayed for and the death sentence turned go back to the sender.
Next Sunday is Another Date for those who want to witness the Supernatural Raw hand of God upon their life, if you want Marriage, Breakthrough, free from altar, fruit of the womb or Money, Join the Generational Prophet of God Dr Chris Okafor at the Sunday Divine intervention and Breakthrough Service, Grace Nation international Headquarters Liberation close oshofisan street by Ereke Bus stop Ojodu Berger Lagos Nigeria, Come your life will never remain the same.
society
Dapo Abiodun docks another legacy project as Gateway Inland Dry Seaport berths in Ogun By TUNDE OLADUNJOYE
Dapo Abiodun docks another legacy project as Gateway Inland Dry Seaport berths in Ogun
By TUNDE OLADUNJOYE
In his stead of foresighted execution of life impacting legacy projects in Ogun State, the state Governor , Prince Dapo Abiodun will on Friday host the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Oyetola who will perform the around breaking ceremony of the Gateway Inland Dry Port, at Itori, Ewekoro Local Government.
Coming, on the heels of the Gateway Agro Cargo Airport situated at Ilisan-Iperu, and the Olokola Deep Sea Port to be soon inaugurated, the new Gateway Inland Dey Port, another first of its kind in the history of the gateway state, Dapo Abiodun comes across not only as a silent achiever, but also as a leader with futuristic outlook, who thinks about positively impacting the present and future generations of the state in all ramifications.
After the inauguration note Lagos/Ogun Joint Development Commission, the hardworking Ogun helmsman, has been walking his talk, capitalising on the potentials of the of Ogun State to Lagos State, the financial and commercial centre of Nigeria.
The Dapo Abiodun Administration has meticulously initiated and assiduously promoted business friendly industrial, and socio economic policies and enhanced the ease of doing business, coupled with the institutional framework such as the Office of Public Private Partnership, Business Roundtable with Private Sector, Ogun State Agency for Business Promotion and Facilitation, are invigorated Ogun Inland Revenue Service and the digitalized Bureau of Lands and other agencies of the government; has served to attract several global concerns and businesses to the State.
The activities of the supportive agencies have culminated into millions of dollars flowing into Nigeria through the gateway state. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its recent report on foreign investment inflows, only six states and the federal capital territory out of the thirty seven states were able to attract foreign direct investment between 2023 and 2024. Ogun state is one of the six states and it attracted, just within a year, a whopping sum of about N41 billion ($25 million).
In response to the agricultural programme of the government leading to processing zone in partnership with the Africa Development Bank, numerous medium scale industry, especially those associated with the agricultural production and processing sector are also being established in large numbers.
The geographical location of the Ogun State as a veritable link to the north and eastern regions of the country and same to the West Africa sub-region, earning it the appellation of the “gateway state” has placed Ogun State on a critical economic pedestal that it cannot be ignored. Also scale of ongoing industrial activities in the state and its advantageous accessibility has seen the citing of the first African Quality Assurance Centre in Ogun State.
Not a few people wondered when in February 2020, the governor created the Ministry of Transportation, for the first time in the history of Ogun State. Some cynics felt, though erroneously, that it was a waste of funds. Not deterred, Governor Abiodun, a goal-getter, known for tenacity of purpose, went ahead to persuade an ogun indigene making exploits abroad back home to head the new ministry. Engineer Olugbenga Dairo, a Nairobi based Transportation Consultant to the European Union, working with the Kenyan Government, was appointed as the first ever Commissioner for Transportation in Ogun State. The state is no doubt, the better for it; with series of policies and projects, including the new Deep Sea Port, under the leadership of Prince Dapo Abiodun.
The Ogun State Strategic Multi Modal Transport Master Plan therefore, identifies the need for effective logistics and transport infrastructure and services across the state, recognizing that shipping services and movement of goods play an important role in global trade and commerce, the Gateway Inland Dry Port (GIDP) and other strategic transportation infrastructure across the provide the needed synergy for rapid economic growth, employment generation and prosperity.
The GIDP is to be situated in a new/planned development area to be known as ‘Dry Port City’ (DPC), will include mixed developments of residences, logistics infrastructure, complimentary commercial and industrial developments and new multi-modal transportation infrastructure.
The GIDP and Dry Port City (DPC) are key to sustaining Ogun State’s rapid industrial growth, addressing increased urbanization as well as supporting national efforts to ease the congestion at Apapa/Tin Can ports, notorious for traffic bottle necks; and reducing the waiting time for cargo handling and storage experienced by industry.
The GIDP and DPC are strategically positioned at the intersection of the Lagos to Ibadan Standard Gauge Railway and the proposed East-West Railway Corridor connecting Lagos to the east via Kajola. The site of the GIDP and DPC is also connected to the national highway network being accessible via the Lagos – Abeokuta Highway and the Sagamu to Benin and Sagamu to Lagos Highways via the Papalanto to Sagamu Interchange Road.
The GIDP and DPC development has adopted the state Public-Private Partnership policy as basis for its delivery, operations, maintenance and management.
The design of the GIDP is spread over an area of 499 Ha for Phase 1 and 100 Ha for a subsequent phase. The site will be composed of the following essential land uses: Railway Siding Area, Container Freight Station and Container Depot Area, Warehouses and Bonded Warehouses, Mineral Yard, Truck Parking, Specialized Industrial Zone, Supporting Facilities and Utilities, Internal Road Network, Green Areas.
The achievements of the Dapo Abiodun Administration are no doubt source of envy to his opponents and the actualization of yet another legacy project, adds to the pains of the nay-sayers.However, regardless of tantrums from critics, Dapo Abiodun may stridently be on the way of breaking the jinx of non-performance by second term governors.
society
Hon. Anthony Ojo’s Medical Outreach in Ewhohimi, Edo Central attracts stakeholders’ attention
Hon. Anthony Ojo’s Medical Outreach in Ewhohimi, Edo Central attracts stakeholders’ attention
The people of Ewhohimi in Edo Central Senatorial District, Edo State have applauded Senatorial contestant, Hon. Anthony Ojo for his impressive free medical outreach.
During the outreach which was held recently, participants had free tests on Blood Pressure, sugar level and others, and also received free drugs from the medical experts who were on ground.
According to Hon Ojo, since he and Senator Okpebholo share the same political ideology and dream, the free medical outreach is part of his own way of contributing to the governor-elect’s agenda for the people of Edo.
He noted that the medical outreach was open to all and sundry, irrespective of political affiliations, tribe or religion, just as Senator Okpebholo has promised to run an all inclusive government.
Hon Ojo is one of the key organic supporters of the Edo State governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo. His ‘One Good Turn Deserves Another’ movement was instrumental to Okpebholo’s election as a Senator, and now as a governor.
Ojo is hopeful to take the baton robust legislation from Senator Monday Okpebholo and to sustain the facelift and development of the Edo Central Senatorial District achieved by Senator Monday Okpebholo, the outgoing Senator of the zone and now the Governor-lect of the Heart Beat of the Nation, Edo State.
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