October 18, (THEWILL) – A former general officer commanding (GOC) 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army and a Trustee of Ọmọ Eko Pataki, General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (rtd) has said the lessons to be learned from the unfortunate incidents that marred the #EndSARS protest last year was the unity of the country and the issue of peace.
Olanrewaju, who is also a former Minister of Communications, was speaking on the first anniversary of #EndSARS in a press release he issued and signed Monday.
He said: “As the country marks the one year anniversary of the unfortunate incidents that marred the EndSARS protests, there are indeed lessons to be learned on both sides of the divide.
“Personally as one who has been part of the Nigerian journey both in times of peace and war , having served my nation at the highest echelon of my profession as GOC Third Armoured Division and as a member of the Provisional Ruling Council – the most significant lesson to me is the unity of our nation and the issue of peace. No nation can thrive in chaos. And nothing meaningful can be achieved through violence”.
Olanrewaju said he fought in the Nigerian civil war and knows that the recourse to violence is an harbinger of ruin and destruction, saying “It should never happen again”.
He called on the Lagos state government to remove the toll booths on both the Admiralty Circle and the Lekki -Ikoyi toll gates.
He said: “The Toll Gates were then and are still objects of hate and aversion among commuters and motorists.
At a time of great economic crisis when the rich and the poor are feeling the harshness of a depressed economy, it will be insensitive and wrong to bring back the toll gates which no doubt will add to the economic misfortunes of our people.
“Transporters will increase their fares; Traffic gridlocks will return, stretching from Ozumba Mbadiwe to Ajah and from Alexander in Ikoyi backing up to the Third mainland bridge. Man hours will be wasted. Motorists often collapse in the heat and emission of choking carbon monoxide”.
He further said that Lagos is about the only major metropolis on earth where there are two intra – city toll gates, saying Toll gates are often placed between cities.
He urged Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to avoid THE shedding of blood on the streets of Lagos.
“Lagos state must use the billions already generated from over 12 years of Toll collection to build alternative roads to alleviate the pains and anguish of commuting on the Lekki axis. That’s the essence of governance.
“The long proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge and the seemingly abandoned Metroline which Fashola started should be resuscitated to open the Lekki corridor. Government can also establish a build , operate and transfer arrangement with the Dangote Refinery or any other major entrepreneurs to build to construct the Atlantic highway which was once proposed during the military. All these will definitely remove the present chaotic traffic on the single entrance and exit Lekki-Epe corridor,” he said.
Olanrewaju said positive government intervention does not only engender economic growth and development but it invariably prevents the slip into destructive conflict and anarchy.
“The redeeming largeness of peace and equity is what we want in Lagos state and all parts of our nation. This is the time to redefine our vision towards this greater good,” he said
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
