Buhari Addresses Nigerians, Says Swift Ban Of SARS Misconstrued For Weakness

By Daniel Dafe
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the promptness with which SARS was banned by his administration “has been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for their selfish unpatriotic interests.”

Recall that Nigerians took to the streets to protest against police brutality and called for the scrap of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The president who spoke during a nationwide broadcast, noted that “human lives have been lost; acts of sexual violence have been reported; two major correctional facilities were attacked and convicts freed; public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised.”

Furthermore, while condemning the attack on the Palace of the Oba of Lagos who he described as a peace-maker, he condemned the invasion of an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel plans of fellow Nigerians and visitors.

He added: “All these were executed in the name of the ENDSARS protests. I am indeed deeply pained that innocent lives have been lost. These tragedies are uncalled for and unnecessary.”

According to him, “there is no way whatsoever to connect these bad acts to legitimate expression of grievance of the youth of our country.”

Buhari warned those who he considered to have hijacked and misdirected the initial, genuine and well-intended protest of some of the youths in parts of the country against the excesses of some members of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

He said: “On Monday 12th October, I acknowledged the genuine concerns and agitations of members of the public regarding the excessive use of force by some members of SARS.

“The choice to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right of citizens as enshrined in Section 40 of our Constitution and other enactments; but this right to protest also imposes on the demonstrators the responsibility to respect the rights of other citizens, and the necessity to operate within the law.

“As a democratic government, we listened to, and carefully evaluated the five-point demands of the protesters. And, having accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and put measures in place to address the other demands of our youth.

“On approving the termination of SARS I already made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of extensive Police reforms.
The president’s address follows a meeting with all the Security Chiefs after several calls for him to address the nation’s citizens over heightened tensions arising from the EndSARS protests.”

Furthermore, he said that “the spreading of deliberate falsehood and misinformation through the social media in particular, that this government is oblivious to the pains and plight of its citizens, is a ploy to mislead the unwary within and outside Nigeria into unfair judgement and disruptive behaviour.”

“On the contrary, both our deeds and words have shown how committed this administration has been to the well being and welfare of citizens, even with the steadily dwindling revenues, and the added responsibilities and restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Government has put in place measures and initiatives principally targeted at youths, women and the most vulnerable groups in our society. These included our broad plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years; the creation of N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund to provide opportunities for the youths, and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival Fund, through which government is: No Nigerian Government in the past has methodically and seriously approached poverty-alleviation like we have done.”

On the issue of the welfare of police personnel, he said that “the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission has been directed to expedite action on the finalization of the new salary structure of members of the Nigeria Police Force,” saying that “the emoluments of other paramilitary services are also being reviewed upwards.”

He continued: “In order to underscore the importance of education in preparing youths for the future, this administration has come up with a new salary structure and other incentives for our teachers.”

Meanwhile, he reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to preserving the unity of the country, as he urged the international community “to seek to know all the facts available on issues before taking a position or rushing to judgement and making hasty pronouncements.”