Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has suspended the Walk for Peace earlier scheduled for December to heal the land of Lagos in the aftermath of the destruction that followed #EndSARS protests.
Sanwo-Olu hinged the suspension of the walk on the growing cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The governor on Thursday stated that as Incident Commander, he is constrained to stand down all preparations for the Walk for Peace.
Sanwo-Olu said he will rather work for peace for now.
The governor said: “Since my last address to you, the good people of Lagos State on Tuesday 30, November 2021, during which I expressed a desire to lead a Walk for Peace, following the outcome of the work of the Judicial Panel on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters, I have been inundated with deep expressions of solidarity from various groups and people declaring their readiness to join me on the symbolic walk.
“Indeed, I owe a special debt of gratitude to our youths and students, who reached out to either members of my team or directly to me, expressing their readiness to join me on the planned Walk for Peace. They include many of our Civil Society Leaders, business leaders within and outside of Corporate Lagos, religious leaders, members of the Diplomatic Community, entertainers, Market Associations, Trade Associations and Women Groups who have committed time and resources to preparing for the Peace Walk. I thank you all.
“When the unseen enemy called Covid-19 began to ravage the world and indeed our nation, I assumed the role of the Incident Commander in our quest to protect the lives of our people. We subjected ourselves to the dictates of science. We chose to be guided not by our emotions, but expert opinions rooted in science. Between Tuesday 30, November 2021 that I made my address and now, we have seen a significant rise in cases associated with the Omicron variant of this pandemic.
“Given this development, I am constrained to stand down all preparations for the Walk for Peace. I will not endanger the life of any Lagosian in my sincere search for peace. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support the initiative received from far and near. The deluge of support is, however, indicative of one thing: our people know the strategic place of peace to our quest for development.
“I look forward to engaging with you as WE TOGETHER WORK FOR PEACE!”
The governor in a speech in November on the Lekki shootings of October 20, 2020, said, “In December, I will be leading A WALK FOR PEACE to herald the healing of our land. Let me use this occasion to extend an open invitation to our youths, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups, students and the media as well as other stakeholders to join me.”
Specifically, the governor invited Folarin Falana aka Falz, Adebayo, Dele Farotimi, Temitope Majekodunmi, Segun Awosanya (Segalink), Adedotun (Just Detoun), Seun Kuti; Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu; and Commander of Rapid Response Squad CSP Yinka Egbeyemi and others to join him in the “historic march for our dear Lagos.”
Some celebrities like Falz and Mr Macaroni have turned down the request to join the governor to Walk for Peace while a large number of groups, students, CSOs and Lagosians have indicated interest to join the governor in the walk for peace.
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