The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State government on Friday reeled out “hardship relief measures” in the state including return of Sunday markets with 25% discount on food items; and free medical outreach treatment.
Others were; free delivery for expectant women in hospitals and 25% slash in transport fares.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who made this known through the Commissioner for Information in the state, Gbenga Omotoso, during an interview on TVC News, where he said he had heard the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters “loud and clear.”
Asked if the decision of the state government was temporarily meant to quench the heat of the ongoing nationwide hunger protest, Omotoso said that all the relief measures announced by the government had been in existence before the announcement of the protest.
The Commissioner said, “Millions of Lagosians benefited (from 25% discount on food items) and that is why it is so popular and they are asking that we bring it back.
“Apart from that, we have done so many things in Lagos and that is why so many of our young people didn’t come out to protest.
“In terms of training them, only day before yesterday, thousands of graduands of our vocational centres came out of their vocational centres and they were given equipment to start their own businesses.
“Such people will not come out to protest. It is not a question of we trying to woo people who would have protested. This is what we have been doing ever before the notice for the protest came and this is what we are going to continue to do.”
On lessons learnt from the hunger protest that has been carried for two days with eight days remaining according to the schedule, Omotoso said, “What we have seen as a key takeaway from the protest is that we need to be communicating all the time, and we need to ensure that violence pays nobody.
“Chaos can take you to the battle front but cannot fight for you. That is the lesson we have seen, and once again, we have to tell the protesters that it is time to go home.
“They have been comporting themselves in an orderly manner but it is now the time for us to sit down and analyse the issues. Everybody now knows what they want, and everybody will now go back to the drawing board and see how we can meet them at a point and iron things out.”
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