Buhari promises to meet demands of #EndSARS protesters

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to implement the five point demands of Nigerian youths who had shut down the country during the #EndSARS protests in October, 2020, reiterating his administration’s commitment to fulfilling the demands to the letter.

The President who made the promise in his New Year speech to Nigerians on January 1, stressed the fact that his government is a listening one and will do all it takes to make Nigerian youths proud of their country.

While the #ENDSARS protests lasted, the youths had called for sweeping reforms that included the welfare of police officers.

The five demands included the immediate release of all arrested protesters, justice for all deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensation for their families, setting up of an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of police misconduct, the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the prosecution of any of its indicted officers and increasing salaries of police officers so that they are adequately compensated for protecting lives and property of citizens.

In the speech, Buhari said:

Read also: JUST IN…Buhari rues 2020, promises better days ahead for Nigerians

“I wish to also use this occasion of New Year to reaffirm my commitment to the people of Nigeria, especially the youth who need our collective encouragement and support. In securing this nation we need to secure the future of our youth.

“Your voices have been heard and we would continue to listen to you, and all the key stakeholders who are committed to the unity of Nigeria to ensure that every region of this nation is safe for us all, while guaranteeing that the future is also secure for the coming generation.

“This government heard, this government listened and this government is committed to fulfilling the five demands of our youths, fully understanding that we all wish well for Nigeria youths’ demands.

“Our young people are our most valuable natural resource, at home and abroad. Their ingenuity, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit is evident to all. Many of our young people are excelling in various spheres of life including sports, entertainment, information and communication technology, commerce and are globally recognized as achievers.

“As a government, we are committed to actively engaging with the creative energies of our young people. In this regard, we will partner with the legislature to develop an enabling environment to turn their passions into ideas that can be supported, groomed and scaled across regions. This will create vast opportunities in fintech, agriculture, business process startups and in the entertainment industry.”

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