#EndSARS: Lai Mohammed has lost public trust – Segalink

A notable human rights activist, Segun Awosanya, widely known as Segalink, on Tuesday berated the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, chiding the minister of engaging in acts that make him lose public trust. Segalink blasted Lai Mohammed that he was hasty in criticising the report of the Lagos Judicial Panel of inquiry on Police Brutality which was submitted to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on November 15. He noted that the minister acted in bad faith as the Lagos State government has not yet presented the White Paper on the report.

Segalink, a member of the Panel, speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday monitored from Lagos, said inter alia: “It is hasty and I believe that the Minister of Information has another chance to correct this because we need to make the deliverance of Nigerians.

“If we must build a nation where peace and justice shall reign, you don’t come out to the public and respond to rules.”

He noted that state/citizens relations is worsening in Nigeria, saying that the behaviour of government and public officials does not build public trust from Nigerian citizens. He added that it is premature to speak publicly on the report until the White Paper is made public by the state government.

Segalink had declared: “The only thing we can speak to ethically is the response of the government through the White Paper as promised to be made public. Until then, we can’t go into the details.

“As far as I am concerned, what I am hearing now is the same attitude that makes the public feel that the gap between the leadership and the led is getting wider and this is one of the reasons why the government will never be trusted.

“We know the sacrifices that we had to make to be able to make this work. One year of our lives was sacrificed to do this job. For us to have ministers within the administration doing things like this does not really inspire trust.”

Another member of the panel, Adegboruwa, has since the submission of the report been raising alarm of plots to destroy his personality or kill him. He accused the government of being responsible on the attacks on him.

Lai Mohammed at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday said that the report is a rehash of fake news, adding that the document is filled with so many errors.

The minister also said that the panel reported the same allegations that they were meant to investigate, adding that the panel ignored certain evidence provided during the sitting.