I have no stake in Lekki Toll gate,says Tinubu. Proposes indefinite shutdown

 National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, insisted yesterday that he had no stake in the Lekki Toll gate operated by Lagos Concession Company, LCC, proposing that the facility be shut indefinitely to traffic, if that would exonerate him of allegations that he ordered the shooting of #EndSARS protesters there last Tuesday .

Tinubu a former governor of Lagos State, also said in the alternative, revenue from the toll gate should be donated to confirmed victims of the attack and other identified victims of police brutality, if the facility must be allowed to continue to be operate.

In a statement, titled “The EndSARS Protest:  A Fundamental Lesson in Democratic Governance,” Tinubu said: “At bottom, the toll gate is a public asset. Given what has happened, I would like to propose to government that the toll gate be left closed for an indefinite period.

“If it is reopened, revenues should be donated to the confirmed victims of the Lekki attack as well as to other identifiable victims of police brutality in Lagos. Let government use the money to compensate and take care of those who have lost life or limb in the struggle for all citizens to go about the quiet, peaceful enjoyment of life without fear of undue harassment at this or that checkpoint.

“On the other hand, I am, indeed, a promoter and financial investor in The Nation newspaper and TVC. It was widely known and circulated through social media that certain malevolent elements were going to take advantage of the situation to attack The Nation newspaper facilities and TVC in Lagos.

“The attackers came. Both facilities were significantly damaged. Although equipped with prior notice of the imminent trespass, I did not call any one to seek or request for the army or police to deploy, let alone attack, kill, or injure those who razed and vandalized these properties.

“I did not want any bloodshed. These elements, mostly hirelings of my political opponents, wreaked their havoc and destroyed those buildings and facilities and I thank God that the employees of these two media institutions managed to escape largely unharmed.

There is a deeper truth involved here. Burned buildings and damaged equipment can be rebuilt or replaced. There is no adequate substitute for the loss of even a single human life. I am not one to encourage violence. I abhor it. Thus I did nothing that might endanger lives, even the lives of those who destroyed my properties.