About N1 trillion is needed to rebuild Lagos State after public and private buildings were destroyed by hoodlums, the state government said.
Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stated when he signed an executive order Wednesday to effect the rebuilding of the city.
This was as Global Amnesty Watch, GAW, and some rights groups have alleged that some celebrities attempted to create anarchy using fake news.
Sanwo-Olu said that the state government would rebuild the city through the creation of Lagos State Rebuilding Trust Fund.
Present at the signing were the Deputy Governor of the state, Obafemi Hamzat, and the Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosire Onigbanjo.
According to estimates by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, the state lost N700 billion in terms of economic losses incurred by the state during the protest.
The governor said, “It is in that cherished Spirit of Lagos that we have decided to put behind us our most recent challenges and face the daunting task of collectively rebuilding our state.
“We believe that our culture, heritage, values, and future are worth much more than the looting, arson, and destruction, which we witnessed in Lagos State about two weeks ago.
“We have decided to look to the future with hope as we work on healing the wounds of our recent past.
“Instead of wallowing in our pain, we have chosen to positively move forward. We will embrace new standards of governance; we will build stronger partnerships, stronger people, stronger institutions, and a stronger state.
“As I sign the Executive Order today, I am positive that we will attain new heights of development, we will build more resilient systems, we will become more united and accomplish our audacious goals and visions for Lagos state.
“Our strength lies in our uncanny ability to overcome the most complicated challenges because we have people who genuinely love Lagos State and will assiduously do all they can to preserve its peace and unity.”
Meanwhile, the rights groups have claimed that some Nigerian celebrities and international Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs, incited violence through fake news.
In a memorandum sent to the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution with pieces of evidence, GAW named popular singer Falz, DJ Switch, Feminist Coalition, Burna Boy, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Nnamdi Kanu of being responsible for purveying fake news aimed at causing anarchy in the country.
The rights groups called for the punishment of those named in misinforming Nigerians that led to a “near-breakdown of law and order” that accompanied the EndSARS protests, particularly in Lagos State.
The memorandum was signed by Abdulmalik Alfa, Werigbelegha Zinake, Linda Etafia and Sadiq Abdullahi on behalf of International Human Rights Protection Forum (IHRPF), Centre for Human Rights Advancement in Nigeria (CHRAN), Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN) and Make Nigeria Better Initiative (MNBI).
