The Lagos State Government has postponed its meeting with human rights activists indefinitely after SaharaReporters exposed that its plan was to bribe the activists at the meeting.
SaharaReporters reported on Thursday that the true intention behind the meeting was to offer bribes and persuade them to help disrupt the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest scheduled to begin on August 1.
The Lagos State government, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday invited activists for an exclusive meeting.
However, sources told SaharaReporters on Friday morning that the state government has postponed the meeting indefinitely.
The protest seeks to bring attention to Nigeria’s economic crisis and government’s mismanagement. But SaharaReporters had reported that President Bola Tinubu’s administration and some governors were reportedly working to undermine the event.
Following a meeting with APC governors at Aso Rock Villa, President Tinubu’s administration was reportedly planning to thwart the ‘Days of Rage’ protest.
However, it was speculated that engaging with activists in various states might be part of their approach.
In a related development, the Lagos State government had invited activists to a meeting on Friday at 4:30 pm, which SaharaReporters learnt was a move to influence or disrupt the protest at the local level.
The invite which was leaked to SaharaReporters read: “Dear Comrade, you have been specifically invited to a consultative meeting slated for Friday, 26th July at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja by 4.30pm. No African Time.
“Kindly note that this invite is non-transferable.”
According to an inside source who spoke to SaharaReporters, the true purpose of the meeting convened by Governor Sanwo-Olu’s government was to offer bribes to activists in Lagos State in exchange for their “silence and cooperation in discouraging participation in the protest”.
But when SaharaReporters contacted the commissioner for information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, for comments, he said he was not aware of such a meeting.
“I travelled and just came in,” he said on Thursday.
