The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said refused to sign the 2021 Approrpriation Bill presently before the National Assembly unless provisions are made for the compensation of the families of victims of police brutality in the last decade.
Gbajabiamila also said he would also not sign the budget if implementation of the agreement between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government is not captured by the budget.
In his opening remarks at the plenary on Tuesday, the Speaker notes that the #EndSARS protests “have gotten more serious” with pockets of violence in parts of the country. According to him, the protests “seem to have hijacked” by those who have a different agenda.
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Gbajabiamila noted that the Federal Government, through the National Human Rights Commission, had set up a panel of enquiry to take complaints from victims of police brutality.
According to the Speaker, none of these have convinced the agitators to suspend the protests.
He pointed out that expectations from the ruling class were high, stating that, “Our people expect action and we just deliver.”
Gbajabiamila recalled that the House, after debating the issues with the Nigeria Police Force and the #EndSARS protests, met with the Nigerian Bar Association last week.
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