‘Let them walk’, Buhari reveals what he told Sanwo-Olu when he showed him photos of burnt BRT buses

A large number of new BRT buses parked at Oyingbo terminus were razed during #EndSARS protests in Lagos.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu shows President Muhammadu Buhari a photo album of destruction recorded in Lagos during #EndSARS protests in October 2020. (Presidency)

President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed what he told Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu when he visited him to show him photos of buses and other public facilities destroyed in the state during #EndSARS protests.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2020, hoodlums set all new vehicles under the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) at Oyingbo terminus ablaze, a day after soldiers opened fire on peaceful protesters at Lekki tollgate.

So many other public and private properties in the state were subsequently touched including police stations.

Amid the nationwide protests against police brutality and bad governance, Governor Sanwo-Olu visited the President in Abuja with a photo album showing all public facilities destroyed by hoodlums in the state.

Over 30 BRT buses were burnt by hoodlums at Oyingbo terminus in October 2020 (Lagos Govt)

Speaking in an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Friday, June 11, 2021, Buhari said he told Sanwo-Olu that the Federal Government didn’t have funds to replace the burnt buses.

He said, “Look at the #EndSARS incident in Lagos. The previous governor of Lagos state bought 200 buses to complement the transportation in Lagos. And he built a complex. But they went and burnt them.

“The present governor made an album and came to see me. I said ‘Thank you very much’. I took the album, put it in my archives and I told him to tell the Lagosians to walk, because we don’t have the money.

“After an administration bought over 200 buses, for some people to come and burn it? So, let them walk.”

Buhari also described Nigerians as being forgetful in the interview.

The President said despite the corruption allegations against some politicians, a lot of those who misappropriated funds are still politically relevant in their communities because Nigerians value and vote for them.