 I bring you the very warm greetings of Mr. President, President Mohamed Buhari, and he's also asked me to express once again his very sincere and deep condolences on the catastrophic events of the last few weeks. To that again, I add my own sincere commiserations to the government and people of Lagos State, this place of my birth, for the loss of lives of citizens, the injured, and the colossal destruction of public and private properties, social amenities and infrastructure, as we've heard and seen. Never in the history of our nation has this former capital city and our nation's commercial health center experienced such mindless acts of violence and the enormity of destruction that occurred. Perhaps it may be worth noting that the destruction and disruption of life and work in Lagos is a national tragedy and a major economic setback for the nation, even as we face the most difficult challenges perhaps in a generation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the state that leads by far in the collection of non-all revenues. The bulk of VAT is generated here of the 114 odd persons who pay self-assessed taxes of over 10 million naira, 112 of them live here and work here in Lagos. The Lagos port, whose offices at the marina were attacked, is clearly the port that generates the most revenue and is the busiest. The Lagos airport is the busiest in Nigeria. In so many ways, our fortunes as a nation are closely tied to the fortunes of this great state. And even in the darkest clouds, there will be silver linings. These trying times offer an invaluable learning opportunity, a teachable moment, and it's the lessons that we draw from this period that will shape our path going forward. We've seen how the most noble causes, such as the NSAR's protests designed to call attention to a serious problem of brutality and extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agents can be subverted and lead to the exact opposite of its objectives, chaos, murder, looting, and arcing. So we saw what can happen when the restraints of law and order are loosed and anarchy is given a free reign. In those difficult days when chaos swept from street to street, consuming lives and livelihoods, we learned that society is built on the balance between freedom and order. But we've also realized that order itself is a social construct sustained by the consent of the governed, which is why it's important, as the chairman of the Rebuild Lagos Cross Fund said, it's important that we investigate and thoroughly interrogate the deep causes of the disenchantment that resulted in the chaos. We recognize that our law enforcement agents, who are tasked with keeping their fellow citizens safe, do so under extremely difficult and challenging operational conditions. But while the dedication of the diligent officers among them is often overshadowed by the deviance and indiscipline of some of their comrades, there are undeniably a preponderance of competent officers who discharge their duties with a high sense of professionalism and patriotism. These good men and women in the police force and in our law enforcement agencies deserve our encouragement and support for standing in the gap between order and lawlessness. At this point, let me pay tribute to the officers of the Nigeria Police Force who tragically lost their lives in the line of duty during the recent crisis. I offer my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the fallen. The task of serving and protecting the public is one of the noblest professions and we are committed to upholding the dignity of all those who do this work. Indeed, we recognize that the protests as well as the current national conversation that these protests have inspired are ultimately about building a police force that will proudly represent our highest values. I'll return to this point in a moment. What your excellence is, it is now time to rebuild. It is time for the painful and costly task of reconstruction and rehabilitation. It's now time for the private sector, our international friends and partners and all who love this city and this state to make their contributions to the rebuilding and reconstruction effort. When Ligos works, it works for all of us. For the federal government's part, Mr. President has said that he will await a full report from your Excellency and I'm sure that that will be on hand soon so as to be able to measure exactly the sort of support that will be required. We are also, of course, speaking with the National Assembly and I've had a few conversations already with the right honorable speaker and we've also heard the representative of the Senate President, Senator Ola Meleko-Solomon, speak about the collaboration that must take place between the Executive and the Legislature and the National Assembly in order to be able to do something that will make a difference in this reconstruction effort and, of course, this is not just for Ligos but for the rest of the country. But as we've heard repeatedly, Ligos will clearly have to take the bulk of whatever effort or whatever is put together. For businesses that were destroyed, we've also heard the CBN Governor speaking about the COVID allowance and what the Bankers' Committee will do. They have been speaking about suspending existing facilities that business owners may have in banks and also offering lines of cheap credit to help them rebuild their damaged facilities and restock. But it is also clear that the task of reconstruction goes beyond physical infrastructure or brick and mortar. There is a moral, social and ethical reconstruction to be undertaken as well. We must rebuild trust between the government and the government. The vast majority of who are young persons, trust between the law enforcement agents and the communities that they are meant to serve, never again should law enforcement find itself on the opposite side of any conflict with society. We must in the process of rebuilding, rebuild the morale of our police force, the gallant men and women who daily graved the elements to keep us all safe. That process of reform has commenced. After 70 years of the Police Act, the President signed the new Reform Police Act 2020 into law about a month ago. This new law contains in many parts components of a charter of the rights of citizens even when they are questioned or when they are detained or whenever they have contact with the police or law enforcement agents under the purview of the police. The President has also signed into law the Police Trust Act, which essentially is to provide a source of extra funding for the police. Equally, the police has also initiated its community policing program aimed at reframing police as an activity based on trust between law enforcement and the local communities. We recognize that our communities can be made safer when they are primarily produced by police by members of that same community who enjoy the trust of their neighbors, which is why community policing involves the recruitment of policemen from the local governments where these men and women live and they are required to remain in those local governments when they serve in the police force. We must renew the ties that bind us together as a society. All of us who have taken a peaceful and prosperous legacy must take upon ourselves the task of expanding the umbrella of hope over all sections of our society. We certainly cannot afford to alienate our young people who constitute the majority of our society and who bear the burden of enterprise, of resourcefulness, of innovation that's required to propel our economy into the future. For their sake and for ours, we need a broad-based and inclusive prosperity that creates opportunities on a scale commensurate to the aspirations of our population. Beyond restoring what we have lost, the task before us is nothing short of reformulating the social contract. Let me extend at this point my deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives during the protests and to all of those who lost their loved ones too or who have been affected by the actions especially of police brutality and the brutality of law enforcement agents generally. Nothing can replace the life of a loved one and for that I offer my deepest condolences. These deaths should never have happened but it's now our responsibility to honor their memory and ensure that justice is comprehensively served. Our state, like our nation, is in need of healing. We recognize that the balm of a wounded society is truth and justice. This is why the president has approved the setting up of the judicial panels of inquiry which have been established all over the country by the states of the federation. The mandate is to investigate cases of police brutality against citizens where necessary recommend compensation for victims. Specifically in Lagos, the mandate of the inquiry has been expanded to include a full investigation of the leaky toll gate incidents. This process has begun happily in Lagos and with and you've seen already that all federal agencies and the armed services are participating actively in the proceedings of the judicial inquiry. Mr. President said and I quote, we will ensure that all those responsible for misconduct or wrongful acts are brought to justice end of court. The pursuit of restorative justice recompense for injury, to innocence and a reckoning for perpetrators of abuse are essential components of the moral and ethical reconstruction of our homeland. I urge us all to give this process a chance to work and to commit to the advocacy that is required for and the participation that required to be able to take this particular process forward. We've all been through a very, very difficult time but all of our moral traditions instruct us that character is forged in hardship. The things that truly strengthen us are gained in times and seasons of adversity. It will be severely remiss of me if I were to live here without commending the outstanding leadership shown by the governor of Lagos State, Governor Gideson Olu. This has been an immensely challenging season for the state. But Mr. Governor, you have led your state in its efforts first in addressing the concerns around COVID, the COVID pandemic, and you have led the state to both local and international acclaim with the sort of leadership that you've shown. Also, when state governors under the auspices of the National Economic Council resolved to establish judicial panels of inquiry, you were the first to constitute that inquiry. Throughout this period, your actions have been an example of responsibility, of creativity, of sensitivity, and also of resolve under pressure. I want to say that we're all extremely proud of the work that you have done and the work that you are doing. Thank you very much. In closing, let me on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I show you that we stand with you and the great people of Lagos as you undertake this difficult journey of rebuilding. It is my conviction that Lagos and our nation at large will emerge from this crisis better and stronger. Thank you very much.