By Jonathan Lois
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has said that a special study carried out in the South-east has revealed that in the last two years, the region has lost about N4 trillion to insecurity, especially the Monday sit-at-home, which paralyzes economic activities in the area.
Hon. Kalu who disclosed this in his address at the annual all markets conference in Lagos organised by Ndigboamaka Progressive Markets Association, said that insecurity in the South-east is discouraging investment in the region.
He said Igbos should not blame any other region or other Nigerians but themselves for stultifying their economic growth and killing their fellow Igbos in a quest that will not benefit the people both in the short term and in the long term.
The federal lawmaker also said that Igbos and Yorubas should work together to buoy the nation’s economy by working together to ensure peace and harmony between the two tribes.
“In the last two years, we have lost N4 trillion due to the unrest in Southeast. This rising development has caused us a lot as we keep losing business investment to the constant sit at home. We will tour Igboland to bring calmness to the region. Insecurity remains a major problem in the East, the Yorubas are not our problem. We are our problem in the East.
“When you build 100 houses in Lagos, build at least 50 in your home. No one said migration cannot be reversed. Migration can be reversed and people from Lagos can go to Igboland to buy goods. The constant killing, and kidnapping, among others happening in the southeast, are not helping us. We need to readjust and arrange our home. This is not our identity. Igbos are not known for violence. We must rise with one voice and denounce this ugly situation in our land. I’m pained that we are no longer safe in the land that our forefathers gave us.
We now sojourn in diaspora giving our children out in marriage in a foreign land,” Kalu said.
In a speech, the Chairman of the occasion who is also the Chairman and CEO of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, maintained that there is no positive use for anyone to fan the embers of discord between the Yoruba and Igbo.
“The support Igbo traders gave the governor (Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu) in the March 2023 governorship election was not because he is Yoruba. It was rather because of the great competence he showed in piloting the affairs of the state during his first term. The traders also saw him as a detribalized leader who eschewed discriminatory and divisive politics which Lagos, a melting pot of ethnicities, requires to excel.
“This is why some of us are very troubled by the occasional diatribe between the Yoruba and Igbo in Lagos State as is currently the case. It is not only unnecessary but also of no positive use for anyone to fan the embers of discord between the Yoruba and Igbo who have harmoniously co-existed in Lagos, along with other ethnic groups for well over a century.
“The only people, who foster, revel in and benefit from such conflicts, are crisis merchants and we must rethink our association with them if we must maintain a decent relationship with our host communities. Let me stress that political tensions are inevitable in every society; even in the most advanced democracies. A key driver of such political tensions is interest group politics wherein the diverse range of stakeholders try to advance their interests which can converge or diverge,” he said.
According to Okonkwo, these battles are usually fought out in elections and subsequently in legislations and government policies, remarking that like any other type of government, democracy, which the country is trying to practice, has its inherent flaws, more so in the case of Nigeria.
Okonkwo said violence is never the solution to anything and that is why Nigerians must, as concerned citizens with constitutional rights, insist on good governance “as we strive to build a just and democratic nation. It may not happen overnight but as the English Poet, Alexander Pope reminds us- hope springs eternal.”
“As has been established over several decades, the Igbo, as traders and business leaders, thrive very well in peaceful and accommodating environments. It is only when the environment is welcoming and inviting that we best express ourselves by building new businesses and communities through self-help programs and human capacity development. One such is the famed apprenticeship program which the American-Canadian TED Talks organization described as the greatest Venture Capital scheme ever. We invest in any place that we are welcome. Lagos State welcomes Igbo people and that is why we can help develop capacities and expand the economy.
“However, that Lagos state welcomes the Igbo does not in any way suggest that the land called Lagos (Eko) belongs to the Igbo. Geographically, the Igbo people have their homelands and that is why the aku luo uno (taking your wealth home) philosophy must also appeal to our hearts. So, I will implore our Igbo brothers living and operating in Lagos as in other states of the federation to always remember that we obodo enwe (some people own the land). While we live here, do business, and make a living here, we should not in any way suggest that Lagos is a no man’s land. It is erroneous and insulting to think so. Archeology tells us that even in lands where civilization has supplanted races, there are still people referred to as original inhabitants of those lands.
“Therefore, good neighborliness will only work for our good. We must therefore respect the laws of the land while making ourselves available to serve in any capacity the states invite us to. It is only when we respect the laws of the land that the land respects and appreciates us. It is always a reciprocal relationship,” said Okonkwo
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