From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has commended a former President of the country, Olusegun Obasanjo for condeming the unjust quest by a group of Nigerians that the Igbos living and doing business in Lagos should vacate and relocate to the eastern part of the country.
A press statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, made available to newsmen in Enugu, quoted the former President to have said,”Those saying that the Igbo must go from Lagos will be the ones to leave”.
According to Chief Ogbonnia, The former president added that “he doesn’t believe that anybody in Nigeria should be driven away from any part of the country, asserting that, we own this country together”.
The press statement reads further,
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo notes with grave concern the orchestrated ethnic profiling, hate speech, incendiary and inflammatory rhetoric and outright demolition of Igbo properties and liquidation of their sources of income in Lagos State since a few years now. “
Ohanaeze Ndigbo lamented that the detractors are plotting to encourage “Lagosians and every South-West stakeholder to prepare for the massive protest of #IgboMustGo on the 20th – 30th of August, 2024.
He mentioned that An X handle named ‘LagosPedia’ had recently demanded for “the forced relocation of Igbo people from Lagos and other South West states within one month”. The hashtag #Igbomustgo also called on all “the Yoruba living in the South East to return to the South West”.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo recalled past ugly experiences of plots aganst Ndigbo in June 2023, a few days before the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial elections, a video went viral on soc showing Alh. Musiliu Akinsanya, commonly known as ‘MC Oluomo’, where he issued a threat to the Igbo residents of Lagos to “either vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or stay at home”.
Based on the Oluoma doltish tantrums, political thugs went on a rampage carrying out civil-war-era-style eye tests to determine who was an Igbo and who was not.
According to the report, “those they deemed to be Igbo were violently deprived of their rights to vote. In some cases, people of other ethnic groups who did not pass the eye tests were also beaten and forced out of polling units. A This Day columnist, Paul Nwachukwu quoted Bolarinwa Iyanuoluwa: “I was told to go back to Anambra! How does Bolarinwa sound like an Igbo name? I was rough handled, beaten and sent out because I look Igbo? Because I was not going to vote APC? This evil fire will burn you and your generation!” Another victim, Dr Olawale Ogunlana was also quoted “I was harassed today at the polling unit, told that I looked like an Igbo person. It’s obvious that the ruling party plans to use intimidation, tactical disenfranchisement, violence, thuggery and tribal bigotry to hold on to power. This is not an election. This is a crime scene”. Yet, Sisi Yemmie lamented: “I was born in Lagos. I’m a Lagos woman. This is my “village” but I was not allowed to vote because I don’t look like Yoruba?”
” Earlier in 2015, the Oba of Lagos, Alh. Rilwan Akiolu had isuued a threat to the Igbo living in Lagos State “to either vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, or else they will die in the lagoon”, The Oba was further quoted: “On Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me. If anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to die inside this water.
“Following the same trend, on March 19, 2023, Bayo Onanuga, now the Special Adviser to the President on Communications and Strategy, was reported by several news media to have issued a serious warning to the Igbo stating, ‘Let 2023 be the last time of Igbo interference in Lagos politics. Let there be no repeat in 2027.’ When many well-meaning Nigerians including Mr. Festus Keyamo cautioned Onanuga on the ignoble path he has chosen for himself, he was quoted to have stated: ‘I owe no one apology for ethnic slur against the Igbo.’
” On March 8, 2023, it was widely reported that political thugs had set Igbo-majority market, the Akere Spare Parts Market, on fire. The Igbo leaders in the market confirmed that they were told “that they would burn our markets, and they have called some of us to their meetings where they threatened to wipe the Igbo out”. It added “they are on social media, even making videos with their face and names on the video, yet security agencies didn’t do anything to caution them or bring them to book”
“Within the same period, it was also reported that the political thugs also destroyed goods and properties belonging to the Igbo at Ikotun, Abaranje, and Ijegun markets.
” In June 2023, several buildings belonging to the Igbo were demolished at the Alaba International Market. The President of the Alaba International Market (AIM), Chief Camilus Amajuoyi, expressed surprise that soon after their supports to His Excellency, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on his re-election for a second term in Office, the authorities of the Lagos State have served them with a calamity that can only be contemplated on an enemy zone in a war time. He decried the ordeals of the over one million Igbo traders in Alaba International Market, lamenting that despite their contributions to the economy of the state, they were being paid back with persecutions”
“The late President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu CFR, OFR, MFR, GCSI, FNSE, FNIST, FNICE, KSC (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) could not withhold his sorrow when he led the Ohanaeze leadership to the scene of the demolished buildings.
” In Novemeber 2023, there were again the demolition of buildings belonging to the Igbo at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin local government area (LGA) of Lagos state. Again, Chief Iwuanyanwu led the leadership of Ohanaeze to the scene. It was so sad.
” Ohanaeze Ndigbo stressed the threat for Ndigbo to vacate Lagos has continued to heighten even when the Governor of Lagos State Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has condemned the Igbo Must Go mis-adventurers.
Ohanaeze stated that a press release by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr. Gbenga Akosile, stated that “the Governor of Lagos State and indeed, Lagos State Government wish to distance themselves from the reckless, divisive and dangerous rhetoric”, adding that “Lagos remains home to every Nigerian citizen regardless of their ethnic nationality”. Sanwo-Olu views the post as “not only reckless and divisive but an attempt to sow a seed of discord between the Yoruba in the South-west and other tribes, especially those who have made Lagos their permanent place of abode”.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo said they were highly elated by the intervention made by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He recalled the Obasanjo dispositions to equity and fairness in all matters affecting Nigeria is very legendary. It was Obasanjo who insisted that the presidency of Nigeria should move to the North after his tenure, as a southerner. It was again, Chief Obasanjo who insisted that Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan from the South South of Nigeria should become the President of Nigeria. When it mattered most, it was Obasanjo who lent full weight that the presidency of Nigeria should go to the South East of Nigeria in 2023. It was Obasanjo who handed over power to Alh. Shehu Shagari with Dr Alex Ekwueme, an Igbo as a Vice President, nine years after the Nigerian civil war. It was Obasanjo who condemned the persistent aversion to the Igbo, which he described as Igbophobia. It was Obasanjo who posited that unless “Nigeria throws its doors open to merit, competence and full inclusion of the Igbo in national affairs, the country will continue to flounder and grope in the dark”.
“The Obasanjo presidency was very blind to ethnicity. The Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government under Obasanjo were presided by qualified eminent technocrats with track records of accomplishments. All the federal boards were brought to the table and maximum prudence and equity were applied in the distribution to the six geo-political zones of the country. The above qualities and more stand Chief Olusegun Obasanjo out as the conscience of the nation.”
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