A group, under the aegis of Anya Ndigbo, has declared pointedly that Igbo people in Lagos State are not in the state for a war or a fight, saying that rather they were in Lagos to earn a living and to contribute to the development of the place where they were making a living.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of the group, Dr Uma Eleazu, made this declaration on Tuesday as he led his members to the Ikoyi office of former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, even as noted sadly that Igbo people in Lagos now lived in fears, the fallout of the last general elections held across the country.
Eleazu, who led other members, including Mr Emeka Ugwu- Oju, Engnr. Ben Aka, Chief Amaechi Ebeledike and Elvira Sallerias decried the ethnic profiling that characterised the last pill exercise in the state, describing the words that were used as worrisome, which he said created “fear in the minds of people.”
This was just as the elder statesman, who would be 94 years next month, described as misinformation what some people were banding about “that Igbo and Yoruba are going to fight for Lagos,” saying that the latest one being that Igbo traders wanted to close their markets for two weeks were fake news.
“There is a development we noticed in the last election, it turned out to be a do-or-die affair. If you do a content analysis of the just concluded elections, the words that were used were worrisome.
“These are words that create fear in the minds of people. In the last election, it went beyond that. In an attempt to dissuade people from voting, we saw one ethnic nationality brought out to be antagonized and given names. This had nothing to do with politics and it created fear in an attempt to degrade and dissuade people from coming out to vote.
“So, our people felt there was a need to talk to leaders like you because we have heard some people say that Igbo and Yoruba are going to fight for Lagos. This is misinformation and it puts fears in the minds of the people, they are asking whether the Igbo people are safe because we have been here for a long time,” he said.
“So, our coming to you is to tell you that the Igbo people are not in Lagos for a war or a fight. We are in Lagos to earn a living and to contribute to the development of the place where we are making a living.
“As a leader, we are telling you what we feel because most of our people are now afraid. Some faceless people are going around fomenting trouble for Igbo people. The latest one is that they said Igbo traders want to close their markets for two weeks. These are fake news,” he added.
Eleazu, therefore, pleaded with Chief George, who is also the Atona Oodua of Yoruba land, to help spread the word that Igbo people were not at war with Yoruba people in Lagos State, saying that they were in the state to do their business and “don’t want to be molested” and would want the tension doused and everyone live in peace.
“Please us in spreading the word that Igbo people are not at war with Yoruba people in Lagos State.
“We are not planning any and as I said, we are here to do our business and we don’t want to be molested. We need to douse this tension so that everyone will live in peace,” he said.
Chief George, in his remark, decried the anti-Igbo comments made by Bayo Onanuga during the general elections, expressing surprise that the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had not reprimanded his former campaign spokesperson.
The PDP said the action of Onanuga did not reflect the true culture of Lagos and deserved condemnation from all well-meaning Nigerians, even as he noted that up till now Tinubu’s aide had not apologized for the comment.
“Until now Onanuga has not apologized for the comment and I expect Prof. Wole Soyinka to tell him to apologize rather than be abusing Datti Baba-Ahmed. That was mis-normal, senseless and insane to make that kind of comment in a country where we are still trying to build the nation.
“How can you tell them that they can’t come here? Is that the culture of Lagos? Lagos is the commercial-nerve centre not only for Nigeria but for the whole of West Africa,” George said.
He, however, disclosed that a new move was ongoing as elders of the real Lagosians were going to meet to ensure that outsiders “don’t come here to come and define our culture, the culture that has existed.”
“I believe that there is a new move in Lagos and the elders of the real Lagosians are going to meet because you don’t come here to come and define our culture. The culture that has existed,” he said.
Chief George went further to apologize publicly for ‘Onanuga’s statement, warning that if he was not careful, “we will also ban him from Lagos.”
“And I want to apologize publicly for that kind of distractible statement by Bayo Onanuga. Who the hell is he to be throwing such tantrums? I’m shocked that even Bola Tinubu has not told him to shut up. Already I could see that he is part of the transition committee. How do you put that kind of man on that committee?
“Do you think that Abuja is Lagos? And you are going to meet with all the various tribes in this country in the Villa. So, I want to apologize as a true born and genuine Lagosian that that is not our style and attitude and we must stop it.
“If Bayo Onanuga is not careful, we will also ban him from Lagos. He can’t talk on behalf of Lagosians and what authority does he have to make such a comment? he queried.
“I’m sure that now there is a move by elders too to get the real Lagosians respective of political leaning to come together, let us save the culture that was handed over to us by our forefathers. Nobody can start to manipulate or re-write the history of our state,” he concluded.
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