Coalition of Igbo Political and Social-Cultural Groups, Lagos State chapter, on Tuesday, distanced itself from the planned nationwide protests scheduled to commence on August 1, 2024, urging Igbo traders across the state to stay home and not open their businesses on days slated for the protest to avoid being attacked.
Organizers of the protests had slated to hold the protest from August 1-10, 2024 to voice their concern about the current hardships pervading the country.
The coalition made up of 16 different Igbo groups in Lagos, gave this stand at a press conference, which took place at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, noting that while there is no dispute that there is hardship in the country, quickly affirmed that the current economic downturn was not limited to Nigeria and not caused by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
President of the coalition, Sunday Ossai, said the Igbo in Lagos had always been wrongly accused of organising protests in the state which has always put their lives in danger and, therefore, the reason they had to come out to deny knowing anything about organising the protest.
According to him, Ndigbo are not part of it and not part of the planned nationwide protests, urging Ndigbo across the state to be cautious of their movements by staying “home and not go for their businesses on the days of the protests.
“Ndigbo have always been wrongly accused so we have come out to deny accusations against us. We don’t know anything about organising the protests, Ndigbo are not part of it. We are innocent. I appeal to Ndigbo to be cautious of their movements and urge them to stay home and not go for their businesses on the days of the protests,” Ossai said.
The Coordinator of the coalition, Anselm Njoku, in his remark, affirmed that Lagos is a Yoruba land which the Ndigbo who were residents in the state had contributed immensely to its development, vowing that they cannot be used, coerced in whatever forms to destroy the assets.
“We are not destruction prone and cannot be part of those seeking to destroy what we partly built. Ndigbo are not wired for destruction but develop wherever we are residing,” Njoku said.
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Njoku said President Tinubu should be given time to settle down and address the various issues on ground as, according to him, he inherited a bad economy from previous administrations.
He, however, applauded the president for approving the South East Development Commission, just as he appealed to him to “expedite action on the release of Nnamdi Kanu through a political process rather than judiciary means.”
The President-General, Igbo Speaking Community, Lagos State chapter, Sunday Eze, who also spoke, noted that Igbo are legitimate businessmen and women and cannot leave their hometown and come to Lagos to destroy property.
“We can not leave our hometown and come to Lagos to destroy property,” he said.
Eze appealed to the state government to protect their businesses, homes and their families during the protests, maintaining that they were not part of the planned exercise.
Other leaders of the groups present at the well-attended event equally urged Igbo traders to mind their businesses and not be pushed into taking part in the protests.
