By Tony Adibe
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has lauded former President Olusegun Obasanjo for condemning and rejecting the latest “Igbo Must Go” campaign being made by certain unpatriotic and ethnic bigots. The mischievous crusaders of the anti-Igbo campaign have insisted that the Igbo living and doing business in Lagos and other states in the southwest zone of Nigeria must leave and relocate to their Southeast Zone of origin.
In a statement issued and made available to NewsBits by the Ohanaeze’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze Ndigbo joined millions of patriotic Nigerians and all members of the civilized community to commend Chief Obasanjo on his recent remarks about the Igbo Must Go hashtag. Ogbonnia recalled that Obasanjo, while condemning the anti-Igbo campaign, had in a statement issued by his Media Aide, warned that “those saying that the Igbo must go from Lagos will be the ones to leave.”
Chief Obasanjo, was quoted to have emphasised further 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.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in the press release also noted 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.”
Former President of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
NewsBits, however, reports that since the Igbo Must Go hashtag began, not even the Federal Government or the governments of southwest States have asked security agents – the police, DSS, military, etc to arrest and prosecute the mischievous elements behind the evil campaign. Besides, the southeast members of the National Assembly and the governors have failed to push diligently for the arrest and prosecution of those who are campaigning for the Igbo to quit Lagos and Southwest states.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, however, commended the press release by the government of Lagos State in which it criticised the inflammatory campaign against the Igbo. “It is indeed very reassuring. However, it is certain that such reckless, provocative, divisive, instigative, and inflammatory dispositions towards the Igbo in Lagos State, will remain unabated, except of course, there are manifest consequences for such vexatious, unscrupulous loose –cannons and hate-mongers, ” said Ogbonnia in the statement.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo press release read: “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide joins millions of patriotic Nigerians and all the members of the civilized community to commend His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, PhD, GCFR, the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on his recent remarks about the Igbo Must Go hashtag. Obasanjo in a press release, admonished that ‘those saying that the Igbo must go from Lagos will be the ones to leave”. 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”.
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.
1. The most recent recrudescence is that the “Lagosians and every South-West stakeholder should prepare for the massive protest of #IgboMustGo on the 20th – 30th of August, 2024. 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”.
2. In June 2023, a few days before the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial elections, a video went viral on social media 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”.
3. 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?”
4. Earlier in 2015, the Oba of Lagos, Alh. Rilwan Akiolu had issued 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”
5. 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.’
6. 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”
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. In November 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.
10. The points raised above is but a tip of the iceberg of what the Igbo encounter in Lagos on a daily basis.
11. The Governor of Lagos State Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has condemned the Igbo Must Go mis-adventurers. 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”.
12. We commend the Afenifere for living up to expectations. The Afenifere, through their National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, called on “all Nigerians living legitimately in any part of Yorubaland to entertain no fear about their safety or be afraid of being forced out of the area”.
13. The Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR was 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.
14. Ohanaeze Ndigbo commends the press release by the government of Lagos State. It is indeed very reassuring. However, it is certain that such reckless, provocative, divisive, instigative and inflammatory dispositions towards the Igbo in Lagos State, will remain unabated, except of course, there are manifest consequences for such vexatious, unscrupulous loose –cannons and hate-mongers.
E-Sign: “Dr, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, the National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide”
