President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, has appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to address the rift between the Yoruba and Ndigbo living in the state.
This appeal is coming on the heels of growing mistrust between the two tribes following the violence which happened before, during, and after the elections in the state.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos over the weekend, Chief Ogbonna said, “As the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos, I, Solomon Aguene, urge Mr. Governor to make peace rapidly between Ndigbo and Yoruba people. It is a known fact that the owners of Lagos are the Yoruba people. That is why many people come from Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun etc to Eko and contest any political position and claim son of the soil.
“The Governor has to address the situation before it is too late. I think he should organize a large town hall meeting in order to broker peace, in which the two tribes, Ndigbo and Yoruba people will be fully represented and that will be the end of the story.
“Mr. Governor, information, advice, and contributions, can come from anyone. It is not only from the elites, oil & gas magnets, and those living in the most expensive areas in Nigeria like Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Maitama, Asokoro, etc. You can have vital information from someone living in Ajangbadi, Okokomaiko, Orile, Makoko, Ilaje, etc.
“Please, address this propaganda fight that is not healthy for your leadership in Lagos. The men of questionable characters, who had been carrying this propaganda that Ndigbo should leave and relocate their businesses outside Lagos should be cautioned.
“It is important now that Governor Sanwo-Olu should address these two most vibrant and intelligent ethnic groups, Yoruba people and Ndigbo cohabiting in Lagos.”
He noted that the relationship between the two tribes had been cordial from time immemorial and there is a need for Sanwo-Olu to let them know that the relationship between Ndigbo and Yoruba people cannot be severed, stressing that the two tribes had bonded over the years through inter-tribal marriages including his own first daughter, whose husband is from Ondo State.
He explained further that any issue between Ndigbo and Yoruba has become a family affair and none of the tribes should throw a stone into the market as you do not know who it will fall on; it may be father-in-law, mother-in-law, your grandchild, or your helper.
He insisted that the passionate appeal had become necessary for the governor to address the situation now before it escalates into monumental proportion and many people who will not understand how it all emanated will apportion blame on the governor.
In his words, “No doubt, Sanwo-Olu is a man of peace; a man that hates violence and a man with the fear of God. But a good leader can only enjoy his leadership when there is peace, harmony, and love among his people.
“The Governor is my friend and I believe that immediately he addresses this situation, social propaganda, and face-to-face argument will die a natural death in order to avoid what may lead to physical combat between the Yoruba people and Ndigbo in Lagos.
“No Yoruba man has ever gone to Igboland to buy land to build a house and he was refused. Most Yoruba people who live in Igbo land can testify that Igbo people are one tribe in the world that respects strangers.
“The Igbo people prefer fighting one another internally. The reason I am making the clarion call to Mr. Governor is that it is only these tribes that are doing things in common irrespective of religion or politics. When you talk of Lagosians, you talk about the Yoruba people and Ndigbo first. The two tribes were massively impacted in the developing Lagos State.
“That shows that there was no foundation of enmity between the two tribes before now. It is all about competition for who will outdo each other positively, which happens between brilliant classmates on who comes first or second in class.
“Please, Mr. Good Man, Mr. Sellable, it is urgent. Your command stands as a bond and law to everybody in Lagos and nobody can counter it.”